Exploring the Terms Associated with Rating Window Tint

When you buy a new car, the salesman typically uses some terminology you’re familiar with hearing – such as MPG (or the vehicle’s fuel efficiency), HP (the engines horsepower), and MSRP (the manufactures suggested retail price). The window film industry also has many abbreviations or terms that are used in describing the performance or attributes of the film.

Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) is the percentage or amount of visible light that can pass through a piece of glass (or window). When the VLT percentage is low, it means that less light can pass through the glass. Essentially, when the tint is darker, VLT is lower.

There are two types of VLT ratings. The Internal VLT is the light that passes from the inside the vehicle. External VLT is its opposite – or light that passes from an outer source.

Visible Light Reflectance (VLR) is the amount of visible light that has been reflected by window glass or a protective film. The higher this number, the more light is reflected. This is a major component that helps to determine the glare produced by a window. Most non-tinted windows can reflect up to 10 percent of visible light. As you add higher quality window tint – that is intended to increase VLR, window glare is reduced.

Sputtering is defined as a form of vapor deposition that helps to bond metallic particles such as silver, copper, chromium, and gold onto window film. It’s used to create a thin layer that makes this type of film well suited to block sunlight with a subtle finish.

Total Solar Energy Rejected (TSER) is a rating that measures the window tints ability to block the three effects produced by solar energy including – UVA and UVB, visible light, and infrared radiation (IR). Essentially, it’s the overall rating that describes the power of window film.

IR is the abbreviation for Infrared Radiation. It’s a type of radiant energy that is not visible to human eyes, but we feel as ‘heat’. When a window tint is referred to as an IR window tint, it means the film is intended to reflect heat from the protected window. This prohibits infrared or heat from penetrating the glass, and thus – keeps the inside of the vehicle cooler. IR window tint provides exceptional heat rejection properties.

Absorbance refers to the window films ability to retain or absorb heat or light. A window film with a strong absorbance will typically produce less glare – which helps to improve visibility.

Reflectance is the amount of light or heat that is rejected away from the tinted window. A tint with a higher reflectance rating will improve its ability to block UVA, UVB, and IR.

Glare Reduction is the opposite of VLT or the amount of visible light that is rejected by a substrate. In the case of window tint, the combination of the glass and the tint produces a total reflectance.

Total Solar Reflectance is the complete amount of light and heat that is absorbed by the window film.

Window tint for cars comes in different grades, darkness levels, and quality. While it might be tempting to install window film yourself, it’s always best to defer to professional tint installation. If you’d like to stay on top of new tint products and technology entering the industry, click the button below to request a free estimate.