Hi-Vis Vest Buying Guide: Class 2, Class 3, Fabric, and Tape

For medium and large workwear distributors supplying the USA and Europe.

A hi-vis vest is a simple garment and an easy one to order badly. The cloth is light, the MOQ is low, and two factories can show you a yellow vest that looks the same in a photograph. The difference is the tape layout, the cloth, the hardware, and whether anyone is actually claiming a standard. This guide is what to write on the inquiry.

Class 2 and Class 3, in buyer language

Class 2, in the way most USA buyers use ANSI/ISEA 107 language, means a vest with reflective tape on the torso. Class 3 adds coverage, commonly tape over the shoulders or on sleeves, and more visible material. European buyers often speak in EN ISO 20471 classes instead. The numbers are not interchangeable just because both systems say “class”.

AT-201 is a fluorescent yellow vest with breakaway shoulders and a common Class 2 tape layout. AT-202 is fluorescent orange with torso bands, tape over the shoulders, and two lower pockets, in a common Class 3 layout. Both pages say the same thing about paperwork: the vest is built to that layout, and a lab certificate is not included unless you name the standard on the order.

Do not assume a photograph of tape equals a certificate. If your customer, insurer, or site rule requires ANSI/ISEA 107 or EN ISO 20471, write that code in the construction notes. We will tell you whether that certificate can be supplied for the lot. If it cannot, we will say so before you approve bulk.

Mesh or solid cloth

Mesh is cooler and cheaper. It is the usual choice for warehouses and warm climates. Solid polyester holds a print better and looks less open on a formal site. Both sit around 120–130 GSM on these styles. If you need a heavier solid for a longer program, say the GSM you are used to buying. A jump in weight is a price change.

Yellow and orange are the two fluorescent grounds on these pages. Other grounds exist. A less common color can mean a higher minimum or a longer cloth lead time. Ask before you promise a shade to your customer.

Tape, pockets, and breakaway

Tape on the guide spec is 50 mm reflective tape. Width, color of the tape (silver, or yellow-silver), and whether it is sewn or bonded all belong in your note if your current vest is particular. A breakaway shoulder, as on AT-201, lets the vest release if it snags. Some sites want that. Some sites forbid it because they want the vest to stay on. Say which you need.

Pockets add sewing and a little cloth. They also give a place for a radio or a phone. AT-202 includes two lower pockets. AT-201 does not. Adding pockets to AT-201 is a construction change, priced from the sample, not invented as a free extra.

Branding and MOQ

Print on the back is the usual brand method. Embroidery on mesh needs a stable area or it puckers. A reflective logo patch is possible and should be sampled, because a photograph of the artwork is not the same as stitch density on a vest. Minimums remain 50 per style and color. A yellow vest and an orange vest are two colors.

Prices are the four EX-WORKS slabs on the product page. A printed back is extra. If you reorder the same artwork and the same tape layout, keep the style code in the message so the repeat matches the approved sample.

Size it over the real layer

Vests on these pages run S–4XL against a chest measurement, not against a shirt size you already sell. A worker in a winter jacket needs the vest to close over that jacket. A vest that fits a polo will not fit a softshell, and the tape sits in the wrong place if the front is left open. If the program is worn over outerwear, ask for the larger size and approve the sample on a person wearing the jacket, not on a hanger.

How the Sialkot order is priced

The commercial terms match the rest of the catalog. Minimum 50 pieces per style and color. Guide prices are EX-WORKS Sialkot, in USD, at 50, 250, 1,000, and 5,000 pieces. Branding is extra. Vest samples are light, so buyers often move the sample by DHL, FedEx, UPS, or DPD and move bulk by sea when the quantity justifies it. Tell us the destination city if you want freight as its own line. The garment price stays EX-WORKS.

Name AT-201 or AT-202, or say the vest is a new pattern. State yellow or orange, mesh or solid, the class layout, and the standard you need certified if you need one. Add the quantity and whether the shoulder must break away. That is enough for a confirmed price. A note that only says “hi-vis vest price” gets the same guide table already printed on the hi-vis category. Use the quote form so fabric, quantity, and construction arrive in one message.

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