Category Archives: Reflective Tape Colors

Red White Black Blue Green Gold Yellow Orange Retro Reflective Tapes

Fluorescent Orange Tape Versus an Orange Overlay

Reflective Fluorescent Lime and Orange Chevron Panels versus True Orange Fluorescent Rolls. – Online Store (www.chevronpanels.com) Continue reading Fluorescent Orange Tape Versus an Orange Overlay

White / Silver Retro Reflective Tape

White Reflective Tape(Click to go to our Online Store)

White reflective tape is the most common of all retro reflective tapes and is available in all of the different intensities. This material is available in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths. White is the brightest of all the colors which is the main reason for it’s popularity.  The brighter the tape the farther away it can be seen.  It reflects a white color similar to a cars headlights.  In daylight when the tapes are not reflecting they tend to have either a pearl white or silver appearance.  The white solas, for example, is the brightest of all the reflective tapes and is a greyish color in the daylight.  This is due to the glass beads or prisms in the tapes.  They act as little mirrors and although they reflect a bright white, they tend to look off white or silvery in standard daylight conditions.

As you can see from the image above, there are a variety of choices for white (silver) reflective tape.

On the left is our SOLAS tape.  It is the brightest and is rated at around 1000 candelas.

Next is the V82 or Type 5 Reflexite Tape which is rated at 700 plus candelas.

The Reflexite V92 tapes are designed for vehicle graphics and are rated at 460 plus candelas.

Our V98 white looks almost exactly like the V92 but is conformable and repositionable.  We have another picture of the V98 White below.

High Intensity Nikkalite tapes reflect using high index encapsulated glass beads and reflect at 250 candelas.

The Engineer Grade Type 1 rolls of white (far right) reflect at 75 candelas.

(Please not that we now have a Type 4 High Intensity Prismatic.  There is a picture of this product at the bottom of this page)

White high intensity prismatic

The picture above is of our white high intensity prismatic type 4 film. It has the honeycomb pattern like the type 3.  It is similar to our high intensity type 3 but uses prisms instead of glass beads for reflectivity. It reflects at about 500 candelas.  It is a vivid film and has a glossy finish.

The SOLAS, V82, V92 and High Intensity are flexible but not stretchable.  The V98, Flexible High Intensity and the Engineer Grade that we carry are flexible and stretchable meaning they will conform a little on complex curves or over rivets and weld marks. In some situations the type of that that does not stretch is best and in others the stretchable tape is best. The image below shows our flexible high intensity and our flexible engineer grade tapes.  The flexible high intensity is available in white, orange and yellow.  It looks like our standard high intensity but is not the same tape.  The standard does not stretch and the flexible does.  (Note – heating with a hair dryer during installation increases the stretchability of the tapes.  Also, the optimum temperature for applying the flexible engineer grade tape is from 59 – 77 degrees.  At temperatures above this the tape becomes very stretchy.  After installation the tape can handle temperatures from -22 to +176 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Reflexite V98 Conformable Prismatic Reflective Tape

Reflectivity Test

The image above is a test that we did comparing 4 classes of white reflective tape.  The tape on the far left is engineer grade, then high intensity then type 5 V82 and finally on the far right SOLAS.  The main thing to notice is that at greater distances the glass bead (type 1 & 3) tapes fade out.  Close up they are fine.  At longer distances the type 5 and SOLAS continue to be visible.  The same can be said of the the V92.  As a general rule you can use the Type 1 and 3 tapes for applications where the tape needs to be clearly seen within a 300 foot distance.  For applications where the tape needs to be seen at distances beyond that then the prismatics are a great choice.

The image below shows all of our white/silver tapes including our newest High Intensity Prismatic Type 4.

white reflective tape comparison

Here are the sites that you can go to if you wish to purchase one of our white retro reflective tapes.

Type 1 -Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 -High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 – Flexible High Intensity Grade

2″ rolls

4″ rolls

 6″ rolls)

Type 4 – High Intensity Prismatic (colebrothers.com or reflects-light.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Daybright

1 inch

 2 inch

3 inch 

4 inch 

6 inch

reflects-light.com)

V98 Conformable Prismatic –

colebrothers.com

reflectiveshapes.com)

Type 5 – V82 Prismatic Grade

1 inch V82 

2 inch V82)

Type 8 – Not shown in pictures but similar to a diamond grade. (call 850-934-3157)

SOLAS – Coast Guard Approved Marine Reflective. (colebrothers.com

reflects-light.com

solastapes.com)

Yellow Retro Reflective Tape

Yellow Reflective Tape(Click to go to our Online Store)

Yellow reflective tape is another very popular color that is often used in applications to designate the need to exercise caution.  A yield sign would be an example of this.  Our yellow reflective tape is available in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths. Colored tapes are not as bright as white tape but they do have the advantage of reflecting a color that in turn sends a message to the viewer.  Yellow would be caution, red would be danger, green would be go and so on.  White is bright but often looks like a car headlight.  After white, yellow is the brightest color.

