Solar Window Film
Solar window film is a metallised window film that reflects the sun's heat and softens glare before it reaches the room. The same product is also sold as sun blocking window film or solar reflective film for windows, and the strongest grades reject up to 91% of the sun's total energy (TSER). So what is solar window film actually doing on the glass? A microscopically thin metal layer bounces solar energy back outside, so the room heats up more slowly and the light calms down — with no curtains, no blinds and no moving parts. Every sun blocking window film in this range is cut to your size for free.
What you get with every solar window film order
- A diverse, time-tested range of window films — shades and colours proven over the years
- Sun blocking window film cut to size — precise computer-controlled cutting to your exact measurements
- Free mounting-solution concentrate in every order
- A free installation tool for fitting your sun protection film for windows
- An extra free piece of film to practise the technique before you start on the real thing
How sun blocking window film works
The whole effect comes from that metallised layer. Metal molecules are transferred onto the film in a specialised process, and it is those molecules that reflect solar heat so efficiently — this is what separates a sun blocking window film from a plain decorative tint, which carries no metal and barely touches the heat.
Depending on how you search, you will find the very same product called a solar control window film, one of the solar control films, a sun reflective window film, or simply a cooling film for windows. Different words, one job: a sun blocking window film keeps the sun's heat on the outside of the glass. Every model here is also a solar UV window film — 99% of UV is blocked, so furniture, floors and curtains keep their colour far longer.
Reading the numbers on a sun film for windows: VLT and TSER
Every model carries two headline figures, and once you can read them you can compare any solar window tint honestly:
- VLT % — visible light transmission. How much daylight the film lets through. The higher the VLT, the lighter the film. VLT 34% means 34% of the light comes through and the rest is dimmed.
- TSER % — total solar energy rejected. How much of the sun's total energy the film keeps out. The higher the TSER, the stronger the protection. TSER 84% means only 16% of the solar energy reaches the room.
A darker solar reflective film (lower VLT) reflects more heat and carries a higher TSER; lighter films let in more daylight and protect a little less. Reflectance and absorptance are listed for each model too — together the four values describe a film's full optical profile. This is the standardised, honest way to judge a solar window tint, which is why we publish the full table below rather than the vague "blocks up to X%" claim so often slapped on a sun blocking window film.
Choosing a solar window tint by window size
The bigger the window, the more light and solar heat comes through the glass — so a big window can carry a darker film, and the darkness works for you. A small window passes little light to begin with, so it takes a lighter film: the room stays bright, and the film still strips the heat. Match the darkness of the solar reflective film to the glass, not to the catalogue.
What counts as a dark and a light solar reflective film
Grouped by light transmission, a sun film for windows falls roughly into these bands:
- 7–10% — very dark solar reflective film. Maximum effect, used rarely and only where nobody sits all day: server rooms, storage, huge south-facing glazing.
- 20–25% — the standard sun blocking window film for large windows: strong heat and glare control while the room stays comfortably usable. You will see 20% called "dark" elsewhere, but that is only because most shops stock two or three films and 20% is the darkest they carry. With a full range, genuinely dark means 7–10%.
- 30–40% — light. For smaller windows, or when daylight matters more to you than maximum cooling — the usual pick for bedrooms and kitchens.
- 60–70% — very light solar film for glass, almost invisible on the pane.
A darker solar window tint always means a higher TSER: you are trading daylight for coolness, never the other way round.
Solar window film for large windows
Large windows are typically floor-to-ceiling glazing or panes around 1.6 × 2 m. Glass like this lets through a lot of sun, so the pick starts from the standard 20–25% band. If your window is large — choose from these models:
- Silver Omg 20 — silver, internal; the standard sun blocking window film for big glass
- Silver Omg 20 Ex — silver, made for external fitting
- Bronze AT 20 EX — a warmer-toned solar glass film for external fitting
- Omg 10 — silver, very dark — mainly for technical rooms
Sun blocking window film for small windows
A small window — roughly 1.4 × 0.8 m or less — passes little light to begin with, so a light film keeps the room from going dim while still cutting the heat. If your window is small — choose one of these:
- Silver Omg 35 — silver, internal fitting
- Silver Omg 30 Ex — external use; one of our lighter solar reflective films
- Bronze AT 35 EX — bronze, external
- Infinity 35 — light gold, internal; the warm tone blends into older facades better than cold silver
When you want to keep the light (50–60%)
Light solar reflective film trims the heat while barely darkening the glass — a compromise rather than maximum protection, but it keeps a room bright:
- Jubele 60 — light, internal, TSER 48%
A light sun protection glass film like this still shows a faint mirror effect, just very subtly. For a light silver look, an Omg 35 is the closest solar window film we stock.
