Tinted window film offers more benefits than just shade. It also prevents 99% of UV rays and 97% of Infrared rays from reflecting into your building. We all like to get the most bang for our buck. So, let’s explore what your needs might be in commercial building window tinting and what your options are.
First and foremost, discern what your needs are for the building. The location, orientation, and shape of your building all play into which exterior window film options you should consider. It is plausible to use multiple types of window film on a single building when taking these circumstances into consideration.
You may also want to dissect exactly what you want from your tinted window film. Some clients simply want to cool off the interior of an office space. In that case, heat window film may be the ideal window film. If you would prefer to have as many attributes as possible, then discover how the various window films break down and the many benefits they offer.
The following 3M™ commercial window film series are all considered sun control window films. They are available in various tints. Thus, you can choose the level of darkness that you would prefer and determine which window film will best serve your needs. Or rather, your building’s requirements.
3M™ Night Vision series
- Rejects up to 71% of the sun’s heat to help reduce glare.
- Significantly blocks the number of harmful UV rays that cause fading of interior furnishings.
- Made with a scratch-resistant coating to ensure clear views.
- Offers enhanced views with low interior reflectivity, especially at night.
This series provides better sight at night. Simultaneously, it also helps block the sun’s damaging UV rays. This reduces glare within the building. Additionally, this window film rejects up to 71% of the sun’s heat. Furthermore, Night Vision films allow 15% to 35% of the natural light into your rooms by day, yet you can still enjoy the view out at night.
3M Privacy Window Film
- 3M™ Matte translucent film offers subtle privacy.
- Blackout privacy film provides the ultimate privacy.
- Mirror Film offers a high level of reflection that offers a mirror-like aesthetic.
By implementing privacy window film, you can enhance safety and security for both your building and its inhabitants. By limiting the views through glass, individuals on the outside of the building cannot see into the interior.
3M Traditional Series
- Improve your building’s energy performance and comfort on budget.
- Provides high heat reduction at a low cost.
- Tinted, reflective films improve your building’s energy performance to offer a quick return on investment.
- Blocks up to 99% of harmful UV rays.
The traditional series will conserve energy and improve privacy. Options include silver reflective films with excellent solar protection that reject up to 79% of all solar energy, thus providing energy savings and improved interior comfort.
This building window tinting series includes P18 Classic silver and Affinity commercial grade films. The darker tint helps reduce glare and eye discomfort. Moreover, increased reflection helps enhance daytime privacy and creates a stunning exterior appearance.
3M Prestige Series
- Affords high transmission of natural light into your space to provide excellent aesthetics.
- Rejects up to 97% of infrared light providing energy savings, enhanced comfort and protection.
- Low interior and exterior reflectivity allow you to enjoy the views from inside, while maintaining a cohesive appearance from the outside.
- Non-metalized window film won’t affect signal interference and is corrosion resistant.
The following chart breaks down the attributes of the various options within the prestige series. You can see that the lower the PR number, the less visible light is transmitted into the building. Thus, the interior would be darker. The higher the PR number, the more visible light that is transmitted into the building.
You may also notice that the solar heat gain coefficient percentage increases slightly as the PR number of the prestige window film increases. This means that the interior of the building remains cooler with every level of prestige.
| Attributes | PR20 | PR40 | PR50 | PR60 | PR70 |
| Visible Light Transmitted | 21% | 39% | 50% | 60% | 69% |
| Solar Heat Gain Coefficient | .38 | 0.40 | .44 | .47 | .50 |
| U Value | 1.03 | .99 | .99 | .99 | .99 |
| Total Solar Energy Rejected | 62% | 60% | 60% | 53% | 50% |
Ultimately, no matter your needs for any building, 3M commercial window film has the right product to fulfill your requirements. There are scenarios in which you may use different types of window films on different sides or areas of your building as Wayne Newton did for his museum in Vegas. (Depicted in the video above.)
Get the Best Window Film Products and Services
NGS is the premier 3M commercial window film dealer in the country. Our installers are certified and we provide a longer warranty on the 3M films that we install.
If you would like to have one of our experienced reps provide a complimentary building analysis and help you choose the right window film combination for your building, contact us today. If you would like to learn more about the services we provide, watch our product demonstration webinar.
