You'll see "ANSI Z87.1" stamped on every pair of real safety glasses — including all of ours — but what does it actually mean? Here's the plain-English version, so you know your eyes are truly protected.
What is ANSI Z87.1?
ANSI Z87.1 is the American National Standards Institute's standard for eye and face protection. Eyewear that meets it has passed independent testing for impact resistance, optical clarity, and durability. If safety glasses don't carry the Z87 mark, they haven't been certified — no matter how tough they look.
Z87 vs. Z87+ — what's the plus?
- Z87 meets the basic impact requirement.
- Z87+ meets the high-velocity impact requirement — lenses and frames are tested against a quarter-inch steel ball fired at high speed. This is what you want for shooting, hunting, grinding, and any high-impact activity.
All Spits safety glasses are rated Z87.1+ for high-velocity impact protection.
Decoding the letter markings
Those small letters etched on the frame or lens each mean something:
- + — high-velocity impact rated
- Z87 — meets the basic standard
- D3 — droplet/splash protection
- D4 — dust protection
- D5 — fine dust protection
- U + number — UV filtering scale (e.g. U6)
- L + number — visible light filtering
- W + number — welding shade (IR protection); our MAGweld welding glasses use IR3 and IR5 shades
Why it matters for shooters and workers
Shooting produces flying debris — hot brass, powder, target fragments, even the rare ruptured case. The workplace adds grinding sparks, chips, and dust. Z87.1+ eyewear is built to take that hit so your eyes don't have to. Regular sunglasses simply aren't tested for it.
Get certified protection — with magnification if you need it
Every pair of Spits safety eyewear is ANSI Z87.1+ certified, and because we specialize in bifocals, you don't have to choose between protection and seeing clearly up close:
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