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- AL60 Wall Shield
- Silver Supershield EMF Shielding
- RipStop Silver Fabric
- Swiss Shield New Daylite EMF Shielding Fabric
- High-Performance Silver Mesh Fabric
- EMF Shielding Netting HNG80 (66cm width)
- Cotton Grid Fabric
- Magnetic Field Shielding Film MCL61
- Silverell Fabric
- Stainless Steel Mesh Shielding Fabric
First, let’s take a minute to understand what EMF is, why we need protection from EMF, and the things to consider while choosing an EMF material or fabric.
Generally, photons travel together as waves or particles at different degrees of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum. Photons with low energy degree travel as waves while those with higher energy degrees are referred to as ‘particles’.
These photons constitute the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by lots of devices around us. As the energy level of the photons varies, so does the electromagnetic radiation emitted. High energy photons pose dangers on human lives, thus, the need for shielding materials.
Why You Need EMF Shielding Materials or Fabrics
Electromagnetic shielding refers to the various practices adopted to reduce radiations from electromagnetic fields. These practices leverage barriers made of magnetic and conductive materials to protect against electromagnetic radiations (EMR).
In this present time and age, technology has spread across the globe, giving rise to devices like laptops, smartphones, tablets, medical machines, microprocessors, IPAD, computers, etc.
Most electronic and electrical devices operate at high frequencies and plastic cases are usually their body design, which offers little or no resistance to the electromagnetic radiations.
These devices generate different levels of energy and radiation; extremely low frequency (ELF), and radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and they cause different levels of harm to humans, no wonder gamma ray is used in the medical field to kill cancerous cells.
This is the height of danger these radiations could cause. But staying away from our devices is almost impossible, therefore, you have got no choice but to shield yourself from these noxious radiations.
Things to Consider While Choosing an EMF Shielding Material or Fabric
Electromagnetic radiation is all around us, from x-rays to gamma rays, to radio waves and sunlight even, making its contact with humans inevitable. As such, effective safety measures should be adopted.
Superconductors are the only materials that effectively block magnetic fields without being attracted to it. Shielding alloys with high permeability are also used to redirect them.
Various factors influence the efficiency of EMF shielding materials. The basic factors to consider are; the frequencies to be deflected, the intensity of the radiation, and field to be protected from (magnetic or electrical fields or both).
The most commonly used EMF shields are sheets of metals formed into gaskets, wire mesh, metal foams, and screens.
Metal Consideration
Before you purchase a material or fabric for EMF shielding, be sure to check for the conductivity, permeability, thickness, and aperture of the metal, as this goes a long way affecting its shielding efficiency.
Metals like aluminum and galvanized steels are usually used to make EMF shielding materials or fabrics because of their high conductivity.
Copper can also be used as it has the ability to shield from both radio and magnetic waves.
Gaskets Consideration
Gaskets are the most commonly used EMF shields because they are both cost-effective and work perfectly.
With lots of gaskets out there, it can be pretty confusing choosing the best material. I have made that easier for you by compiling a list showing the different types of gaskets and factors to be considered while making your choice.
The factors include;
- Lifespan
- Product safety
- Operating frequency
- Cost
- Operating environment
- Weight/space
- Environment for storage
- Materials compatibility
- Load/forces
- Recyclability
- Corrosion control
- Attenuation performance
- Nuclear biological chemical (NBC)
- Mandatory compliance
- Fastening and mounting methods
- Electrical requirements
- The thickness of materials or alloy
- Shielding effectiveness
- Compression range
- Shielding, grounding, and others
Types of Gaskets
- Wire Mesh and Knitted Gaskets
These forms of gaskets are made from a variety of metal wires such as tin-plated copper, aluminum, Monel, etc.
Wire mesh gaskets come with versatile mounting options and provide low cycling applications, thus, they are your best bet if you are looking for an effective low-end gasket.
In terms of effectiveness, they provide high shielding over a vast frequency range. Also, they come in varying sizes and shapes allowing you to choose one that fits your shielding-needs perfectly.
The smooth, soft-surface metalized nylon contains closely knitted stitches which increase its effectiveness as an EMF shielding material.
- Electrical Conductive Elastomers
Electrical conductive elastomers have been proven as a better choice for applications that require both EMF shielding and environmental sealing.
This form of gaskets has a shielding effectiveness of about 120dB at 10GHz. What’s more? They also come in varying profiles, thus, fitting into a large range of applications.
The conductive fillers are of two categories;
- Carbon (C)
- Elastomers
Examples of carbon conductive fillers includes; nickel-coated carbon (Ni/C), silver-plated aluminum (Ag/Al), passivated aluminum (IA), silver-plated copper (Ag/Cu), silver (Ag), silver- plated glass (Ag/Al), and silver-plated nickel (Ag/Ni).
Examples of elastomer conductive fillers, on the other hand, are silicone rubber, fluorocarbon rubber or fluorel, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and fluorosilicone rubber.
