Phifer Exterior Solar Screens
60 colourways in 5 designs of SunTex and SunScreen: stop the sun outside the glass, where stopping it actually works.
The sun is cheaper to stop outside
An interior shade intercepts the sun after it has already passed the glass; an exterior screen stops it before. That is why Phifer's SunTex fabrics publish solar heat gain coefficients as low as 0.09 behind single glazing, against 0.17 or higher for the tightest interior weaves, and it is why a hot terrace, a west-facing lanai or a pool deck is usually an exterior problem. The range here is 60 colourways in 5 designs: SunTex 95/97/99 at 1%, 3% and 5%, SunTex 95/97 Matte at 3% and 5%, SunTex 80/90 at 10% and 25%, SunTex 90 Design at 10%, and the fiberglass SunScreen at 25%.
All of them are heavier and thicker than an interior screen. SunTex 95/97/99 is 28% polyester and 72% vinyl on polyester at up to 17.1 oz per square yard, 126 inches wide; SunTex 80/90 is 31% polyester and 69% vinyl on polyester at up to 16.5 oz, in widths from 36 to 96 inches with 120 inches in most colours; SunTex 90 Design is 17.2 oz and 0.039 inches thick, the substantial end of the range. Every SunTex style carries a Microban antimicrobial additive and California Technical Bulletin 117 with Class A ratings under NFPA 101 and IBC Section 803.1.1.
5 Phifer exterior solar screen designs, 60 colourways
SunTex 95/97/99
The exterior roller fabric: 1%, 3% and 5%, ten colours, 126 inches
SunTex 80/90
The heavy-duty porch and patio screen, at 10% and 25%
SunTex 95/97 Matte
Four dark, low-reflectance colours for a terrace that never glares
SunTex 90 Design
Seven decorative colours in the thickest fabric Phifer weaves
SunScreen
The fiberglass exterior weave, 25% open, in three colours
Which exterior fabric for which opening
SunTex 99, 97 and 95
The exterior roller shade fabric: 1%, 3% and 5% openness in ten colours from White through Stucco, Sand, Alpaca, Chestnut and Mocha to Dark Bronze, Carbon and Black, 126 inches wide. Solar heat gain coefficients of 0.09 to 0.17 behind single glazing. This is what we put on a west-facing terrace.
SunTex 95/97 Matte
The same 28% polyester and 72% vinyl on polyester construction at 3% and 5%, in four dark, low-reflectance colours: Matte Niko, Matte Iron Grey, Matte Dark Bronze, Matte Black. Solar reflectance of 4% to 6% and absorptance of 85% to 92%, so the fabric itself never glares back.
SunTex 80 and 90
The heavy-duty screen for a porch or patio enclosure rather than a roller: 25% and 10% openness in Stucco, Beige, Grey, Brown, Dark Bronze and Black, up to 120 inches in most colours. Published visible transmission runs from 18% upward, so the view stays largely intact.
SunTex 90 Design
Seven colours built as a decorative screen: Coconut, Wheat, Rattan, Toast, Toffee, Walnut and Coral, at 10% openness, 96 inches wide. At 17.2 oz and 0.039 inches it is the thickest fabric in the Phifer library, which is what carries a screen wall or a porch panel.
SunScreen
The fiberglass original at 25% openness in Charcoal, Silver Gray and Bronze, 35% fiberglass and 65% vinyl on fiberglass at 8.5 oz. Widths run 36 to 84 inches, with 96 inches in Charcoal only. Class A under NFPA 101 and IBC 803.1.1.
Reading the exterior numbers
Phifer measures the exterior fabrics with the shade outside the glass at a 30 degree profile angle, which is why the solar heat gain coefficients look so different from the interior tables. SunTex 99 at 1% publishes 0.09 behind single 1/4 inch clear glass and 0.06 behind insulating glass with a high-performance coating; SunTex 80 at 25% publishes up to 0.31. The dark colours absorb rather than reflect (Black at Rs 4 and As 94, Dark Bronze at Rs 5 and As 93), but because that heat is absorbed outside the window, it dissipates into the air rather than into the room.
