EN ISO 20471 vs ANSI/ISEA 107: what the European and US hi-vis classes mean, and why one vest can carry both
EN ISO 20471 is the European high-visibility standard and ANSI/ISEA 107 the American one; both grade a garment into three classes by how much fluorescent background material and retroreflective tape it carries, and both set the colors, the tape performance and the design rules. They are not the same scale. EN ISO 20471 class 3 needs at least 0.80 m² of background material and 0.20 m² of retroreflective material, class 2 at least 0.50 m² and 0.13 m², class 1 at least 0.14 m² and 0.10 m²; ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 needs 1,240 in² (0.80 m²) of background and 310 in² (0.20 m²) of retroreflective material, Class 2 775 in² (0.50 m²) and 201 in² (0.13 m²), Class 1 217 in² (0.14 m²) and 155 in² (0.10 m²), and adds the Type (O, R or P) by use. The areas line up, but the ANSI standard also sets a minimum tape width and requires the garment to meet the class in its smallest size, and the European one grades the tape by its own EN ISO 20471 photometric table, so a garment is tested and labeled under each. Portwest lists both on most of its hi-vis pages, for example ANSI/ISEA 107 Type R Class 2 and EN ISO 20471 class 2 on the same vest.
Portwest B304 Hi-Vis Hooded Sweatshirts, Type R Class 3, Polyester/CottonListed to both standards on the same page, as Portwest states (Portwest data)Why a garment is tested under both. The two standards are written by different bodies for different markets, and a mark under one does not transfer: a European class 3 jacket sold in the US has no ANSI class until it is tested to ANSI/ISEA 107 and labeled, and a US Class 3 jacket has no EN ISO 20471 class until the European test and the CE route are done. A maker that sells in both markets, as Portwest does, tests to both and prints both, and the two classes usually agree because the area tables match. Where they differ is in what sits around the areas: the ANSI standard’s Type (O for off-road, R for roadway, P for public safety) and its smallest-size rule, the European standard’s own color and tape tables and the CE declaration behind the label. OSHA and the MUTCD point to ANSI/ISEA 107 in the US; a site that reads the European mark alone has no US class to show.
The two standards side by side
Where they match and where they do not.
How Portwest’s pages read
- 101 Portwest garments on this site list an ANSI/ISEA 107 class and an EN ISO 20471 class together; in nearly every case the two classes agree (Class 3 and class 3, Class 2 and class 2).
- Portwest cites the 2015 edition of ANSI/ISEA 107 and, on many garments, Type R and Type P together; the EN ISO 20471 class is cited without an edition.
- A few Portwest pages carry a split European class by size (“Class 2 in S, Class 3 in M and up”), which is the EN ISO 20471 size rule at work; the ANSI class on the same page is single, because the ANSI standard grades the smallest size.
- Portwest’s Class E pants carry EN ISO 20471 class 1 on their own, the European way of saying what Class E says in the US: a bottom that lifts a Class 2 top to a Class 3 ensemble.
- Enhanced-visibility garments Portwest lists as Non-ANSI carry no EN ISO 20471 class either; some cite EN 17353, the European standard for enhanced visibility in medium-risk situations, which is not a hi-vis class.
Portwest hi-vis garments on this site by the type and class Portwest states (ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 edition on every page)
| Type and class | Garments on this site | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| Type R Class 3 | 89 | T-shirts, sweatshirts, bomber, insulated, softshell and rain jackets, coveralls, parkas, four-way vests |
| Type R Class 2 | 61 | vests, T-shirts, polo shirts, insulated vests and jackets |
| Class E | 28 | pants, shorts, rain pants, rain bibs, insulated pants, gaiters (Class 3 as an ensemble with a Class 2 top) |
| Non-ANSI | 5 | enhanced-visibility vests, T-shirts and sweatshirts with no class |
| Type O Class 1 | 5 | vests, T-shirts, polo shirts and a softshell for off-road work |
Portwest cites the 2015 edition of ANSI/ISEA 107 on its US pages and data sheets; 95 of the 199 garments are listed as both Type R and Type P. 104 garments also carry an EN ISO 20471 class and 34 a CSA Z96 class.
Source: Portwest product pages and US data sheets for the styles shown (documents.portwest.com), fetched Nov 7 2026
Questions people ask
Is EN ISO 20471 the same as ANSI 107?
No. They are the European and US high-visibility standards; both use three classes by area of material and the areas match, but each has its own color and tape tables, ANSI/ISEA 107 adds the Type and the smallest-size rule, and a garment must be tested and labeled under each one separately.
Is EN ISO 20471 class 3 the same as ANSI Class 3?
The area requirements are the same (0.80 m² background, 0.20 m² retroreflective), and a maker that tests to both usually lists class 3 and Class 3 together, as Portwest does. The US class is the one US rules read.
Does a CE mark make a vest OSHA-acceptable?
The CE mark is the European conformity route. OSHA 1926.201 (through the MUTCD) and Cal/OSHA 1598 and 1599 name ANSI/ISEA 107; a vest needs the ANSI/ISEA 107 label to show a US class.
What is CSA Z96?
The Canadian high-visibility standard; its classes 1 to 3 and levels (1, 2, FR) are its own. Portwest lists CSA Z96 on some pages beside the ANSI and EN classes.
Why does the same Portwest jacket say class 2 in small and class 3 in large?
EN ISO 20471 grades each size by the material it carries, so a small can fall to class 2 while the larger sizes reach class 3; ANSI/ISEA 107 grades the smallest size and gives one class for the style.
What does ANSI 107 mean on a label?
ANSI/ISEA 107 is the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel. The label gives the edition (2020 or 2015), the type (O off-road, R roadway, P public safety) and the class (1, 2, 3 or E), with a pictogram; EN ISO 20471 is the European equivalent, which grades the same garment by class 1, 2 or 3 without a type.
What are the classes of safety vests, and does Europe use the same ones?
Three in each standard, set by the area of fluorescent background and retroreflective tape: ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 1 (217 in² background), Class 2 (775 in²) and Class 3 (1,240 in²), plus Class E for pants; EN ISO 20471 class 1 (0.14 m²), class 2 (0.50 m²) and class 3 (0.80 m²). The areas match, which is why Portwest can print both classes on one vest.
What is the minimum ANSI 107 class for flaggers, and does an EN class count?
Class 2 by day and Class 3 at night under the MUTCD, which OSHA 1926.201 adopts; the label must be the ANSI/ISEA 107 one. An EN ISO 20471 class on its own has no standing under the US rule, however closely the areas match, so a flagger’s vest needs the ANSI mark, which Portwest’s dual-marked garments carry.
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