High-visibility clothing looks simple from a distance: bright fabric, reflective tape, job done.

But when you start shopping for safety vests, shirts, hoodies, jackets, and rain gear, the labels quickly become more complicated:

• ANSI/ISEA 107
• Type R
• Type P
• Performance Class 2
• Performance Class 3
• Class E

Those markings are not interchangeable marketing terms. They describe how the garment was designed, how much compliant high-visibility material it contains, and the work environments for which it is intended.

The current published edition is ANSI/ISEA 107-2020, although ISEA opened a proposed revision for public review in March 2026. Until a new edition is formally approved and adopted, the 2020 edition remains the current published standard.

Here is what workers and crew buyers should understand before choosing between Class 2 and Class 3 apparel.

First: What Does ANSI/ISEA 107 Cover?

ANSI/ISEA 107 is the American national consensus standard for high-visibility safety apparel.

It establishes performance criteria for items including:

• Fluorescent background material
• Retroreflective material
• Combined-performance material
• Minimum visible material areas
• Material placement
• Garment design
• Labeling and conformity information

The purpose is to make a worker more conspicuous in daylight, low light, and nighttime conditions—not simply to make clothing look bright.

Fluorescent and reflective are not the same thing

The bright yellow-green or orange-red fabric is generally intended to increase daytime and low-light visibility.

Retroreflective material is designed to return light toward its source, such as a vehicle’s headlights. That is what creates the bright reflective effect at night.

A compliant high-visibility garment combines specific materials, amounts, and placement requirements. Bright fabric alone does not automatically make a garment ANSI/ISEA 107 compliant.

Type and Class Answer Different Questions

Before comparing Class 2 and Class 3, it helps to understand that Type and Performance Class describe different parts of the garment’s intended use.

Type O: Off-road

Type O apparel is intended for off-road environments where workers are not exposed to public roadway traffic or temporary traffic-control zones.

Type O garments are Performance Class 1.

Type R: Roadway

Type R apparel is intended for workers exposed to traffic on public rights-of-way or within roadway temporary traffic-control zones.

Type R garments may be Performance Class 2 or Class 3.

Type P: Public safety

Type P apparel is intended for emergency responders, incident responders, and law-enforcement personnel facing struck-by hazards in roadway or off-road environments.

Its design allows additional flexibility for identification, equipment access, and competing job hazards. Type P garments may also be Performance Class 2 or Class 3.

For most construction, roadwork, utility, delivery, and general crew-order discussions, Type R is usually the most relevant category—but the correct selection depends on the actual work environment.

What Is Class 2 Hi-Vis?

Performance Class 2 apparel contains more high-visibility material than Class 1 and is designed to make the wearer more noticeable in environments with greater visual complexity.

ISEA explains that Class 2 provides additional high-visibility material and more opportunity to define the wearer’s human form.

Common Class 2 garments include:

• Safety vests
• Short-sleeve shirts
• Long-sleeve shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Hoodies
• Some jackets

However, the garment style alone does not determine the classification. A hoodie is not automatically Class 2, and a vest is not automatically compliant. The exact model must meet the standard’s design and material requirements and carry the correct label.

Where Class 2 is commonly used

Depending on the employer’s hazard assessment and applicable rules, Class 2 apparel may be selected for workers such as:

• Road-construction personnel
• Survey crews
• Utility workers
• Delivery and roadside workers
• Airport ground personnel
• Equipment operators
• Warehouse-yard personnel
• Crossing guards
• Workers around moving vehicles or machinery

The important factor is not the job title by itself. It is the worker’s exposure to traffic, equipment, background complexity, lighting, weather, and other site-specific hazards.

What Is Class 3 Hi-Vis?

Performance Class 3 provides a higher level of conspicuity through greater amounts and placement of high-visibility materials.

ISEA describes Class 3 as offering greater visibility in complex backgrounds and through a fuller range of body movement.

That movement recognition matters.

When reflective and fluorescent materials are distributed across more of the body, drivers and equipment operators may be better able to recognize that the visible object is a person—not a stationary sign, cone, barrel, or piece of equipment.

Common Class 3 configurations include:

• Long-sleeve safety shirts
• Full-zip hoodies
• Pullover hoodies
• Jackets
• Parkas
• Rainwear
• Coveralls
• Qualifying Class 2 tops combined with Class E bottoms

Again, the garment must be labeled Class 3. Long sleeves and reflective tape do not automatically establish compliance.

Where Class 3 may be selected

Class 3 may be appropriate when a worker needs greater visibility because of conditions such as:

• Night work
• Poor weather
• Complex visual backgrounds
• Heavy or fast-moving traffic
• Limited sight distance
• Work near large moving equipment
• Tasks requiring attention away from approaching traffic
• Situations where recognizing body movement is especially important

The 2009 MUTCD specifically stated that Class 3 apparel should be considered for nighttime flagger activity. The current 11th Edition MUTCD continues to require qualifying Class 2 or Class 3 high-visibility apparel for covered workers in temporary traffic-control settings.

That does not mean every nighttime worker in every industry is automatically required to wear Class 3. The applicable regulations, employer policy, contract requirements, and site-specific hazard assessment still matter.

