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You can use RF and EMF shielding fabrics for so many different things, including protecting yourself against radiation sources, blocking signals, blocking RFID invasions and so much more.
I’ve tested dozens of RF shielding fabrics myself, and in this article, we’re going to talk about how they work, what you should look for, and what to buy.
Most RF shielding fabrics are made out of a metallic mesh, but other fabrics exist as well. First, let’s take a few minutes and talk about what this fabric is and how it works, then we’ll talk about how to know what to buy and which products are best.
After that, we’ll cover some simple ways to use this fabric to block RF and EMF radiation.
Let’s get started.
What Are RF and EMF Shielding Fabrics?
EMF stands for electromagnetic field and is emitted by tons of devices; everything from your washing machine and refrigerator to your TV and cell-phone. You’ll often hear about EMF in terms of radiation because as electromagnetic fields are emitted, they also emit a form of radiation.
This radiation has been proven to have biologically harmful effects on the body. I’m not going to go into why that is, or specifically what kind of harm it can cause in this article because I’ve already written about it extensively.
Now, EMF radiation is actually broken down into three separate types:
- Magnetic Field
- Electric Field
- Radio Frequency
In this article, we’ll talk a lot about the third one, Radio Frequency radiation or RF. Although magnetic and electric field radiation can also be harmful, it is typically only emitted at a very short distance from the source. So, yes your blender does emit magnetic radiation, and if you strapped it to your face it would likely cause harm.
However, at the distance you normally operate your blender, this isn’t going to be an issue. The same goes for electric field radiation.
Now, RF radiation, on the other hand, is often intended to travel far distances to carry information between a source and a receiver.
Think of your cell-phone. When you send a text message, that data travels all the way to a cell-tower, which uses radio waves to send it to a network hub, off to other towers, and finally to whoever you sent the text. Most of that data transfer happens wirelessly.
The same goes for your WiFi router. It has to be able to keep your devices connected throughout your house, even through walls.
So, you can see that when it comes to RF radiation, the risk from exposure is much greater because it actually reaches out bodies. This is where RF and EMF shielding fabrics come into play.
RF shielding fabrics and materials are just what they sound like. These fabrics are designed specifically to block radio waves to protect either yourself or something else, from the radiation from these devices.
In fact, many of the products on my recommended products page utilize EMF and RF blocking fabrics to provide protection.
Now, I should just mention that although these fabrics are often used to protect against radiation, they are also sometimes used to protect privacy. For example, many wallets are “RFID” blocking. This means that they protect your credit cards from radio frequency identification.
Believe it or not, but devices exist that can read your credit card information remotely from your wallet. So, many wallets, faraday bag, and backpack manufacturers will use RF blocking fabric to protect your credit cards and identification.
What Are RF Shielding Fabrics Made Of?
Typically these fabrics are made out of a metal mesh that is thin and light. For example, most EMF protection clothing uses a silver mesh fabric, lined with cotton, to block RF radiation while still staying comfortable. This is also a great use for a product like anti-radiation underwear.
EMF protection boxers, or anti-radiation underwear, is actually a product that is growing in popularity. Men wear these boxers to protect their reproductive organs from EMF exposure from things like their cell-phone. In fact, this pair from Lambs is by far my favorite. Typically, the RF shielding material used is a silver mesh fabric.
The nice thing about using this type of RF shielding fabric is that it not only blocks RF and EMF radiation, but it is also machine-washable, anti-microbial, and doesn’t hold smells.
So, when it comes to any type of clothing, you’ll typically see a copper or silver mesh fabric used. These mesh fabrics have holes smaller than the shortest wavelength of whatever radiation they are looking to protect against, meaning they attenuate nearly all of the radiation. We’ll talk about what attenuating is in a minute.
Now, RF shielding fabrics and materials don’t have to be made of flexible mesh, sometimes they are just sheets of galvanized steel or aluminum. However, if it’s a fabric that is intended to be used for something other than just stationary protection, then it will typically be a mesh so that it can be flexible and washable.
Do RF or EMF Shielding Fabrics Actually Block Radiation?
The answer is yes, and no. When you think of the word “block” you typically think of stopping 100% of something. However, whenever you’re talking about radiation, you instead have to think in terms of attenuation.
In physics terms, attenuation is the gradual loss in force as something passes through a material. So a few examples of this would be:
- The walls of your bedroom attenuating sound.
- The tinted windows on your vehicle attenuating sunlight.
- The lead vest you wear during a dental visit attenuating the x-rays.
So, RF blocking materials don’t “block” radiation, they highly attenuate it. Materials like the silver mesh we talked about, or metals like copper and aluminum attenuate EMF and RF radiation by scattering the photons as they pass through.