As  you can see from the pictures, there are several shades of yellow ranging from almost a gold color to a fluorescent lime.  When purchasing yellow reflective tape you should consider what type of visibility you need in the daytime and what type you need at night.  The V98 Fluorescent Lime tape is very visible day and night which is why is it so popular.  At night, the crystal grade and V82 tapes are the brightest.

The yellow tape above on the left is our Crystal Grade Type 8 Prismatic tape.  It would be comparable to what is known as a diamond grade material.  It is a thick, tough material. (about the thickness of a guitar pick)  It does well on flat surfaces but is too thick to go around corners or curves.  It reflects at 525 candelas.

Click Image to Enlarge

The roll on the left in the picture above is our Reflexite V82 Type 5 material in a standard yellow.  It is a thin, flexible material and will go around tighter corners and curves.  It is about the thickness of two sheets of paper.  It is very bright and has an outdoor rating of 10 years.  It has an intensity of 470 candelas.

Next to that roll is our V82 School Bus Yellow.  Same tape but a little more on the gold side.  It reflects at the same rate.

The next roll is our V92 Daybright school bus yellow reflective tape.  It is the same thickness as the V82 and has a more pronounced pattern.  It is rated for 5 years.  On applications out of direct sunlight it will last longer. The intensity of V92 Yellow is 310 candelas.

Our V98 Fluorescent Lime Yellow is very different color.  Closer to a true yellow.  It is  thicker than the other Reflexite tapes and conformable.  It is the film that we use for all of our reflective shapes.  It is extremely tough and very easy to work with.  It can be applied, removed and repositioned.  After 48 hours it sets and reaches its maximum adhesion.  It is widely used for chevron stripes on fire apparatus.  In can be used in conjunction with our reflective shapes (dots) to stripe both smooth and diamond plated areas on fire trucks.  The Fluorescent Lime reflects at an intensity of 525 candelas.

The High Intensity Type 3 yellow rolls have the honey comb pattern and use microscopic glass beads to reflect light.  Yellow High Intensity reflects at at rate of 170 candelas.  It is a 10 year rated tape.

Lastly, our flexible engineer grade yellow reflective reflects at approximately 70 candelas and is our most affordable tape.  It has no pattern and is widely used for vehicle graphics, letters, numbers and striping.

yellow oralite 5900

The tape to the left is a newly developed film by Orafol/Reflexite.  It is called Oralite 5900 High Intensity Prismatic Yellow. It is a type 4 film and would be between the v92 and v82 in brightness.  It uses air backed prisms which make it a more vivid colored film.   Yellow HIP reflects at 380 candelas.  We have this film at www.colebrothers.com/hip/index1.html

The links below will take you to our online stores.

Type 1 -Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 -High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 4 – High Intensity Prismatic (colebrothers.com or reflects-light.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4)  Prismatic Daybright (1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch or reflects-light.com)

V98 Conformable Prismatic (comparable to a Type 4) – (colebrothers.com or reflectiveshapes.com)

Type 5 – V82 Prismatic Grade (colebrothers.com or reflects-light.com)

Type 8 – Crystal Grade – similar to a diamond grade. (colebrothers.com)

Red Retro Reflective Tape

Red Reflective Tape(Click to go to our Online Store)

Red reflective tape is very popular and is often used in applications to designate either danger or the need to stop.  A stop sign would be an example of this. This material is available in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths.  Colored tapes are not as bright as white tape but they do have the advantage of reflecting a color that in turn sends a message to the viewer.  Red would be danger, yellow would be caution, green would be go and so on.  White is bright but often looks like a car headlight.

The red tape above on the left is our Crystal Grade Type 8 Prismatic tape.  It would be comparable to what is known as a diamond grade material.  It is a thick, tough material. (about the thickness of a guitar pick)  It does well on flat surfaces but is too thick to go around corners or curves.

Click Image to Enlarge

The roll on the left in the picture above is our Reflexite V82 Type 5 material.  It is a thin, flexible material and will go around tighter corners and curves.  It is about the thickness of two sheets of paper.  It is very bright and has an outdoor rating of 10 years.  It has an intensity of 120 candelas.

