Window Tint News

Put three tint samples next to each other and you might expect the darkest one to carry the highest number. ZIVENT’s lineup for the 2026 SEMA Show offers a good reason to read the label. The South Korean manufacturer NDFOS says its ZV70, ZV80, and ZV90 films have a similar color appearance. The numbers refer to the company’s infrared rejection ratings of 70%, 80%, and 90%.

That distinction matters at the tint counter. If a shop offers you “the 90,” ask what the number measures. In this lineup, it tells you about infrared rejection. To compare how light the windows will look and how much solar heat the film rejects overall, ask to see two other figures for the shade you’re buying: visible light transmission and total solar energy rejected. That gives you a way to compare two quotes even when the brands use entirely different names.

Sources: ZIVENT’s exhibitor announcement at SEMA.

Choosing a car tint usually means picking a shade you’ll live with on bright afternoons and cloudy mornings alike. Ahead of SEMA, ASTRACE announced plans to show two products under its Master Tint Art brand: 3MDT Smart Dimming Film and OMTD Optoelectronic Film. Adjustable light is the idea behind the company’s pitch.

For a driver considering this kind of upgrade, the most revealing part of a demonstration may be the moment between the showroom photos. Ask the installer to move the sample through its settings while you look through it at a face, a sign, and a bright background. Then ask to see it with the power disconnected. Those views tell you more about whether you’d want it on your own glass than a pair of light-and-dark pictures.

Sources: ASTRACE’s November 2 announcement.

A tint competition might bring to mind an installer working a sheet of film around a curved rear window. At the 2026 International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off, one division asked a different question: What can an installer make people see in the glass?

The decorative film competition took its theme, “Fiesta in Film,” from San Antonio’s Fiesta celebrations. Entrants could work alone or as a team. The preliminary round called for a portfolio of three installations, and the judging criteria included theme, design, installation technique, and difficulty. The division carried a $10,000 grand prize.

It’s a useful lens for anyone hiring a shop to add privacy to a conference room or design a glass entrance. Ask to see a finished installation from both sides of the glass. A portfolio can show how the installer handled a door seam, carried a pattern across several panes, or kept a sightline open where people need to see through.

Sources: Official competition program · Window Film’s event recap.

“How dark will it look?” is an easy question to answer with a film sample. “What does it do about ultraviolet light?” takes a product specification. For National Window Film Day in 2025, the International Window Film Association highlighted its work with The Skin Cancer Foundation. The April 30 observance fell one day before the start of Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

The connection gives shoppers a better way to frame a conversation with an installer. If you like the daylight in a room, say so. Ask which films preserve the look you enjoy, then ask for the published UV figures for those specific products. You can judge the appearance at your window and check the performance on the data sheet before choosing a film.

Sources: International Window Film Association announcement.

The change at Chicago’s Lakeside Center was small enough to describe in one word: dots. The scale was another matter. In summer 2024, McCormick Place treated roughly two football fields’ worth of windows with a dotted pattern designed to help birds recognize the glass ahead of them.

The first fall migration brought a result the venue could measure. On January 8, McCormick Place reported that recorded bird collisions had fallen by more than 95% following the installation. That figure describes recorded collisions at Lakeside Center during the fall 2024 migration period.

For building owners, the story offers a practical starting point. Identify the panes where strikes recur, document what happens there, and keep counting after the glass is treated. The most valuable part of Chicago’s project was what came after the installation: someone checked whether the birds were getting through safely.

Sources: McCormick Place project report and results.