EN 343 and EN ISO 20471
A waterproof rating has two parts. One says how well the jacket keeps rain out. The other says how well it lets sweat out. Buyers read the first and ignore the second, and in UAE humidity the second is the one that decides whether anybody keeps the jacket on.
We stitch hi-vis jackets on our own floor in Ajman, so the specification is a conversation rather than a catalogue number. Minimum order is 25 pieces and we deliver across all seven emirates.
What the standards require
Class is a measure of area, not of brightness. That is why a jacket and a vest in the same fabric sit in different classes.
The number that gets ignored
EN 343 rates a garment on two separate things, and both appear on the label as a class. Almost every buyer looks at the water column figure and stops there.
This is resistance to water getting in, tested before and after conditioning such as washing and abrasion. A higher class means the garment holds out more water for longer.
Getting this right is not difficult or expensive. A simple PVC coated garment scores extremely well here, because nothing passes through a solid plastic film in either direction.
This is Ret, and it measures how much the fabric resists sweat vapour escaping. Lower is better. A low Ret means moisture can leave, a high Ret means it cannot.
That same PVC garment scores badly here, because the film that keeps rain out keeps sweat in. The wearer ends up just as wet, from the inside, and concludes the jacket leaks.
Choosing the garment
These are not three price points of the same jacket. They solve different problems, and two of them are wrong for most of the UAE year.
A popular purchase that often goes wrong
A detachable fleece or quilted inner looks like obvious value. One garment, two seasons, one line on the purchase order. For some crews it genuinely is. For most UAE crews it is not, and it is worth being clear about why before the order goes in.
Count the weeks a liner is actually needed. For most outdoor work here that is somewhere between six and ten weeks a year, concentrated in the northern emirates and in early mornings.
For the other forty two weeks the zip system, the extra bulk and the additional cost are carried for nothing. Two separate garments, a light shell and a separate warm layer, often outlast one combined jacket and cost less over three years.
Not the fabric. The attachment system. Liner zips and press studs take the load every time the inner goes in or out, and on a site that happens in dust, with gloves on, in a hurry.
If you do buy three in one, the thing to inspect on the sample is the liner zip and its stitching, not the outer shell. That is where the garment will end.
Cold storage and chilled logistics are the clear exception. There the liner earns its place every single shift of the year, and a three in one reflective jacket is exactly the right purchase.
Why a jacket outranks a vest
EN ISO 20471 sets minimum areas of fluorescent background material and of retroreflective material. Class is arithmetic about surface area, not a judgement about how bright something looks.
| Class | Background m² | Retroreflective m² | What usually reaches it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 0.14 | 0.10 | A small waistcoat, or trousers worn alone |
| Class 2 | 0.50 | 0.13 | A full size vest, or a short sleeve hi-vis top |
| Class 3 | 0.80 | 0.20 | A long sleeve jacket, or a jacket and trousers worn together |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
Two consequences follow. A long sleeve hi vis jacket carries far more material than a vest, which is why jackets reach Class 3 and vests generally cannot. And where a Class 3 requirement is met by combining two garments, both have to be certified in their own right, and both have to actually be worn. A Class 3 trouser does nothing on a hook. If you are specifying vests rather than jackets, the detail sits on our safety wear page.
Make and finish
Because these are made on our own floor rather than bought in, the specification is open. These are the five things that decide whether a jacket survives three years of site use.
Seam sealing. A waterproof fabric with unsealed seams is not a waterproof garment. Taped seams are the minimum, and welded seams are better where the budget allows.
A storm flap over the zip. The zip is the largest hole in any jacket. A covering flap is the cheapest waterproofing on the garment.
Cuffs that close over a glove, never under. Water runs down a sleeve. If the cuff sits inside the glove, it runs straight in.
Tape placement that survives movement. Retroreflective banding has to stay visible when the wearer bends and turns, not only when standing in a showroom.
Nothing stitched or pressed through the tape. Needle holes destroy retroreflectivity along the stitch line and press heat flattens the structure permanently. Logos go on the base fabric between the bands, which is something any hi vis jacket manufacturer should raise before you send artwork, not after. Branding runs in house through our stitching floor.
Before you order
A reflective jacket solves visibility and weather. These five are different problems and a better jacket will not touch any of them.
Ordering
If a main contractor specified it, send that line. If not, tell us the traffic and speed.
Night and humid conditions push the decision toward breathability over waterproofing.
Count the weeks. Six to ten a year usually argues for two garments, not a three in one.
Minimum 25 pieces. Send vector artwork and we will place it clear of the tape.
Questions
The first is resistance to water penetration, meaning how well the garment keeps rain out. The second is water vapour resistance, written as Ret, which measures how much the fabric resists sweat escaping, where a lower figure is better. Most buyers read the first and ignore the second. In UAE humidity the second is usually the one that decides whether the jacket stays on, because a fully waterproof non breathing shell leaves the wearer just as wet from the inside.
Because class is set by area. EN ISO 20471 requires minimum square metres of fluorescent background and retroreflective material, roughly 0.80 and 0.20 square metres at Class 3 against 0.50 and 0.13 at Class 2. A long sleeve jacket simply carries more material than a vest can. Where Class 3 is met by combining a jacket and trousers, both garments must be certified and both must actually be worn.
For cold storage and chilled logistics, yes, because the liner earns its place every shift. For general outdoor site work, usually not. The liner is needed somewhere between six and ten weeks a year here, and for the remaining forty two weeks the zip system, bulk and cost are carried for nothing. Two separate garments often outlast one combined jacket. If you do buy one, inspect the liner zip and its stitching on the sample, because that is where these fail rather than the shell.
Onto the base fabric between the reflective bands, yes. Through the retroreflective tape, never. Needle holes destroy retroreflectivity along the stitch line and press heat permanently flattens the structure, and covering tape also reduces the certified area that sets the garment class. Send vector artwork and the placement can be planned before anything is cut.
Over, always. The outer layer is the one that has to carry the class, and a hi-vis garment worn underneath a plain jacket is not a hi-vis garment at all. This is the most common visibility failure on site in winter, and it is why a hi-vis outer shell with a layer underneath is usually a better arrangement than a warm outer worn over a vest.
Those two answers set the fabric of a safety jacket before anything else is discussed. We stitch these in Ajman, so a specification change is a conversation rather than a different catalogue. Minimum order 25 pieces.