The next roll is our V92 Daybright Red reflective tape.  It is the same thickness as the V82 and has a more pronounced pattern.  It is rated for 5 years.  On applications out of direct sunlight it will last longer. The intensity of V92 Red is 75 candelas.

Our V98 Red is very similar to the V92 Red but thicker and conformable.  We have another picture of that tape to the left.  It is the film that we use for all of our reflective shapes.  It is extremely tough and very easy to work with.  It can be applied, removed and repositioned.  After 48 hours it sets and reaches its maximum adhesion.  It is widely used for chevron stripes on fire apparatus.  In can be used in conjunction with our reflective shapes (dots) to stripe both smooth and diamond plated areas on fire trucks.  It reflects at 130 candelas.

The High Intensity Type 3 red rolls have the honey comb pattern and use microscopic glass beads to reflect light.  Red High Intensity reflects at at rate of 45 candelas.  It is a 10 year rated tape.

Lastly, our flexible engineer grade red reflective reflects at approximately 21 candelas and is our most affordable tape.  It has no pattern and is widely used for vehicle graphics, letters, numbers and striping.

Red HIP reflective

The tape to the left is called Oralite 5900 High Intensity Prismatic.  It is a new product developed by Orafol / Reflexite.  It is classified as a type 4 material. It utilizes air backed prismatic technology which makes the colors more vivid than standard reflective tape.  It is also very bright.  The HIP red reflects at 90 candelas.

The links below will take you to our online stores.

Type 1 -Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 -High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Daybright (1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch or reflects-light.com)

V98 Conformable Prismatic (comparable to a Type 4) – (colebrothers.com or reflectiveshapes.com)

Type 5 – V82 Prismatic Grade (colebrothers.com)

Type 8 – Crystal Grade – similar to a diamond grade. (colebrothers.com)

Orange Retro Reflective Tape

Orange Reflective Tape – (Click to go to our Online Store)

Orange reflective tape is often used on emergency vehicles like ambulances. It is also used on fire hydrants, bollards, signs, gates, dumpsters and other objects that need to be seen at night.  We carry Orange reflective tape in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths. Colored tapes are not as bright as white tape but they do have the advantage of reflecting a color that in turn sends a message to the viewer. Orange often designates caution or a work zone which is why traffic cones and barrels are this color.  White is bright but often looks like a car headlight.

The tape below is called V82 by Orafol.  It is also known as AP1000.  It is  Orafol top of the line film.  It has an aggressive adhesive and a 10 year outdoor life.  To apply you simply peel the backing off the tape and apply it to a clean, dry surface.  It is a Type 5 tape and reflects at 280 candelas.

orange_v82

fluorescent orange V98 reflexite

Orange V92 Reflexite
Orange V92 Prismatic by Reflexite

Pictured above is our V82 (AP1000) orange, then our fluorescent orange and finally our V92 Orange.   V92 and V82 are about the thickness of two sheets of paper.  The V98 fluorescent orange is about the thickness of a business card.  V82 orange has a brightness of 280 candelas. V98 fluorescent orange reflects at 200 candelas and V92 Orange reflects 185 candelas.

HIP orange prismatic high intensityThe roll of tape above is an example of our orange high intensity or HIP prismatic material.  It is a type 4 tape and has a 10 year outdoor life.  It reflects at about 200 candelas.  The color is more vivid because the tape is an air back prismatic versus a metalized film.  This simply means that the prisms sit on a cushion of air and a white background resulting in sharper more vivid colors.

High Intensity & Flex High Intensity

The High Intensity Type 3 Orange rolls (pictured above-top roll) have the honey comb pattern and use microscopic glass beads to reflect light.  Orange High Intensity reflects at at rate of 100 candelas.  It is a 10 year rated tape.

Flexible High Intensity orange (pictured above-bottom roll) is very similar to standard high intensity but has the advantage of being stretchable and reboundable.  It is used on road barrels and other applications where if hit, the tape needs to bounce back to its original shape without failing.  Flexible high intensity orange also reflects at 100 candelas.  Flexible high intensity can be CAD cut.

Flexible Engineer Grade

Lastly, our flexible engineer grade orange reflective reflects at approximately 54 candelas and is our most affordable class of tape.  It has no pattern and is widely used for vehicle graphics, letters, numbers and striping.  Flexible engineer grade can be CAD cut.