So, as we talk about the best RF and EMF shielding fabrics below, instead of saying they block radiation, we’ll instead say they attenuate it. Attenuation is measured in terms of decibels (dB). Take a second and look at the chart below.
When you’re looking at RF blocking or shielding fabrics, you’ll usually find that it mentions what decibel level of protection it offers.
If a material said it shields radiation at 20 dB, then you can assume it will block 99% of radiation. If it says it has a shielding level of 30, it would be 99.9% of radiation.
Alright, now that we better understand what RF shielding fabrics are, how they work, and how to recognize the good ones, let’s actually look at the best RF and EMF shielding fabrics on the market.
Best RF and EMF Shielding Fabrics
I have personally tried and tested most, but not all, of these fabrics myself to ensure quality and effectiveness. I’m rating them based off of things such as:
- Price
- Value
- Attenuation Rating
- Uses
- Etc.
I’ll be sure to link to each product so that you can read the reviews and descriptions yourself to make sure it’s the right fit.
After we get through all the reviews, I’ll cover some ways you can use this fabric to block EMF and RF radiation at your home or office.
1. Mission Darkness TitanRF Faraday Fabric EMI & RFID Shielding/Cell, WiFi & Bluetooth Blocking/Military Grade Shielding Fabric
Check availability on Amazon here.
This is my absolute favorite RF and EMF shielding fabric, that I’ve personally tested and still use today. Mission Darkness, who makes the TitanRF material, also makes some other really cool products, including some of the best faraday bags on the market.
I actually got this stuff back out to test it again while writing this article and was just as impressed as when I first received it. For one of the tests, I wrapped my phone in the material and called it. The phone did not receive the call at all, meaning that all RF was blocked.
This is actually a great way to test many EMF protection products, including blankets. You simply wrap your phone in the product and see if you are able to call it. If the material attenuates 99% or more of EMF and RF radiation, the phone should not ring. You’ll also notice when you pull your phone out that it has no signal for a few seconds until it is able to re-establish it.
The TitanRF faraday fabric blocks WiFi, Bluetooth, Cell signals, GPS, RFID and radio signals.
The material it’self is 11 square feet and is 44 inches wide and 36 inches long. This is plenty large enough for a multitude of uses.
I also love that this kit comes with a free strip of their Faraday Tape. You can use this tape to either connect multiple sheets together or to seal off an enclosure. Although Mission Darkness makes some incredible Faraday enclosures that are used by research labs as well as military and law enforcement, you can also make your own Faraday enclosure with this material and some Faraday tape.
Although there are cheaper products on the market, that we’ll talk about below, I still think this is the best RF and EMF blocking fabric on the market today.
2. Tec Dev RFID Fabric
Check the current price on Amazon.
Tec Dev makes a great product that is a really nice size. Coming in at 43 by 45 inches, it is a total of 13 square feet. You also get 45 inches of shielding tape for free, making this one of the best values online for purchasing RF/EMF shielding fabric.
Just like the other products on this list, this fabric can easily be used for making faraday bags, blocking EMF radiation from sources like WiFi routers, cell towers, etc.
One thing I like about the way they ship this is that it comes rolled in a paper tube. This means that it will arrive to you completely wrinkle/crease-free, making it a great option if you plan to make something out of it, or even lay it flat against a wall.
I don’t know much about Tec-Dev as a company, it appears as though this is their only product. The reviews are fairly solid, however, there were a few that said it didn’t work for them. There were also many that said it did. I’m planning on ordering some so that I can test it out myself and update this review.
For now, if you’re planning on going with this one, I would just suggest that when you first get it and take it out of the tube, to test it with your phone. Simply wrap your phone in it, wait about 10 seconds and then call your phone. If your phone rings at all, just put the product right back in the tube and return it.
3. NASAFES Emf Protection Fabric
Check availability on Amazon.
This is a product that has been available for quite some time and has many reviews. There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly unique about it, but it does seem to be a solid product.
The price is fairly reasonable, although there are better values above in my personal opinion. It is 10.8 square feet, coming in at 36 inches by 42 inches approximately.
It is made of 20% copper and Nickel, and 80% polyester. This means that it is tear-resistant and wrinkle-resistant but will still have all the protection you would expect.
I’ve seen people use this specific product to make things like RFID key fob protectors, RFID credit card sleeves, phone sleeves, EMF protection blankets and much more.
Overall, this is a solid product and depending on the price that you see when you check it, it could be a great value. However, it is not currently my recommendation.
4. JJ Care EMF and RF Blocking Faraday Fabric
Check the current price on Amazon here.