"I want it light but really effective"
We hear this every week too, so let's be straight with you: it doesn't exist. The lighter the sun blocking window film, the fewer metal molecules it holds and the weaker the reflection — less heat rejected, full stop. That is physics, and no manufacturer has cheated it yet. So decide first what matters more, the coolness or the daylight, and pick the film from there. Good window sun protection is always that trade-off, made honestly.
Sun blocking window film colours: silver, bronze and gold
Because the technology is fiddly, the colour list is short:
- Silver — the classic solar reflective film look
- Bronze — warmer, sputtered
- Gold — for example Infinity 35, chosen where the facade appearance matters
- Near-colourless heat reflective window films for minimal visual change
Every solar reflective film here is in stock and can be ordered by the linear metre, cut to size, or in rolls. The colour changes nothing by itself — compare the TSER figures in the table, not the shade.
Solar window films — technical data
The table compares every solar window film in this category. Click a model name to open its product page.
| Model | Colour | VLT % | Light reflectance % | Light absorptance % | TSER % | Coating type | UV rejection | Scratch resistance | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior installation | |||||||||
| Omg 10 | Silver | 7% | 75% | 18% | 91% | Reflective | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Silver Omg 20 | Silver | 22% | 57% | 21% | 84% | Reflective | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Silver Omg 35 | Silver | 34% | 44% | 22% | 67% | Reflective | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Infinity 35 | Light gold | 40% | 57% | 3% | 81% | Reflective sputtered | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Jubele 60 | Light | 63% | 10% | 27% | 48% | Sputtered | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Exterior installation | |||||||||
| Silver Omg 20 Ex | Silver | 24% | 56% | 20% | 83% | Reflective | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Silver Omg 30 Ex | Silver | 32% | 45% | 23% | 71% | Reflective | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Bronze AT 20 EX | Bronze | 19% | 46% | 35% | 83% | Reflective sputtered | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
| Bronze AT 35 EX | Bronze | 34% | 33% | 33% | 75% | Reflective sputtered | 99% | >2H | 2 ply |
Solar reflective film inside or outside?
An externally fitted sun film on windows is 15–20% more effective — it stops the heat before it even reaches the glass. But there is a trade-off: outdoors the film lasts 4 years or more, indoors 9 years or more. If you need maximum effect, an external solar window film such as Silver Omg 20 Ex is the one to pick.
Living high up? Price the access equipment first — sometimes it eats the whole saving, and in wind or rain external fitting is off the table anyway, so the inside becomes the smarter choice. That is also why the table marks interior or exterior for every solar reflective film: on triple glazing and complex units the glass type matters.
Don't put car tint where a solar window film belongs
A common mistake: people assume automotive tint will do on house windows. It won't. Car tint is usually black and absorbs more heat than it reflects, so the glass heats up — car glass is tempered and copes, but building glass is not, and on a sealed unit that can crack a pane. A proper solar reflective film, by contrast, is built to reflect the heat, which is exactly what a building needs.
Decorative and matte tints won't help either — no metal layer, so their heat-reflection figure is minimal (check the table). To shield a home's windows from the sun, choose a metallised solar film for home windows — a proper sun protection film for house windows from this range: the solar window film gives the effect you want and protects the glass. As a bonus, it doubles as a solar privacy window film during the day, when the mirror side faces outward — though at night, with the lights on inside, that daytime privacy reverses. If daytime privacy is the main goal, a dedicated one way mirror film does it better than any solar film — see that section.
