ANSI Class 2 Hi-Vis T-Shirts - Type R & Type P

Class 2 is the appropriate minimum for workers exposed to vehicle traffic at roughly 25 to 50 mph, or for jobs with higher-than-normal background distraction such as nearby heavy equipment, complex visual environments, or reduced lighting. Typical Class 2 wearers include road construction crews working in lower-speed zones, airport ground crews, municipal and utility workers, parking and toll booth attendants, and warehouse staff working near forklifts. Under MUTCD guidance, this is the minimum requirement for workers in the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway.

Class 2 requires a minimum of 775 square inches of fluorescent background material and 201 square inches of retroreflective tape, designed for traffic speeds up to about 50 mph. Class 3 requires significantly more — at least 1,240 square inches of background material and 310 square inches of reflective striping — and the reflective material must extend onto the arms (and legs, on other garment types), not just the torso, so the wearer is recognizable as a human shape from a greater distance. Class 3 is required for traffic speeds above 50 mph, nighttime work, and reduced-visibility conditions. When in doubt about which class your job requires, choosing the higher class is always the safer option.

Type R (roadway) garments are required by federal MUTCD guidance for workers in temporary traffic control zones and highway rights-of-way — construction and road crews are the primary wearers. Type P (public safety) garments include design features specific to law enforcement, fire, and emergency response applications and replaced the older standalone ANSI/ISEA 207 standard when it was folded into ANSI/ISEA 107. For most construction, warehouse, or industrial workers, Type R is the correct designation — not just any Class 2 garment labeled generically.

Every compliant garment must carry a sewn-in label stating the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard and edition year (e.g., ANSI/ISEA 107-2020), the Type (O, R, or P), and the Class (1, 2, or 3). If a t-shirt is missing this label, it is not certified compliant, regardless of color or how it's marketed. A mesh construction versus solid fabric does not affect compliance on its own — what matters is the certified background material area and retroreflective tape meeting the class requirements.

There is no fixed expiration date in the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard — replacement is driven by visible fading, damage to the retroreflective tape, and the manufacturer's stated maximum wash cycles. A faded, washed-out, or grayed shirt may still carry its original compliance label while no longer meeting the fluorescent performance requirements of its class. Workers who wear hi-vis daily often replace shirts annually, while occasional-use garments can last several years if kept clean and unfaded. Inspect regularly and retire any shirt that looks noticeably duller than a new one of the same style and color.