Sport Sunglasses Lens Materials: TAC, PC and Nylon Polarized Compared

Price is the first thing buyers compare and the last thing that causes returns. The lens specification is the opposite. Here is what the four lens options mean, what to write into a purchase order, and which questions separate a quotation you can compare from one you cannot.

Angler on a lakeside dock wearing sport sunglasses with orange-red mirrored lenses — Lens performance is decided at the water’s edge: glare, tint and category are what customers notice first.

Two suppliers quote the same frame at the same price. One ships a lens that survives a season on the water; the other produces complaints in month three. The difference is almost never the frame — it is the lens material, the tint and the category, and how precisely those were written into the order.

Four sport sunglasses lens colourways compared - grey, ice-blue mirror, orange-red mirror and tortoise with gold mirror — The same frame family in four lens builds. Lens colour and material are separate decisions, and both belong in the purchase specification.

The four lens options we are asked to quote

Across the range we quote four lens specifications. They are not interchangeable, and the price difference between them is not the most important difference.

Lens option	Polarized version offered	Where buyers typically use it
TAC	Yes — quoted as TAC polarized	Fishing and outdoor models, where glare off water matters most
PC 1.8	No	Cycling and impact-conscious programmes
PC polarized	Yes	Cycling and sport ranges that also need glare control
Nylon polarized	Yes	Premium builds and wrap frames

Ask what the number means. Product codes such as “PC 1.8” are internal notation. Before you print them on a purchase order, ask your supplier to write the material and the thickness in words. A code you cannot explain is a specification you cannot inspect against.

What actually decides whether a lens suits your market

Four properties do the work. None of them is visible in a product photo.

Polarized or not. Polarization filters light reflected from horizontal surfaces — water, wet roads, boat decks. If your customers fish, it is the single feature they ask about. If they ride at speed in mixed light, it matters less.
Lens category and measured transmission. Category 2 is 18–43% light transmission, category 3 is 8–18%. Our own tested samples came back at 21.12% for a PC lens (category 2) and 9.09% for an ice-blue TAC lens (category 3) — both PASS. Ask for the measured number, not just the category.
UV protection. UV400 means the lens blocks at least 99% of UVA and UVB. It is a claim that must be supported by a laboratory report, not by a catalogue line.
Material behaviour in your climate. Heat, salt and chemical exposure are the usual causes of premature lens failure. Ask what testing the supplier holds — our nylon material, for example, was tested by SGS to FDA 21 CFR 177.1500 with PASS results across four simulants.

Five questions to ask a supplier about sport sunglasses lenses — Five questions to put to a supplier in writing. The answers belong on the quotation, not in a chat thread.

The mistake buyers make: assuming the model defines the category

Lens category depends on the tint you order, not only on the model. The same frame quoted in grey, ice blue, orange-red or amber can land in different categories with different transmission values. This is why a specification that says only “KC06-13A, category 3” is incomplete: it does not say which colourway was tested.

Write the order as model + colourway + lens material + category + polarized (yes/no). That single line prevents the most common dispute in this category of product.

What to put in the purchase specification

Field	What to write
Model and colourway	e.g. KM-Y362F, matte translucent grey frame with orange-red mirrored lens
Lens material	TAC, PC 1.8, PC polarized or nylon polarized — spelled out, not as a code
Polarized	Yes or no, confirmed per colourway
Category and transmission	Category 2 or 3, plus the measured VLT percentage if the supplier holds it
UV claim	UV400, with the report reference that supports it
Labelling	Category marking on the temple, and the night-driving warning where your market requires it

Which models in the range use which lens

The practical starting points, from the current specification sheet:

Fishing and waterside — KA01-01 and KA02-03 in the KA range, plus the side-shield KM-Y361F, KM-Y360F and KM-Y362F, all built on a TAC polarized lens.
Cycling shields — KC06-13A (the lightest at 26.9 g), KC02-03 (widest 151 mm front) and KC07-15K (frameless). All accept the optical inner frame for prescription wearers.
Lightweight everyday frames — K502-06 at 19.2 g and the KB lifestyle models.

Want the lens documents before you decide?

Tell us the model, colourway and market, and we will confirm which lens category applies and send the test report that covers it — see certifications and compliance for what we hold today.

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