Class 2 vs. Class 3 at a Glance

The most important takeaway is simple:

Class 3 is not merely a warmer or more expensive version of Class 2. It is a different performance classification based on the garment’s visible materials and design.

Does Class 3 Automatically Mean “Safer”?

Not in every situation.

Class 3 provides greater visibility, but PPE should still match the work being performed.

A heavy Class 3 hoodie may create heat stress during hot-weather work. A bulky jacket may interfere with a harness, equipment, or task. Public-safety workers may require Type P apparel because of identification or equipment-access needs.

Selecting PPE is about controlling the actual hazard—not automatically buying the highest number available.

Employers should consider:

• Traffic exposure
• Vehicle and equipment speeds
• Lighting
• Weather
• Work duration
• Background complexity
• Worker movement
• Heat and cold stress
• Required equipment
• Applicable regulations
• Contract or site rules

ISEA’s guidance notes that the appropriate performance class should be selected through a jobsite and job-classification risk assessment.

What Is Class E?

Class E applies to supplemental high-visibility items such as qualifying:

• Pants
• Bib overalls
• Shorts
• Rain pants
• Gaiters

A Class E item does not satisfy high-visibility apparel requirements when worn by itself.

However, when qualifying Class E bottoms are worn with a Performance Class 2 or Class 3 upper-body garment, the complete ensemble is classified as Performance Class 3.

This can be useful when greater full-body visibility is needed while allowing workers to use separate tops and bottoms.

Do not assume that any fluorescent rain pant or reflective bib is Class E. Check the label.

How to Verify a Garment

Do not rely only on an online product title that says “ANSI,” “safety,” or “high visibility.”

Look inside the garment for the compliance label.

A conforming item should identify information such as:

• ANSI/ISEA 107 edition
• Garment type
• Performance class
• Size
• Manufacturer
• Care instructions
• Maximum wash cycles or useful-life guidance, when applicable

Manufacturers are also required to prepare a Declaration of Conformity for compliant garment models. If the classification is unclear—especially when buying PPE for employees—request that documentation from the manufacturer or supplier.

Be cautious with unusually cheap safety apparel sold online. ISEA has documented products marketed as work-zone safety garments that did not actually meet ANSI/ISEA 107 requirements.

Can Logos Be Added to Hi-Vis Apparel?

Yes, but decoration must not compromise the garment’s compliance.

Large logos, printed panels, patches, or other decoration can cover fluorescent or retroreflective material. ANSI/ISEA 107 permits identification panels and logos, but their placement and size must remain within the garment’s compliant design.

For crew orders, do not assume a decoration is acceptable simply because it physically fits.

Before decorating certified hi-vis apparel:

1. Identify the garment’s type and class.
2. Review the manufacturer’s decoration guidance.
3. Avoid covering reflective striping.
4. Confirm that print or embroidery placement will not reduce required visible material.
5. Work with a decorator familiar with safety apparel.

The decoration method should preserve the garment’s intended protective function.

What Does OSHA Require?

This area is frequently oversimplified online.

OSHA has specific high-visibility requirements in certain circumstances, including flagging operations and employees exposed to public vehicular traffic near excavations. OSHA has also explained that recognized struck-by hazards in highway and road-construction work zones can trigger employer obligations under the General Duty Clause.

Separately, the MUTCD requires covered workers within the roadway right-of-way and temporary traffic-control zones to wear high-visibility apparel meeting Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements.

So the accurate answer is not:

OSHA always requires Class 3 around traffic.

Nor is it:

Hi-vis classifications are only recommendations.

Requirements may come from several places:

• OSHA standards
• The General Duty Clause
• MUTCD provisions
• State requirements
• Employer hazard assessments
• Project contracts
• Customer or site policies

Employers should verify the rules applying to their location and work activity rather than relying on a general online article.

Which One Should You Choose?

Class 2 may be the better fit when:

• Class 2 satisfies the applicable requirement.
• The work environment has meaningful but controlled visibility hazards.
• Workers need a lighter or less bulky garment.
• Heat and mobility are important considerations.
• The employer’s hazard assessment identifies Class 2 as appropriate.

Class 3 may be the better fit when:

• Greater overall visibility is needed.
• Workers operate in complex visual environments.
• Work takes place at night or in poor weather.
• Recognizing the worker’s full body movement is important.
• The employer, site, contract, or applicable rule calls for Class 3.
• Class E bottoms are being combined with a qualifying upper garment to create a Class 3 ensemble.

When uncertain, involve the person responsible for workplace safety rather than choosing solely by price or appearance.

The Bottom Line

Class 2 and Class 3 hi-vis garments are both designed to make workers more conspicuous, but they do not provide the same level of visible coverage.

Class 2 provides substantial high-visibility material for environments requiring increased conspicuity.

Class 3 provides more extensive visibility and stronger recognition of the wearer through a broader range of body movement.

The right choice depends on the hazard—not the garment you happen to like best.

Always check the label, confirm the type and performance class, and make sure the apparel matches your employer’s hazard assessment and the requirements governing the jobsite.

At MEM Supply Co., we offer hi-vis workwear designed for real crews, real shifts, and real working conditions.

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