Outdoors, colour choice is mostly about glare and appearance. A dark fabric gives the clearest view out and the least glare on a terrace; a light fabric such as White at Rs 76 keeps the fabric and the wall behind it cooler. Salt, wind and UV are the other half of the specification, which is why we mount exterior shades in tracks or cable guides in South Florida and set them to retract in wind rather than fight it. See our outdoor shades page for the systems these fabrics hang on.
Compare the exterior solar screen designs
| Design | Colourways | Openness | Max width | Composition | PVC-free | NFPA 701 | Microban | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunTex 95/97/99 | 30 | 1%, 3%, 5% | 126 in | 28% Polyester, 72% Vinyl on Polyester | No | Not listed | Yes | Roller shades |
| SunTex 80/90 | 12 | 10%, 25% | 96 in | 31% Polyester, 69% Vinyl on Polyester | No | Not listed | Yes | Roller shades |
| SunTex 95/97 Matte | 8 | 3%, 5% | 126 in | 28% Polyester, 72% Vinyl on Polyester | No | Not listed | Yes | Roller shades |
| SunTex 90 Design | 7 | 10% | 96 in | 31% Polyester, 69% Vinyl on Polyester | No | Not listed | Yes | Roller shades |
| SunScreen | 3 | 25% | 84 in | 35% Fiberglass, 65% Vinyl on Fiberglass | No | Not listed | No | Roller shades |
Exterior screens on our installations
Exterior screens are how we make a South Florida terrace usable between eleven and four. On a pool deck or a west-facing lanai in Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach or Boca Raton we run SunTex 95 or 97 in a dark colour on a track-guided motorized roller, so the sun is stopped at the outside face of the glass and the room behind it never heats. Where a porch is being enclosed rather than shaded, SunTex 80 or 90 Design in a panel is the better answer.
Exterior screens: frequently asked
Is an exterior screen really better than an interior one?
For heat, yes, and the published figures say so: SunTex 99 lists a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.09 behind single glazing where the tightest interior SheerWeave lists 0.17 or more. Stopping the sun before it reaches the glass is simply more effective. For glare and view inside a finished room, an interior screen is usually the practical choice.
Can SunTex be used on an interior shade?
These are exterior-rated fabrics and Phifer publishes their figures for exterior installation, so we specify them outside. For an interior roller we use the SheerWeave range, which is designed and measured for it.
Which colour lasts best outdoors?
All SunTex styles carry a Microban antimicrobial additive, which is the relevant point in a humid climate, and every one of them is a vinyl-on-polyester or vinyl-on-fiberglass weave built for outdoor exposure. Colour choice is about glare and appearance rather than durability: dark for view and low glare, light for a cooler fabric.
How wide can an exterior shade be?
SunTex 95/97/99 and 95/97 Matte are 126 inches wide, SunTex 80/90 runs 36 to 96 inches with 120 inches in most colours, SunTex 90 Design is 96 inches, and SunScreen is 36 to 84 inches with 96 inches in Charcoal only. Wide terraces are covered with two or three shades on a common track line.
Do exterior shades survive a storm?
They are not storm protection and we do not specify them as such. An exterior shade is retracted before weather, either by hand or on a wind sensor, and stored in its cassette. Hurricane protection is a separate system entirely, and we will say so rather than sell you a fabric for it.
Phifer exterior screens in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
Every fabric on this page is sourced directly from Phifer, cut and finished in our Fort Lauderdale workroom on Lutron, Somfy, Crestron or manual hardware, and installed by our own team from Miami to Palm Beach. Our showrooms in Fort Lauderdale (4539 Powerline Rd, by appointment) and Miami Beach (500 South Pointe Dr #150) have motorized shades running so you can judge the fabrics in motion.
Choose the fabric in your own light
Book a complimentary in-home consultation. Shortlist the designs you like and we bring the Phifer sample books, demo motors, and honest answers about openness, colour and exposure.