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Be Active and Protected with UPF Apparel

Jun 6th 2022

Be Active and Protected with UPF Apparel

The summer solstice, June 21, is technically the first day of summer, and it boasts the most daylight of any day of the year. But we’re betting you’ve been seeing some sun already this year, and so has your skin.

No problem, we all need a little sun for our moods, for the vitamin D, and for the activity that gets us out under that big ol’ ball of light in the first place.

But too much sun is too much of a good thing. Days that are longer means sun that is stronger, so cue your tech-savvy wardrobe that’s designed to keep you looking good, while blocking those UV rays from reaching your skin.

You’re likely familiar with sunscreens and their SPF (Sun Protection Factor) ratings. But did you know that clothes can also be rated for their level of sun protectiveness?

What does UPF in clothing mean?

These clothing ratings are known as UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), and they work slightly differently than SPF ratings.

SPF measures how long you can stay in the sun without burning. For example, if you would normally get a sunburn after 20 minutes of standing outdoors unprotected, then wearing SPF 30 sunscreen means, theoretically, that you could go 30 times longer, or 600 minutes (10 hours) without burning.

Woman in a car talking to a man wearing a Cutter and Buck men's blue golf polo.

But UPF ratings measure the fraction amount of ultraviolet light that is able to get through a garment. For example, a half-zip with a rating of UPF 50+ means only 1/50th of those UVA and UVB rays are penetrating through the material (or 2%).  In comparison, the average T-shirt has a UPF rating of 5. That means 1/5 of the UVA/UVB rays are getting through – or 20%!

A higher UPF rating means A LOT more protection. 

Woman and Man wearing Cutter & Buck, holding hands, walking.

What is considered a "good" UPF rating for clothes?

Today, clothing must have a UPF rating of at least 15+ to be considered “sun protective”, and even those pieces are only considered to offer “good protection.”

The ratings can be charted like this:

  • Good UV protection: UPF 15 to 20
  • Very Good UV protection: UPF 25 to 35
  • Excellent UV protection: UPF 40 to 50+

UPF of 50+ is the highest rating you'll find – and it’s the same number you find in any Cutter & Buck piece made with CB DryTec 50+UPF fabric!

Cutter and Buck Canada offers UPF protection in our men's polos, women's polos, and more. Explore our Sun Protective Golf Shirts and more by searching 50+UPF on CutterBuck.ca