Heat Shielding

Definition and Overview

Heat shielding is a material design or treatment intended to suppress heat transfer into clothing through the textile by reflecting or making it harder to absorb infrared rays and other components of sunlight, thereby reducing the rise in surface temperature of the textile. It is added not only through the type of fiber, but also through pigments, coatings, incorporation into the fiber, and the design of the weave or color.

Heat shielding is not a textile name or weave structure, but a term that primarily indicates a function intended for sun-exposed environments. Even with the same heat-shielding textile, performance and coolness when worn differ depending on the material, thickness, color, and processing method.

Features

Heat-shielding textiles are expected to help reduce heat buildup inside clothing when exposed to sunlight. Some have a glossy or whitish appearance, but the effect on appearance and hand differs depending on the processing method, and some are designed to be hard to distinguish from ordinary textiles.

Even if a textile has heat-shielding properties, breathability, water absorbency, and quick-drying performance may not be sufficient. For comfort in hot conditions, it is important to judge not only heat shielding but also breathability, moisture absorption and quick drying, clothing ease, and the combination of lining and layering.

Main Applications

It is used for outerwear, blousons, jackets, pants, shirts, hats, and other items for spring and summer that are likely to be exposed to sunlight. For sportswear, workwear, and uniforms used outdoors, breathability and durability are also required depending on wearing time and level of movement.

Outside clothing, it may also be used for bags and interior applications that are easily exposed to sunlight. However, because the effect of heat shielding depends on sunlight conditions, garment structure, wearer perspiration, and other factors, it should be verified under conditions close to the intended application.

How to Choose and Handling Precautions

When selecting, check the test results and evaluation conditions for heat-shielding performance, and judge under matched conditions for comparison materials, color, face and back of the textile, and wet or dry state. Dark colors generally tend to absorb heat more easily, so actual item evaluation including color variations is necessary. If needed, also check breathability and lightfastness.

Depending on the processing, appearance and functional durability may differ under washing, rubbing, dry cleaning, or ironing heat. In textiles containing natural fibers, shrinkage may also occur, so washing and sewing tests should be performed before mass production, and the washing instructions and finishing conditions should be determined.

Textiles using coatings or resin finishing may show needle holes, whitening at seams, presser marks, or changes due to heat pressing. Needle size, thread, sewing conditions, fusible interlining bonding, and press temperature should be tested in advance through prototypes to confirm suitability.

Differences from Similar Terms

UV-cut processing is a function that suppresses ultraviolet rays and mainly targets the transmission of ultraviolet light. Heat shielding focuses on dealing with infrared rays and other factors that cause heat, so UV cut and heat shielding do not have the same purpose or evaluation method. Some textiles have both functions.

Cool to the touch refers to a property in which heat moves easily at the moment of contact and feels cool, and it differs in mechanism from heat shielding, which suppresses temperature rise caused by sunlight. In addition, heat storage is a function intended to retain heat, and is considered for uses opposite to heat shielding, which is intended to reduce heat.

Frequently Asked Questions