When you’re shopping for window tinting, the term “visible light reflectance” may come up. But what does it mean and how can it help you choose the right tints? Here’s a quick explainer on visible light reflectance (VLR). We’ll show you what VLR is as well as why it’s important and how to check a film’s VLR rating.
Visible Light Reflectance (VLR)
Visible Light Reflectance (VLR) is the percentage of light that is reflected by a film. It can be measured when a film is applied to a window. For example, if you are seeing 80% VLR on your windows, then 80% of the light coming through them will be reflected back into the room instead of passing through and being absorbed by the window’s surface.
VLR is typically measured in percent and shows how much light passes through your tinted windows compared to how much remains in your vehicle or room after it has passed through them.
What is the VLR of a car window tint?
As I told earlier, Visible Light Reflectance (VLR) is the measurement of how much light a film lets through. It’s measured in percent and ranges from 0-100%.
A VLR of 30% of a car window tint for example, means that 30% of the visible light that hits your car window will be reflected back into your vehicle. The rest will pass through the film and into your car. It’s often confused with VLT.
Why Does It Matter?
Visible light reflectance (VLR) is a measure of how much light a film reflects. It’s not just important for blocking UV rays, but also to block solar heat from entering your vehicle. The higher the visible light reflectance, the better it blocks out solar energy.
VLR is measured in percent and can be found on all films’ certificates of conformity issued by an accredited testing laboratory. For example, an 80% VLR tint would have 80% of visible light reflecting off its surface back into the environment rather than entering your car through its windows. While this sounds great for keeping you cool during those hot summer days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this will allow you to see out better because if there aren’t any other factors at play that affect visibility such as glare coming off other objects such as signs or trees when they’re too close while driving down country roads where no sidewalks exist between fields/grasslands/watersheds (especially during cloudy days).
While most of us worry about the amount of heat coming through our windows, many are unaware that we should also be concerned about how much light is getting in.
While most of us worry about the amount of heat coming through our windows, many are unaware that we should also be concerned about how much light is getting in. The sun is a source of both heat and light, and the darker your tint is, the more protection you get from both.
To check VLR on a film, you need to note the reflectance value of the film when it is not applied to a window.
To check VLR on a film, you need to note the reflectance value of the film when it is not applied to a window. This is called the “untinted” value or UVL.
To check VLR on a film, follow these steps:
- Get a spectrophotometer that reads at least 0.5% increments and has an emissivity setting between 0-1 (most do). Make sure this instrument can read surface measurements at 90 degrees. If you don’t have one, contact your dealer for assistance in obtaining one or renting one from them.
- Set up your spectrophotometer as follows:
Place it in an area with no window light or other sources of light shining directly on it (you can use room lighting if necessary). Use only dimmable bulbs during testing because they produce more consistent results than regular incandescent lamps—and leave the lights off.
Conclusion
The visible light reflectance of a film is its ability to reflect light. A higher visible light reflectance means more heat will be blocked from entering your car and less glare will be cast in your car. This means that you can enjoy a cooler ride when driving around town or through the desert on those summer days!