Shade sail colours, heat & UVChoose the colour from underneath.
Six colour directions, a simple sample test and the one rating you should check separately.
Shortlist a colour for the way it looks overhead, then check the actual fabric's UV result. Colour on its own will not tell you how hot it feels underneath or how much ultraviolet gets through. The material, the weave and the colour work together.
Build a two-colour shortlist
Charcoal
- Choose for
- A strong outline against pale walls and sky.
- Consider
- Can feel visually heavy over a small courtyard.
- Try beside
- Try beside light render, grey paving or a dark roof.
Mid grey
- Choose for
- A quiet starting point when the house already has several finishes.
- Consider
- A cool grey can clash with warm cream brick.
- Try beside
- Compare two grey samples against the roof and paving.
Sand
- Choose for
- A warmer, softer-looking cover over natural materials.
- Consider
- Stains and darker seams may be more noticeable.
- Try beside
- Try beside warm brick, sandstone or timber.
Olive
- Choose for
- Connects visually with planting and garden furniture.
- Consider
- Its green cast may look different beside pale stone.
- Try beside
- Test with the garden behind it and the house behind it.
Deep blue
- Choose for
- Adds colour without the brightness of a primary blue.
- Consider
- A large blue plane can dominate neutral surroundings.
- Try beside
- Try beside pale masonry or timber.
Terracotta
- Choose for
- A warm accent for courtyards with earthy finishes.
- Consider
- A near-match to roof tiles may look accidental.
- Try beside
- Choose a clear match or a deliberate difference.
Approximate screen colours for comparison only. Real fabric, the light on the day and your own screen will all shift them, and none of these is a stock colour or a performance rating.
A sample test you can do in five minutes
Use the same spot for both samples
Hold it overhead
Stand safely on the ground in the yard. Compare the samples against the bright sky, then with the house behind them. Do not judge only from a sample lying on the kitchen bench.
Look back into the room
Choose the seat you actually use and look towards the doors. Decide whether you want the cover to stand out or recede, and how much brightness you want beside the windows.
Check a seam and the label
Ask to see a joined sample or a representative seam. Doubled material can read as a darker band. Record the exact fabric range and colour code for the quote.
Our sails are Australian made in our own factory at Rydalmere, so the sample you are handed is the same cloth that ends up over your head.
Which colour will feel coolest?
Height and airflow decide this more than the swatch does. A sail set high with a breeze moving under it can be dark and still feel fine. A low sail in a walled courtyard is where a lighter cloth earns its keep, because there is nothing carrying the heat away.
So for a low, enclosed courtyard, ask how the whole canopy will keep air moving. Swapping charcoal for cream will not invent a breeze. For a bright poolside area, compare the glare coming off the water and the paving as well as the fabric overhead.
Keep UV protection out of the colour guessing game
Ask for the UVE result for the exact fabric and colour. ARPANSA explains that shade-fabric protection varies with factors including colour, weave and density. Shade factor is a different test, so ask for the UVE figure by name. See ARPANSA's shade-fabric testing guidance.
The space also needs useful coverage as the sun moves. A highly rated fabric cannot protect a chair that has moved outside its shadow. Ask to see the test result beside the product name and colour code so you can check that they refer to the same fabric.
Two sensible shortlists
Make the decision smaller
Cream brick, timber deck, lots of planting
Start with sand and olive. Sand picks up the warm building tones; olive picks up the garden. The overhead test tells you which relationship you prefer.
White render, grey pavers, dark window frames
Start with mid grey and charcoal. Grey keeps the cover quieter; charcoal creates a stronger outline. Check the view from inside as well as from the garden.
Will colour hide age or dirt?
A clean-looking sail can still be near the end of its life, and a faded one can have years left in it. Stains do show up more on pale cloth. Strength is a separate question, read off the seams, the corners and the condition of the cloth, so follow the care instructions and check those. The maintenance guide covers the checks.
Do dark shade sails fade faster than light ones?+
Not really, though it certainly looks that way. A strong red or blue has further to travel before your eye stops calling it red or blue, so the shift shows up on a bright colour long before the same amount of fade is visible on a charcoal or a grey. Ask what the fabric's warranty says about colour and take that as your guide.
Can I change the colour later without new posts?+
Yes, in most cases. The cloth is the part that wears out, and the posts, footings and fittings usually outlive it. While the old sail is down and everything is accessible, have the supports and hardware checked. After that, a recover in a different colour is a straightforward job on the same frame.
Can two sails be different colours, or one sail be two-tone?+
Adjoining sails in different colours is an easy ask, and it often looks better than trying to match them. Two colours inside a single sail is another matter: the join has to land on a real structural seam, so it has to be drawn before anything is cut. Raise it at the measure, while it can still shape the pattern.
If you want a second pair of eyes on the two favourites
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