Orange vs. Yellow Hi-Vis Clothing: What’s the Difference?

When supplying your employees with high-visibility safety gear, how do you decide between orange and yellow garments? Does it even matter which color you pick? When comparing orange vs. yellow hi-vis clothing and asking, “What’s the difference?” you need to consider various circumstances. This will ensure you get the best protection and use of garments like hi-vis hoodies. Here’s what you need to know.

Providing Contrast

One of the most important considerations you must make is what kind of environment your workers are in. The key to effective hi-vis garments is providing a sharp contrast to their environment. That means that bright yellow works better in some situations, and striking orange is preferable in other cases. For instance, if you’re working on a road or highway surrounded by grass and foliage, the yellow hi-vis gear might blend into the background while orange will stand out from a distance.

If your workplace’s background is busy, hi-vis gear that mixes yellow, orange, and black will be the most effective to create the most striking contrast.

Recognizing Conspicuity

You should also consider the subconscious associations and responses we have to color. While yellow hi-vis gear is a bit more widespread, orange hi-vis gear is clearly recognizable and associated with construction and other more hazardous industries. Consider how orange is also the color of choice for roadwork signs, cones, and more.

That said, yellow is the more widespread color because it is the brightest color on the chromaticity scale. It also attracts attention without eliciting the same hazard warning and caution that an orange vest would. For example, crossing guards use yellow hi-vis vests to draw the attention of drivers.

Choosing a Color

So now that you know the differences between orange vs. yellow hi-vis clothing, which should you ultimately choose? It all depends on the environment you’re working in and what your employees need while on the job. Keeping your needs and considerations in mind will help you determine the right high visibility equipment for your industry.