3M™ Reflective Materials are made from wide-angle, exposed reflective microprisms bonded with a special polymer layer. In simple terms, tiny glass beads that act like mirrors are adhered to various fabrics used in apparel with a durable, washable adhesive. The spherical shape of the beads reflects light back to the observer in a prism-like fashion, making the material “glow” when viewed from a light source, such as vehicle headlights. This ensures that even if a person wearing reflective clothing is facing away from an observer, more light will be reflected back.

Reflective garment manufacturers use various fabrics and require different 3M™ reflective solutions. Transfer films come with a sticky backing that can easily be applied to T-shirts. However, the mesh fabric of lightweight vests has holes, so the reflective material must be secured onto sturdier fabric vests sewn into the garment.

3M™ manufactures reflective materials by serial number. Due to advancements in materials, you may notice slight variations in product numbers, yet they remain similar. For instance, to combat the sale of low-quality counterfeit materials under its name, 3M™ has started laser marking its materials with a holographic 3M watermark. Both 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material – 8710 Silver Transfer Film and 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material – 8712 Silver Transfer Film are nearly identical, with the latter featuring the holographic marking.