V92 Prismatic, High Intensity, Flexible High Intensity
Flexible High Intensity and Engineer Grade

The links below will take you to our online stores.

Type 1 – Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 – High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 4 – High Intensity Prismatic Grade (colebrothers.com or reflects-light.com)

Type 3 – Flexible High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Daybright (1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch or reflects-light.com)

V98 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Conformable (www.chevronpanels.com or www.colebrothers.com)

V82 (Type 5) – Prismatic Daybright (reflects-light.com or colebrothers.com)

Blue Retro Reflective Tape

Blue Reflective Tape(Click to go to our Online Store)

Blue reflective tape is often used on emergency vehicles like ambulances. It is also used on fire hydrants, bollards, signs, gates, dumpsters and other objects that need to be seen at night.  Our reflective tape is available in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths. Colored tapes are not as bright as white tape but they do have the advantage of reflecting a color that in turn sends a message to the viewer. White is bright but often looks like a car headlight.

In the picture above, the roll on the left is our V92 Daybright Blue reflective tape.  It is roughly the thickness of two sheets of paper.   It is rated for 5 years.  On applications out of direct sunlight it will last longer. The intensity of V92 Blue is 35 candelas.

Our V98 Blue is very similar to the V92 but thicker and conformable.  It is the film that we use for all of our blue reflective shapes.  It is extremely tough and very easy to work with.  It can be applied, removed and repositioned.  After 48 hours it sets and reaches its maximum adhesion.   In can be used in conjunction with our reflective shapes (dots) to stripe both smooth and diamond plated areas on fire trucks.  It reflects at 55 candelas.

The High Intensity Type 3 blue rolls have the honey comb pattern and use microscopic glass beads to reflect light.  Blue High Intensity reflects at at rate of 20 candelas.  It is a 10 year rated tape.

Lastly, our flexible engineer grade blue reflective reflects at approximately 12 candelas and is our most affordable tape.  It has no pattern and is widely used for vehicle graphics, letters, numbers and striping.  Flexible engineer grade can be CAD cut.

The links below will take you to our online stores.

Type 1 -Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 -High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Daybright (1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch or reflects-light.com)

V98 Conformable Prismatic (comparable to a Type 4) – (colebrothers.com or reflectiveshapes.com)

Green Retro Reflective Tape

Green Reflective Tape(Click to go to our Online Store)

Green reflective tape is used for a variety of applications. This material is available in 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″ and 24″ widths.  The color green generally designates that an area is ok to go into.  It is also used for the background of informational signs.  It is also used on channel markers, bollards, signs, gates, dumpsters and other objects that need to be seen at night.  For example, a gate that was ok to to enter would be mark with green reflective tape while a gate that was off limits would be marked with red.  Colored tapes are not as bright as white tape but they do have the advantage of reflecting a color that in turn sends a message to the viewer. White is bright but often looks like a car headlight.

The tape to the left is our Green CRG or Crystal Grade tape.  It is a type 8 film and is widely used as the background for interstate signs.  It is a stiff, thick film.  (about the thickness of a guitar pick or credit card)  It reflects at an intensity of 70 candelas.  It is great for flat surfaces.  It is too thick to bend around corners.

In the picture above, the roll on the left is our V92 Daybright Green reflective tape.  It is roughly the thickness of two sheets of paper.   It is rated for 5 years.  On applications out of direct sunlight it will last longer. The intensity of V92 Green is 75 candelas.

The High Intensity Type 3 green rolls have the honey comb pattern and use microscopic glass beads to reflect light.  Green High Intensity reflects at at rate of 45 candelas.  It is a 10 year rated tape.

Lastly, our flexible engineer grade green reflective reflects at approximately 28 candelas and is our most affordable tape.  It has no pattern and is widely used for vehicle graphics, letters, numbers and striping.  Flexible engineer grade can be CAD cut.

The links below will take you to our online stores.

Type 1 -Flexible Engineer Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

Type 3 -High Intensity Grade (colebrothers.com or reflectivestore.com)

V92 (comparable to a Type 4) – Prismatic Daybright (1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch or reflects-light.com)

Gold Retro Reflective Tape

Gold Reflective Tape – (Click to go to our Online Store)

We carry Gold reflective tape in a flexible engineer grade. It similar to yellow and reflects about the same color.  When viewed together you can see that the two would not be mistaken for each other.  The picture below of our 1/2″ reflective tapes shows the two tapes together.  The gold is on the far left and the yellow is between the black and white.  The bottom of the picture shows the gold when it is reflecting.  The gold is at the bottom left underneath the red roll.  As you can see gold reflects a bright gold/yellow color.   The intensity of the gold reflective is around 78 candelas. This is about 10 candelas less than yellow engineer grade reflective.  Gold is the third brightest engineer grade tape after white and yellow.

