7 Key Tips for Choosing a Sun Umbrella

The weather is beautifully sunny today—perfect for outdoor leisure activities. So, on this delightful, sunny day, how can you choose the right umbrella and outdoor furniture that suit your needs? Come along with the editor to find out!

1. Pay attention to the fabric density. When selecting an umbrella canopy, umbrellas with noticeably sparse fabric textures generally have poorer UV resistance; consumers should be cautious when making their choice.
2. Choose a larger umbrella canopy. Since fabrics tend to shrink, when selecting a parasol, the canopy shouldn't be too large, but it also shouldn't be too small.
3. Fabric color affects sun protection performance. Under the same conditions, the darker the fabric color, the better its UV resistance. Among these colors, black, navy blue, dark green, light blue, pale pink, and light yellow exhibit particularly strong sun protection effects. 4. Before purchasing, carefully check the labeling indicating the level of protection. According to the “Testing Standard for Ultraviolet Protection Performance of Textiles” issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, a product can be considered an effective sun protection product only if its UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is greater than 30 and its UVA (long-wave ultraviolet) transmittance is below 10%. The “Method for Determining Ultraviolet Protection Performance of Textiles” stipulates that a product can be labeled as a sun protection product—and its protection level designated as “UPF30+”—only when its UPF is greater than 30 and its UVA transmittance is below 5%. When the UPF value exceeds 50, it indicates that the product has excellent UV protection performance, and its protection level should be labeled as “UPF50+.” Consumers should carefully verify the protection level markings when making their purchase and then select an appropriate parasol based on the local intensity of sunlight.
5. Choose products from well-known brands. Be vigilant against the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard umbrellas, as well as fake UV-protective umbrellas.
6. The UV protection performance can be judged based on the characteristics of the umbrella fabric. Generally, materials such as cotton, silk, nylon, and viscose offer relatively poor sun protection, while polyester fabrics perform much better. Common polyester-containing fabrics used in umbrellas include satin and macrame cloth. Among these, satin-weave fabrics provide excellent UV protection, followed by twill and plain-weave fabrics.
7. Observe the treatment applied to the umbrella canopy. Whether a parasol can block ultraviolet rays depends not so much on the fabric’s intrinsic texture as on the specific technical treatments the manufacturer has applied to the fabric. Generally, fabrics made from cotton and linen do offer some sun-protection effect, though their protective strength is limited. In recent years, most commercially available parasols have been coated with a layer of silver paste on their canopies. This treatment can reflect and block a portion of direct UV radiation. However, the quality of the silver paste varies considerably: parasols produced by manufacturers with superior technical capabilities tend to have silver paste that is resistant to peeling, whereas some cheaper parasols merely apply multiple layers of silver paint to the canopy, causing the coating to fade rapidly.