Welding Screen Guide: Safety, Types & Buying Advice

A welding screen helps protect people working nearby or passing through the workshop from harmful arc light and spatter. While the welder has a helmet and protective clothing, a fitter at the next bench or a visitor walking past may be exposed without realising it. Effective protection therefore depends on both choosing a suitable screen and positioning it so light cannot escape around the edges.

This guide takes you through the relevant standard, the choice of material and visibility, and the checks that matter when setting up a welding bay. It also explains how welding, grinding and noise barriers differ, so the equipment you choose suits all the work taking place.

What a Welding Screen Protects Against

An arc gives off intense visible light together with ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Suitable welding screens reduce exposure for people outside the bay, including exposure to the UV that can cause arc eye. When planning the layout, allow for reflected light as well: radiation can bounce off a wall or another surface and reach someone even when the arc itself is out of sight.

Screens also help contain sparks and spatter, with their ability to withstand heat depending on the product. A lightweight PVC curtain and a heavy heat-resistant barrier have different limits, so consider the hot material likely to reach the screen as well as the arc radiation it needs to control.

A transparent welding curtain lets you see into the workspace, but it is not a welding filter for watching the arc. Anyone observing the weld itself or working inside the screened area still needs suitable protection. Our welding lens shade chart explains how to choose the eye protection for that part of the setup.

EN ISO 25980 and What to Check

BS EN ISO 25980:2023 covers transparent curtains, strips and screens for arc welding. It sets requirements for light transmission, resistance to UV exposure and flame spread, and the strength of seams and eyelets. These give you a basis for assessing performance beyond the colour or a broad description such as “welding-grade plastic”.

Start with the standard reference and manufacturer’s identification on the curtain, then read the supporting product information and fitting instructions. Where a marking is missing or unclear, ask the supplier to confirm exactly what the product meets. Include the frame in the check, as it must hold the curtain securely in the position needed to protect people.

A curtain’s flame resistance does not make it fireproof or suitable for covering hot work, and a fire-performance rating alone does not establish protection from arc radiation. Laser welding requires separate, suitable laser protection, because an arc-welding screen’s rating does not cover that hazard.

Colour, Shade and Visibility

Colour and tint influence the balance between visibility and glare in the bay. Darker curtains generally reduce visible glare more, which can be useful around brighter welding work or beside occupied workstations. Lighter curtains give a clearer view of activity inside, making it easier to see whether someone is working or needs assistance.

Use the table below as a guide to common applications, not fixed process or current ratings. Manufacturers use different colour names and tint depths, so the examples can help narrow the choice before you check the particular product’s specification.

Typical colour or shade	Visibility and glare	Common applications
Lighter welding-rated shades, often yellow, amber or orange	Allow more visible light through, giving a clearer view into the workspace but less reduction in glare.	Training and supervised work areas where seeing activity inside matters; work with less glare, provided the curtain’s specification suits the application.
Medium shades, often red or bronze	Offer a balance between visibility into the bay and reduction of visible glare.	General fabrication bays where supervisors need to see activity without excessive glare reaching the surrounding workshop.
Darker shades, often dark green	Reduce visible glare more, while making activity inside harder to see.	Brighter welding work, including higher-current MIG/MAG or MMA, and bays beside occupied workstations where stronger glare reduction is useful.
Opaque welding barriers	Prevent a view through the material and provide visual separation between work areas.	Partitions between welding bays, or work areas where visibility through the barrier is unnecessary.

For transparent curtains, confirm compliance with BS EN ISO 25980 and read the manufacturer’s light-transmission information and limits on use, including distance from the arc. A darker appearance alone does not establish better protection from harmful radiation, and ordinary clear PVC cannot replace a welding-rated curtain. If you choose an opaque barrier, it also needs to suit welding and the expected heat and spatter.

The view through a curtain is useful for seeing activity in the bay, but it does not turn the material into a welding filter. Anyone watching the weld itself still needs suitable eye protection.

PVC, Canvas, Fibreglass and Strip Curtains

Material choice affects visibility, flexibility and resistance to heat and damage, although the finished product’s specification tells you more than the material name alone. In particular, a substantial-looking piece of ordinary canvas or fibreglass cloth should not be assumed suitable for welding screening.

Material or format	Typical use	What to check
Welding-rated PVC	Flexible, tinted curtains that screen arc light while allowing a view into the bay.	The welding standard, fitting instructions and limits for heat, spatter and distance from the arc.
Flame-retardant canvas	An opaque barrier where visibility through the screen is unnecessary.	That the finished product is intended for welding screening and suits the expected heat and spatter.
Fibreglass or coated heat-resistant fabric	Specialist barriers and blankets for applications with greater heat or spatter exposure.	The product’s temperature and spatter limits, coating and intended use. A welding blanket is not automatically a complete screening system.
Welding strip curtains	Overlapping strips across an opening where access is needed.	Welding suitability, the required overlap and how people can enter without being exposed when the strips part.

