Clothing

Wear sun protective clothing that covers as much of your body as possible

Clothing creates a barrier between the skin and the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays and can provide the most effective protection. Loose fitting clothing that covers as much of the skin as possible, such as shirts with long sleeves and collars and long trousers and skirts, are best. But not all clothing fabric is equal. Clothing with a high ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating will maximise protection.

What does the UPF rating mean?

Clothing that has been designed for protection from the sun will have a UPF on the label. The UPF indicates how effective a fabric is at blocking out solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). A fabric with a UPF rating of 50 will allow only 1/50th of the sun's UV rays to pass through. This means a significant reduction in UVR exposure.

The effectiveness of clothing in protecting against UVR is dependant on clothing design, the type and structure of the fabric, its colour and tightness and whether the garment is wet or dry.

Less UVR passes through tightly woven or knitted fabrics
Darker colours usually block more UVR
Heavier weight fabrics usually block more UVR than lighter fabrics of the same type
Garments that are over-stretched, wet or worn out may lose some of their UVR protection properties

The higher the UPF rating, the better the level of protection. Very good protection is provided by clothing with a UPF rating of 25-39 . UPF ratings of 40 or more indicate excellent protection. The highest rating available is 50+.

For more information about protective clothing see the ARPANSA Radiation Protection: Clothing and Solar UV Protection Factsheet.