JJ Care’s faraday fabric is a bit newer to the market, but the results and reviews have been really good. The product itself is fairly comparable to the Mission Darkness TitanRF fabric I talked about above, at least concerning the size and applications for the fabric.
The faraday fabric itself is made of polyester fiber, metallic copper, and metallic nickel. The way the fabric is designed in a way that it’s easy to use for all kinds of applications.
However, one nice thing about this fabric is that it was designed specifically so that it would be easy to alter and manipulate to create other products.
The material is really easy to cut and sew, so you could use this fabric for making bags, wallets, faraday bags, blocking smart meter radiation from entering your home, or many other applications.
The size is similar to the TitanRF at 44 inches wide and 36 inches long. It also comes with 39 inches of 1-inch wide faraday fabric that you can use to keep pieces together or to place over the top of a sewed connection.
Although JJ Care is a bit newer to the market, this product is overall pretty impressive, and at least at the time of this writing comes in at a really affordable price.
5. Faraday Defense CU-NI RF Blocking Fabric
Check the current price on Amazon.
Faraday defense fabric has been around for a while and is fairly well-reviewed. I haven’t personally tried and tested the material, but many reviewers have and it seems that it works exactly as intended.
The stated protection level, if you want to reference the chart I talked about earlier, is greater than 60 db of attenuation in the 10 MHz – 3 GHz range.
This means that the material should block more than 99.999% of RF radiation. This is an extremely high db rating, so if it works as intended, this material should provide maximum protection.
The sizing of the fabric is interesting. It is 50 inches wide, and a foot in length. That sounds weird, but they specifically state that if you order multiple feet, it will ship uncut.
That means if you need a large sheet of the material for a blanket, wall, or other use, you can order a single large sheet instead of having to use tape or sew the pieces together.
The primary metals used in the fabric are Copper and Nickel, just like most RF and EMF shielding fabrics.
At the time I’m writing this, the product is affordable and well-reviewed, so I don’t think you’d go wrong with it. I would personally go with the TitanRF from Mission Darkness because I know and trust the company, and I’ve personally tested it. However, this fabric is stated to offer exactly as good of protection.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve talked about the 5 best RF and EMF shielding faraday fabrics on the market, let’s cover some other related questions and topics.
Best Place To Buy Bulk Faraday Fabric
I’m going to let you in on a little insider secret to how many of these products get made, and where some of the products I talk about above come from, and that is Chinese factories. Now, that probably isn’t a big surprise to you, but what might be is just how easy it is to access these factories and buy products for yourself.
There are two websites you’ll want to know about if you’re wanting to buy EMF and RF blocking fabric in bulk, and those are:
Essentially what these are, is marketplaces for Chinese factories. Now, sometimes you’re actually shopping with a distributor, but the effect is the same, you’re getting incredibly low prices by buying directly (or almost directly) from the factories that produce the product.
Aliexpress is much easier to use and you can purchase smaller quantities using a credit card. Alibaba will have slightly better prices but usually requires much larger minimum purchases.
I would start with Aliexpress if you go here, you’ll see that there are many fabrics available, for prices as low as just a few dollars for large piece of fabric. So, if you’re wanting to get bulk sizes to protect a whole wall, or make a queen size blanket, etc., this could be a great option.
One thing you’ll need to remember is that because you’re purchasing from China if you live in the United States or Europe, expect longer shipping times.
What Is Faraday Fabric Exactly?
Faraday fabric is a material used to protect against harmful EMF radiation, as well as enhance privacy and protection from digital theft. Typically made out of copper, nickel, silver, or a mix of the three, Faraday Fabric blocks EMF and RF waves from penetrating.
It is able to accomplish this blocking by having holes in the fabric that are smaller than the shortest wavelength of the signals being blocked, this results in the radio waves or EMF reflecting off the material.
Typically, these Faraday fabrics are capable of blocking virtually all electromagnetic radiation, but will not block stable and slow-moving magnetic fields such as the earth’s magnetic field. This means that although your phone won’t work if wrapped in Faraday fabric, your compass just might.
Faraday fabrics are used to make faraday bags, blankets, cell-phone cases, and much more. These fabrics are increasing in popularity and use as more people become aware of the need for protection from EMF radiation as well as identity theft.
Final Thoughts
Faraday fabrics that block EMF and RF signals have SO many uses that I honestly can’t believe they aren’t more popular. Many of your favorite EMF protection products actually have these fabrics inside them to protect you.
So, if you consider yourself a Do-It-Yourself type person, and are looking to make your own smart meter shield, EMF protection blanket, RFID blocker, Faraday bag, or just about anything else, this is probably a really good option for you.
If you need any help, I’ve made many of these products myself and would be happy to offer some advice or assistance!
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