Gold is popular for gate applications.  It is bright but still has that elegant look.

Gold reflective tape can be purchased at the following websites.

www.colebrothers.com for all sizes but 1/2″

shop.reflectivestore.com for all sizes including 1/2″ and 8″.

Black Retro Reflective Tape

Black Reflective Tape – (www.tapedealer.com)

Black reflective tape only comes in an engineer grade.  It is less reflective than other engineer grade colors, however, it is still quite popular.  We carry the black reflective in 1/2″, 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″ and 12″ rolls.  Black reflective tape blends in to dark surfaces and is virtually invisible during the day when on a black background.  This is the main reason for it’s popularity.

  • We carry three different types of black reflective.  Nikkalite Flexible Engineer Grade, Oralite 5700, and Oralite 5650 Rapid Air.  The first picture below shows all three for comparison.  black bright reflective tapeAs you can see, the Nikkalite film on the left reflects in a golden color.  It it also more flexible and will stretch and mold more than the other two.  The 5700 film reflects more of a white color and is brighter.  Finally, Oralite 5650 RA, on the right, is the brightest, and also the easiest to apply.  It features an air release backing that allows an installer to apply, and then squeegee out any air bubbles via built in air channels in the adhesive.  It is expensive, but it’s also the best and brightest.

Here are the Photo Metrics for our three Black reflective tapes at a .2 Observation Angle and a 5 degree Entrance Angle –

  • Nikkalite ELG Flexible – 10 Candelas
  • Oralite 5700 – 25 Candelas
  • Oralite 5650 Rapid Air – 35 Candelas


Black reflective tape is most useful in dark areas where there is little or no competitive lighting.  For example, on a black gate in a dark alley the tape would appear very bright when are car was shining its headlights down the alley.    When selecting black just be sure to consider contrast. The gate below is black and in the daytime the tape blends in completely.  At night, because the area is so dark, the tape lights up very well in car headlights.  In brighter areas, consider our Oralite 5650 Rapid Air.  It is much brighter and will be more visible.

Black reflective tape can be purchased at the following websites.

www.tapedealer.com – under engineer grade category.

Red and White (Silver) Alternating Retro Reflective Tape – Conspicuity

White Reflective Tape – (Click to go to our Online Store)

Reflective tape comes in a variety of colors for a variety of different applications.  Some applications require the tape to be extra conspicuous. A dot regulated truck or a railroad crossing arm are examples of this.  Conspicuity tape is designed to be extra visible or “conspicuous” day and night through the use of alternating colors.  Red and White are used for most high visibility applications.  Orange and white are also used for construction work zones.  We will cover those tapes in another article.

The image above shows our main prismatic conspicuity tapes.  The 5 on the left are also known as DOT C2 reflective tape.  The tape on the right is for gate arms.  On the far left is our V52 Reflexite DOT tape with a diamond plate pattern built into it.  Next are our V92 Daybright DOT C2 tapes. The first if a 7/11 pattern and the second is a 6/6 pattern.  They are the most popular.  The two V82 rolls are similar to the V92 but brighter and rated for a 10 year outdoor life.  Again, the one on the left is a 7/11 pattern and the one on the right is a 6/6.  Finally, on the far right we have our RGA or Gate Arm Tape by Reflexite.  It is the exact same tape as the V82 DOT but with a 16/16 pattern.  This is compliant with the new MUTCD ruling for gate arms.  The Corp of Engineers has a similar regulation at the following link. The image below shows some close up shots of the tape.  At the bottom of this page is a video that demonstrates the tape in day and night conditions.

Another alternating red and white tape is called prestriped barricade tape.  It is used for applications like the end of a road or where roads are washed out.  The picture below shows this tape.

Alternating red and white (silver) tape can be purchased at the following online store.

2″, 3″ and 4″ Red and White (Silver) DOT C2, C3, C4 Reflective Conspicuity Tape – colebrothers.com or dotsafetytape.com or reflects-light.com

High Intensity Type 3 Pre-Striped Barricade Tape in Red and White Rolls – colebrothers.com or shop.reflectivestore.com

Engineer Grade Type 1 Pre-Striped Barricade Tape in Red and White Rolls – colebrothers.com or shop.reflectivestore.com