Oracal, Reflective, reflective vinyl, traffic signs

Oracal Reflective Vinyl - Choose the Right Film for the Job

When you know your stuff, you know the subtle differences between brands or even between products within brands. If you're a car buff, your eye twitches when someone mixes up a Mustang and a Charger. Really??? And what about a Charger and a Challenger --"Aren't they just the same car?" For some people, those are fighting words!

The same fact is true with reflective vinyls for traffic signs, and you can easily become an expert. There are differences that you can pick up on. The individual characteristics -- even the subtle ones -- that can make all the difference in the beauty, application, and durability of your projects.

Oracal Oralite Reflective Vinyl

Let's dive into the world of Oralite Reflective vinyl. There is is a bright, shiny, and dare we say surprisingly fascinating world of reflective vinyl However, many people do not understand what reflective vinyl is, as evidenced by the familiar question, “It’s just some sticky, shiny stuff, right?” No! And if Orafol Oralite is the Beyoncé of reflective films, 3M would is the Taylor Swift!

Orafol Oralite Reflective Film is a high-performance, retroreflective sheeting that bounces light like a mirror ball at a disco. It is designed to be ultra-visible and is the unsung hero behind road signs, safety vests, and almost every single ambulance, police car, emergency vehicle that is required to have reflective vinyl.

What About the Grades?

The durability of the different grades is all over the place, but primarily they last 5 years minimum (but we have seen them go as long as 10 plus because they are meant to withstand all the elements that are thrown at it).

Essentially, think about how often they change those massive overhead roadway signs -seems like hardly ever. That one of the high performance grades available with Oralite. Some films are also made specifically for vehicle wraps because they have those capabilities, while others are strictly for the flat surface game.

But keeping track of al the types of Oralite and what to use them for can be a headache, so we made this handy dandy cheat sheet below. It is an unofficial guide to what each type of Oralite can be used for and it's durability.

Confidently Choose the Right Reflective Film

If you are looking to create signs that require a high reflective surface, remember Oralite reflective vinyl from Oracal. Oracal's track record of quality films will give you confidence in the durability of your future projects while providing you a range of products to choose from.