Clothing is usually perceived as a good means of sun protection. However, it is important that fabric is designed such that the clothing item achieves a high Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). Fabric design is challenging as there are many factors that influence the UPF, including but not limited to, fibre content, weave, color, and finishing processes.
Until November 2011, ARPANSA tested more than 31,000 fabric samples. The top 3 material groups of all samples tested were lycras (39%), cotton & polyester/cotton (30%), and polyester & blends (16%). From December 2011 to April 2023, further tens of thousands of fabric samples have been tested. Further analysis is underway to investigate whether there is a shift in the top 3 material groups based on this second lot of data, also, whether there is a shift in the degree of sun protection afforded by the same material group.
Furthermore, a recent study reported that fabric weight is a better predictor of UPF compared to other factors for natural fibres of woven construction. As synthetic fibres have become more popular over the years, this proposition is also currently being investigated by examining the relationship between weight and UPF specifically for polyester fabric samples that have been tested by ARPANSA.