Strip curtains can make access easier, but the barrier opens temporarily whenever someone passes through. Plan the entrance so this cannot expose an unprotected person to the arc, for example with an appropriately screened turn at the entrance or by stopping welding while access is needed. Fit the strips with the specified overlap and make sure they fall back into place after use.

Complete Screen, Frame or Curtain Only

A complete screen is often a straightforward starting point, with the frame and curtain supplied together. Before ordering, establish what assembly is needed and which fittings are included, as “complete” does not always mean ready to use. Compare standard screens with frames and the Defender range with the space you need to screen.

Mobile screens can follow changing work positions, while linked panels or a three-sided arrangement can shield several directions around a job. Look at stability as well as dimensions: the base, castors and brakes need checking, and there must be enough room to move the screen without disturbing cables or other equipment.

With a suitable rail or frame already in place, a replacement curtain may be enough. Match the dimensions, hanging points and fittings to the support, leaving the required overlap at joins. In a fixed bay with limited floor space, curtain frames and swivel arms offer another option where the mounting structure and fixings can carry the load.

Consider made-to-measure curtains if standard sizes leave awkward gaps or interfere with access. Measure both the opening and the available mounting space before ordering, and specify whether your figures describe the curtain itself or the overall frame.

Sizing and Placement

Plan the layout around the actual arc positions, allowing for work that moves along a bench or rises above it. The screen must block the paths from those positions to people who may be standing nearby, sitting at another bench or working on a raised platform. Checking overall height alone will not establish whether they are protected.

Transparent screens covered by ISO 25980 are designed for use at least 1 metre from the arc. Use more clearance where the manufacturer requires it and allow additional space for heat or spatter where needed. This measures the distance between the arc and screen; it does not define a safe viewing distance for an unprotected person.

Look for openings at the sides, rear and panel joins, as well as above or below the curtain. Use the manufacturer’s specified overlaps or connections between adjoining panels so a narrow gap cannot leave a direct path for arc light. Assess the layout with welding stopped and revisit it whenever the job or screens move. Include nearby reflective surfaces in that assessment; suitable low-reflectivity finishes can help reduce light reflected out of the bay.

Plan the screening together with fume extraction and ventilation, as curtains can alter airflow around the work. Leave room for the extraction hood and provide enough replacement air for the system to work effectively; enclosing the bay does not remove the need for fume control. Our fume extraction guide covers the equipment choices. Any ventilation openings must also be arranged so they do not expose people to arc light.

Keep stability and access in mind as you install the screens. Secure them as instructed, apply castor brakes where fitted, and check that draughts cannot lift the curtain or overturn the frame. For outdoor work, confirm that the product suits the wind and weather rather than relying on an indoor mobile screen. Leave walkways and emergency exits clear, with access that does not require people to move the protection aside.

Screening does not remove the fire risk from hot work. Remove or suitably protect combustible materials around the job, including anywhere sparks could travel beyond the screens, and follow the site’s hot-work arrangements.

Grinding Screens and Noise Curtains

Welding screens, grinding barriers and acoustic curtains may look similar, but their ratings describe different capabilities. A welding rating covers the stated welding application without automatically establishing resistance to grinding debris or useful noise reduction. Where a bay serves several processes, include all of them when specifying the barrier.

Grinding screens need to suit the sparks and particles likely to reach them, so check the manufacturer’s stated application and impact capability. Do not rely on a flexible curtain to protect against a shattered grinding wheel unless it is specifically designed for that duty. The machine guards and operator’s eye and face protection are still needed, and a clear grinding screen should not be assumed to filter arc radiation.

Acoustic barriers reduce sound reaching other areas, with performance depending on their construction, size, position and surrounding surfaces. If a product also offers welding protection, confirm both capabilities. Sound may still travel around the barrier or reach people by reflection, so assess the remaining exposure and provide hearing protection where required.

Care and Replacement

Before use, inspect the curtain and its supports for burn holes, tears, cracks, damaged seams and loose or missing fittings. Openings caused by damage can let arc light through, so remove the affected section from service until suitable protection is restored. Ordinary tape or an unapproved patch cannot be assumed to restore the curtain’s protection.

Use the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and storage, including only the cleaning methods it approves. PVC, coated fabrics and canvas can require different treatment, so advice about solvents, washing or folding will not necessarily apply across products. Store curtains away from damaging heat, sharp edges and contamination, and follow any stated service-life or replacement guidance.

If the curtain becomes stiff, brittle or noticeably different in appearance, inspect it more closely. Appearance alone cannot tell you how much radiation it filters, so ask the manufacturer or replace it if its condition or identification leaves performance uncertain. The existing frame can often stay in use, provided its joints, mountings, castors and brakes are sound and the replacement curtain fits correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions