Hi vis day/night explained: tape, colours and what your site asks for

A hi vis rating tells you when a garment is designed to be seen. Day garments rely on bright background fabric, usually fluorescent. Night garments rely on retroreflective tape, which sends light from headlights straight back towards its source, and day/night garments combine the two. Which one you need depends on when you work, and your site's rules have the final word.

Day, night and day/night in plain terms

The Australian standard for hi vis safety garments in high risk work is AS 4602.1. The current edition is AS 4602.1:2024, which replaced the joint AS/NZS 4602.1:2011 in Australia; the 2011 edition stays current in New Zealand. Both use the same three classes:

• Class D (day). Bright background fabric, usually fluorescent, that stands out in daylight. King Gee's hi vis guide puts the limit plainly: "Under no circumstances should Class D garments be worn for visibility purposes at night."
• Class N (night). Retroreflective tape that lights up when a headlight or torch hits it. The fabric underneath doesn't have to be fluorescent.
• Class D/N (day and night). Fluorescent fabric and retroreflective tape together, for work that runs across daylight and darkness.

The 2024 edition also splits night and day/night garments into levels, and some listings name one, such as the "LEVEL 1" on one of the hoodies below.

What the listings say

The class wording below is copied from each product listing; we haven't tested the garments ourselves.

The RM107V2R listing adds "BLUE/NAVY IS FOR NIGHT USE ONLY", so the same shirt carries two ratings depending on the colour you pick. The WS6030 names the 2011 joint edition. Where a site has moved to the 2024 edition, ask whether it still accepts garments labelled to the 2011 one.

Where tape and colour come in

Tape is what works at night. All five taped Ritemate and Pilbara work pants on our site, including the RM1004R cargo trousers and RM106DJR jeans above, are listed for night wear only. They're navy or denim, with no fluorescent fabric, so the tape is doing all the work. Pants are a special case, though. King Gee's guide, written for the 2011 edition, says pants and shorts aren't part of that standard, and the 2024 edition lists trousers only under its "ensemble garments" sections. None of these pants listings names a level or an ensemble, so ask your site whether night-rated pants count on their own. Tape alone doesn't make a garment night rated, either: the Ritemate RM4245T vest carries 50mm reflective tape and is listed for day wear.

Colour is what works by day. The fluorescent colours on these listings are orange, yellow and, on the JB's styles, lime, plus pink on some other garments. On a two-tone garment, the fluorescent section does the daytime work; the navy panel doesn't. Pink can be rated differently from the orange or yellow version of the same garment, and our pink hi vis guide goes through each one.

Some sites name the colour as well as the class. Rail work is one example. Our Bisley Cool Lightweight shirt comparison covers a shirt with a rail standard that applies to just one of its colourways, Rail Orange.

Matching the garment type to the work

The class says when a garment can be seen; fabric and cut decide whether your crew will wear it. Compare more in our hi vis shirts and hi vis vests.

• Tees and polos. The 6HCBT is "170gsm cotton backed fabric" with moisture wicking; the RM2346 has a polyester face "for Superior Colour Luminosity" and "a Cotton Backing for a Cool and Comfortable Wear". Suited to hot daytime work, but both are day only.
• Vented shirts. The RM107V2R is 150gsm cotton twill with "Cotton Mesh Cooling Vents", listed UPF 50+ to AS 4399:2020, which protects only the skin it covers. Long sleeves suit full-sun shifts into dusk; avoid Blue/Navy if you need the day rating.
• Hoodies. The 6CHVH is 350gsm and day only; the 6DLZ is 450gsm polar fleece with a Shepherd lining. Warm for cold starts, too warm by midday; only the 6DLZ is listed for night.
• Vests. The RM4245T is ultra light 120gsm polyester; the RM7654R is heavy 311gsm cotton twill. A vest goes over a logo shirt, handy for visitors, but only the RM7654R is listed for night.
• Taped pants. The RM1004R is 311gsm cotton drill with tape hoops at knees and shins; the RM106DJR is 14.5oz denim. Hard wearing for night work, if your site accepts them.

When a listing doesn't name a class or standard

• Tape, but no class. The Hard Yakka Y07940 taped vented shirt and the FXD WF-1 Hi Vis Hoodie don't state a class or standard on our listings.
• A class, but no standard. Many of our Syzmik hi vis listings say "HiVis Day" or "HiVis DayNight", and none of them names a standard or an edition.
• A material standard only. The AS Colour Stencil Safety Hood 5102F names AS/NZS 1906.4. That standard covers hi vis materials, not the finished garment, as our AS Colour tee guide explains.

None of that means the garment falls short. It means our listing doesn't tell you, so check the garment's own label against your site's requirement.

What to ask your site

1. Which class: day, night or day/night. Work that starts before sunrise or runs past dusk can change the answer.
2. Which colours are accepted, if the site restricts them.
3. Which edition, 2011 or 2024, if the site names one, and whether it names a level.
4. Which garments it covers: just the top layer, or jackets and pants too.
5. The rules on logos. Keep logos and names clear of the reflective tape. King Gee's guide warns that prints and other alterations not part of the original product may "void the garment compliance with the appropriate standard", so check placement with your safety officer or principal contractor first.

Got your site's requirement? Pop it into our custom workwear enquiry form along with your crew's sizes, and we'll shortlist garments whose listings state that class.