The Best DOT Reflective Tape

Truck drivers can tell you that DOT tape is an important safety feature to have on your vehicle. In fact, it’s a federally regulated safety feature.

In 1991, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published regulations indicating that vehicles must meet certain conspicuity requirements. These Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) were implemented to reduce the number of collisions occurring due to low visibility.

Automotive reflective tape that meets Standard Number 108 in the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations can be used to bring vehicles into compliance. However, in order to ensure that you’re using the best DOT reflective tape for your car, truck, or trailer, you have to know what you’re looking for.

DOT Reflective Tape Requirements

According to Standard No. 108, DOT conspicuity tape and retroreflective sheeting must meet two conditions:

1. It must conform to federal specifications for adhesive backing;
2. It must satisfy the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. (SAE) standards for reflex reflectors.

Conspicuity tape regulations can be quite technical. SAE standards, for example, define the minimum illumination, in millicandelas, required for red reflective tape for vehicles. Therefore, to find the best DOT reflective tape for your purposes, you should look for codes such as:

• LS300 (adhesive tape)
• DOT-C2 (for a minimum width of 50mm)
  • DOT-C3 (min. width: 75mm)
  • DOT-C4 (min. width: 100mm)
• DOT-SAE
• ASTM D4956

However, this can still leave an overwhelming variety of tape to choose from. To help you narrow down the best options for your business, we present our favorites in a few categories.

Best DOT Reflective Tape Overall

If you want to just cut through all of the “red tape” and get straight to the top of the line, you should consider Reflexite® Conspicuity Tape. As the best DOT C2 reflective tape, it checks all of the important boxes: it has a 2in. (50.8mm) width, an adhesion strength of 96oz., and meets both LS300 and ASTM standards.

Better still, this red and white reflective tape is weather resistant and is composed of a durable, polyester material that provides 10 years of service. The red and white sections are 11 inches each and repeat over 150 feet of tape, giving you plenty of reflective material for your vehicle.

Best DOT Reflective Tape for Trailers

If you’d prefer individual rolls of tape with a single, solid color, then this Reflective DOT-C2 Conspicuity Tape is the best choice. Available as red, yellow, and white reflective tape, it complies with relevant standards and reflects most light back to its source. Better still, this trailer reflective tape is durable for up to 7 years.

Best DOT-SAE Reflective Tape

The best reflective tape should also be versatile. Mount-on reflectors, such as these LiteMark DOT-SAE Rectangle Reflectors, are useful in a variety of situations.

These high-visibility reflective strips stick to any clean surface yet are structurally low-profile. They are easy to apply and, unlike molded reflectors, these can be knocked off. They’re compact, but satisfy DOT-C2 size standards. Available in either amber or red, LiteMark reflectors are ideal to use as reflective tape for motorcycles, safety helmets, and wheel wells.

How to Find the Best DOT Reflective Tape for Your Business

Self-adhesive reflective tape is essential for maintaining road safety. Logistics companies, big box retailers, and anyone hauling a trailer should ensure they find the best for its intended usage.
We started ifloortape.com to help provide the highest quality safety signage to professionals in every industry. If you want to know how to find the best DOT reflective safety tape for your business, reach out to us today.