- Oriented Wire
In this type of elastomer, the individual conductive metal wires are impregnated into a sponge or solid silicone.
If you have got a casted surface you wish to protect from moisture or rain then the oriented wire is a perfect choice as they are best known for providing EMF shielding against moisture or rain on machined or casted surfaces.
- Combination Shielding Products
These products offer a combination of shields for two or more applications in one EMF shielding material or fabric.
Generally, these products are produced by molding conductive elastomers walls onto metal shield cans, while the complex applications involve welding spring contact or fingerstock as a shield for cans used in sealing compartments of applications that are of ultra-low profiles.
- Metal RF Gaskets and Spring Contact
Metal RF gaskets are well known for their high shielding effectiveness and large physical compression. This form of gaskets is easily plaited for galvanic corrosion and covers across a wide range of frequencies.
If you own a high cycling application which requires frequent access, then the fingerstock or spring contact products are your best bet.
They are highly effective and made of different shapes providing you with the option of choosing the best match for your applications.
CuBe is also a good choice as it is the most conductive and contains the best spring properties.
- Fabric-over-Foam (FoF)
If you are in search of a gasket with high conductivity and shielding attenuation, then you have come to your stop. FoF EMF shielding gaskets are the best for applications requiring low compression force.
They provide shielding or grounding to automotive electronic equipment seams and apertures and comes in various shapes and thickness allowing you to choose any that meets your design need.
- Board-Level Shielding (BLS)
Board-level EMF shielding gaskets are the best form of gaskets and most cost-effective also. No wonder they are the most commonly used gaskets for EMF shielding.
They are majorly used as shields to prevent EMF radiation from entering sections of the printed circuit board (PCB) of various electrical and electronic devices.
Because of their high levels of shielding effectiveness, board-level shielding gaskets are widely used in electrical and electronic industries.
BLS metal cans consist of metals such as stainless steel, nickel silver, zinc-plated steel, copper beryllium, tin-plated aluminum, brass, copper beryllium and other copper alloys.
- Form-in-Place (FiP)
FiP is best used as EMF shields to protect applications with electronic closures that have complex or round surfaces or requires environmental sealing.
They are usually dispensed onto any conductive painted, plated or metallic surface of an electronic closure.
Foam-in-place gaskets offer a high level of shielding against internally and externally radiated interference and environmental elements.[ps2id id=’emf-materials’ target=”/]
Before I proceed further, I highly recommend you take a minute and check out these eBooks by LLoyd Burrell. They’ve made a significant impact on my understanding of EMFs, and I believe they’ll do the same for you.
The Best EMF Shielding Materials and Fabrics
Having considered the need for EMF shielding and the basic factors to look out for before buying one, let’s take a look at the best EMF shielding materials and fabrics, shall we!
1. AL60 Wall Shield
AL60 Wall Shield Installation Instructions
This easy-to-install wall shield is a great choice for radio frequency and electric field shielding. AL60 wall shield is coated with polyester and have a fairly lightweight making it a good EMF shielding material for covering cables, walls, ceiling, wireless smart-meter, electric panels, etc.
The 39 inch EMF shielding material is tough and flexible, yet easy to cut with a scissor. It offers a shielding capability within the range of 40 – 60 dB at about 100 MHz to 18 GHz. AL60 wall shield is fast and easy to install, all you have got to do is use a spray adhesive on the wall and apply the EMF shielding material.
Be sure to leave the conductive side exposed for easy ground and being a cost-effective material, you could also double it for better protection.
Also, apply an aluminum tape with about 2-inch width across the seams and your gasket is fully installed, pretty easy, yeah?
2. Silver Supershield EMF Shielding
This EMF shielding material is best used on curtains, canopies and, screens and prone to stains even right from the manufacturing process.
It is very delicate, as such, proper cautions should be observed to maintain its shielding efficiency.
Do not dry-clean or handwash the material. Also, do not tumble dry or bleach and use only Leblok washing powder as other powders have the tendency to reduce its effectiveness drastically.
The 1.4-width silver super-shield material contains a thick pure metallic silver layer and its durability depends largely on the frequency of movement. It has a screening attenuation of electromagnetic waves within the range of 30 MHz to 18 GHz.
3. RipStop Silver Fabric
It was initially developed as an antibacterial fabric for wound healing and odor control but later improved to withstand a wide range of EM radiations and interferences.
The made-in-USA hand washable EMF shielding fabric is made of pure silver which is coated onto nylon RipStop that provides its sturdiness.
This highly conductive and effective EMF shielding fabric can be used as garment liners, static control, microwave shield, window drapes, application cover, faraday enclosure, Wi-Fi routers shield, and electric field shield.
Other notable features of this high-quality fabric include; resistivity of less than o.25 Ohm/sq, a fairly light weight of about 1.2 oz/yd2, 59-inch width, comfortable and safe against the skin, temperature within the range of -30oC to 90oC, and 2mil thickness.
