Glossary - U

You may have heard about the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) used by sun tan lotions to measure the protection the lotion offers to your skin but you may not be aware that there is a parallel standard for clothing - the Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF rating system.

The UPF rating is a measure of a garment's protective ability, based on how much UV (Ultraviolet) rays can get through a fabric to the skin. The ultra violet protection factors go much higher than sun creams. The higher the UPF score, the higher the protection. The highest rated garments offer Factor 50+ protection which means less than 1/50 th (or less than 2% penetration) of the UV rays reaches the skin.