Tarp Colors Aren’t Just Aesthetic. They Impact Temperature, Too
It’s a hot and sunny summer day, and your backyard barbecue will be kicking off in a few hours. You’ve got several coolers filled with ice, food, and beverages, and you want to provide them with some shade. You’ve got two tarps to choose from: one black, the other silver. Will one of these do a better job? Do silver tarps reflect heat, or is that just a myth?
To answer that question, we need to briefly talk about science. But don’t worry, we’ll keep it as short and as not-boring as possible, we promise!
Simply put, darker colors absorb light, while lighter colors reflect it. And when light is absorbed by something, it gets converted into heat. Meanwhile, something reflective—like reflective silver, for instance—will bounce, or reflect, even more light away.
The closer to black a color gets, the more light and heat it will absorb. The closer to white, the less it absorbs. So a dark blue blanket, for instance, would absorb more heat than a neon green one. And something reflective will bounce most of that light off of it. That’s why most sun shades for cars are silver and reflective.
Here’s a fun experiment you can try at home to see how different colors affect light. All you need is a flashlight and a few T-shirts of different colors. Lay out the T-shirts as flat as possible, then point the flashlight at them.
The beam of light will spread out further on white shirts (and lighter color shirts) than it does on a black or otherwise dark shirt; there are more rings of light emanating from the point where light from the flashlight is making contact with the shirt. The light goes into the black shirt, but bounces away from the white shirt.
So What’s the Verdict? Do Silver Tarps Reflect Heat?
So let’s answer this question directly: Yes, silver tarps reflect heat. The silver color absorbs less light than a darker color would, while the reflectiveness bounces most light (and by extension, heat) away.
White tarps are also a great option for keeping heat out. And most colored tarps will do a better job than a black tarp. Black tarps are more useful in applications where you want heat to get through. For instance, covering a camping tent in the winter.
Party Tents Direct carries a line of heavy duty waterproof silver tarps that are excellent at reflecting heat. These affordable poly tarps aren’t only reflective, but feature additional UV inhibitors for added resistance to the sun’s harmful rays. With reinforced corners and aluminum grommets for tying them down more securely, PTD’s silver tarps are the perfect option for anyone looking for a tarp that beats the heat.
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Be sure to check out our various colorful PVC vinyl tarps, too. These heavy duty waterproof tarps come in all sorts of colors and sizes. Our white tarps and yellow tarps are especially good at preventing heat from getting through.
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If you need any help finding the right tarps, PTD is just a phone call away at 1-716-566-5804!
More Helpful Articles from PTD
Are Tarps Waterproof? Plus 20 Daily Uses for Waterproof Tarps
How Much is a Tarp? Are Tarps Expensive to Buy and Own?
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