4. Swiss Shield New Daylite EMF Shielding Fabric
With the Swiss shield new Daylite EMR shielding fabric, you can protect your home against EMF radiation from mobile phone masts, DECT, and Wi-Fi in your neighborhood. It can also be used as room dividers, curtains, and canopies.
This transparent EMF protective metal/polyester is equipped with an EMF shielding of 30 dB at 1 GHz providing 99.9% effectiveness. It possesses a fairly lightweight and characteristics of non-EMF shielding textiles.
To maintain its high level of effectiveness, certain precautions should be observed such as machine-wash only at 30o, do not bleach, dry clean, or tumble dry, and use Leblok washing powder instead of other detergents.
Other noteworthy features include; 2.5m width, non-conductive surface, 8% copper/silver material, white colored, knitted fabric, and 65g/sqm weight.
5. High-Performance Silver Mesh Fabric
Like the name implies, this silver plated EMF shielding material offers maximum EMF shielding of 50 dB at 30 MHz to 3 GHz. The high-performance silver mesh fabric covers a wide range of temperature (-30oC to 90oC) and applications.
It can be used to make electronic components, tents, garments, draperies, mobile phone shields, and medical applications even.
It comes with a surface resistance of less than 0.5 Ohms/sq, 0.0045-inch thickness, nylon base, 40g/m2 weight, 58-inch width and is very soft and comfortable to touch.
6. EMF Shielding Netting HNG80 (66cm width)
This EMF shielding material is best used on walls, ceiling, and floors in ministries of defense, laboratories, banking houses, private buildings, etc.
The HNG80 is made of closely-knitted polyester netting which offers protection against high-frequency electromagnetic radiation and low-frequency electric fields due to its highly conductive surface.
It features an attenuation of 80 dB at 1 GHz, 0/07 mm thickness, 80g/m2 weight, 220 N/mm tensile strength, and length of 30 m roll / 100 m roll.
7. Cotton Grid Fabric
This non-toxic fabric possesses anti-static properties which give it the ability to discharge anything it comes in contact with.
Also, it can be used to reduce radio frequency signal if you do not want to kill the signal completely. It is made of pure silver and cotton fibers and very much comfortable and safe for your skin.
The cotton grid EMF shielding fabric features a very high conductivity of about 10 Ohms/sq, two identical sides, 112-inch width, grounding and static control properties, distinct grid patterns, hand washable and it is cut and sewn like every other fabric.
8. Magnetic Field Shielding Film MCL61
This magnetic field shielding material is made from an amorphous cobalt alloy which makes it perfect for shielding against low-frequency magnetic fields, high-frequency fields, and low-frequency electric fields.
Unlike other magnetic materials, MCL61 is flexible yet sturdy even at small bending radii. Also, the attenuation does not fluctuate; it remains constant irrespective of the mechanical stress it endures.
Another striking feature is the laminated cobalt strips which are proven to be resistant to corrosion even in humid condition, due to the lamination.
Although it is a tough material, you can cut with a scissor still. MCL61 possess other features like 61cm width, 30 dB to 75 dB at 1 GHz, length of 50 m roll, silver colored, 0.1mm thickness, 265g/m2 weight, and made of polyester material.
9. Silverell Fabric
Silverell
Silverell fabric is a type of EMF shielding material made of knitted rayon and silver. The knitting provides it with a soft and stretchy feel like an ordinary cotton T-shirt. The silver metal contained in silverell fabric accounts for its high conductivity and EMF shielding efficiency.
It is also a great choice for static and odor control. This EMF shielding fabric is comfortable and safe for the skin, thus, a perfect choice for making garments and bedding.
Other features include; hand and machine washable, 20 dB shielding effectiveness, 134 g/m2 weight, 16% silver/nylon and 84% rayon, about 62 inches wide, and a radio frequency attenuation within the range of 20 MHz to 8 GHz.
10. Stainless Steel Mesh Shielding Fabric
Stainless steel mesh shielding fabric is designed with a tight knit-pattern which accounts for its high EMF shielding efficiency.
It cuts across a wide range of frequencies (26 dB at 800 MHz and 15 dB at 1900 MHz) and is your best bet for indoor and outdoor window screen shielding against electromagnetic radiation.
It also possesses features like corrosion resistant, easy to ground, 2 Ohms/sq resistivity, high conductivity, silver colored, 40 inches wide and a weight of 190 g/m2.
Final Thoughts
Like I said earlier, lots of devices around us emit electromagnetic radiations which can be either harmful or not depending on the energy of the photons. You wouldn’t want to measure the energy before protecting yourself, will you?
Also, be sure to stay as far as possible from electronic and communication devices. You can receive calls on loudspeaker mode instead of placing the phone close to your ear.
Your laptop should be placed on a table in the stead of your laps. People who place their laptops on their laps should get a laptop radiation shield to protect their skin cells from the radiations emitted from their laptops. Do not wait to be a victim first, protect yourself today.
