Window Tint Guide: Compare
Window Tint Percentages Compared: 5%, 20%, 35%, 50%, 70%
Tint is sold by percentage, and the numbers run backward from what most people expect. The percentage is how much visible light gets through, so 5% is nearly black and 70% is nearly clear. Every shade in between is a trade between privacy and looks on one side and night visibility and legality on the other.
This guide walks through the five shades people ask about most, what each looks like from inside and out, how each combines with factory glass, and where each one can legally go on a car, truck or SUV in South Carolina.
The short answer
Tint percentage is visible light transmission: 5% lets 5% of light through and looks nearly black, 20% is very dark, 35% is a medium charcoal, 50% is light, and 70% is nearly clear. South Carolina measures film and factory glass together and requires at least 27% on most side and rear windows, so 5% and 20% are out there, 35% is borderline, and 50% and 70% are comfortably compliant.
Key points
- The tint number is how much visible light passes through the film, so a lower number means a darker window.
- Film stacks on top of factory glass, so the combined number is always darker than the film alone.
- Under South Carolina's 27% combined rule, 35% film on ordinary glass lands right around the line and must be checked.
- Windows behind the driver on multipurpose passenger vehicles, such as most SUVs and many vans, are exempt from the light limit; pickups are not.
- Darker shades cut more glare but make it harder to see at night, especially for older drivers.
The basics
What the Percentage Actually Measures
The percentage on a tint box or quote is visible light transmission, or VLT. South Carolina's statute defines light transmission as the ratio of the total visible light that passes through a product to the total light falling on it. A 35% film passes about 35% of visible light and blocks the rest.
The International Window Film Association puts the extremes plainly: a 70 percent film is nearly clear to the naked eye, while a 15 percent film appears nearly black from the outside and makes it difficult to see through the glass. Everything else sits between those two points.
One more wrinkle: the shade in a product's name is a nominal label, not a lab reading. LLumar's published data shows this. Its CTX 15 measures 20% VLT, its CTX 35 measures 37% and its IRX 05 measures 6%, all on clear glass. Always ask what a film actually measures.
The math
Why Film on Factory Glass Is Darker Than the Label
Car glass is not perfectly clear. Even untinted factory glass blocks some light, and factory privacy glass blocks a lot. When you add film, the two multiply. If your glass passes 80% of light and you add a 35% film, about 35% of that 80% gets through, which is 28% combined. If the glass passes 75%, the same film gives about 26%.
South Carolina's law is written around that combined number. On the side and rear windows it says the combined light transmission of the film with the factory glass must not be less than twenty-seven percent. That is why a shop has to measure your glass before choosing a film, and why the same film can be legal on one car and not on another.
The 80% and 75% figures are examples for the arithmetic, not measurements of any particular vehicle.
Shade by shade
The Five Shades, One at a Time
- 5% (limo)Nearly black
- Maximum privacy; from outside you see almost nothing. From inside it is dark in daylight and very hard to see through at night. Never compliant on South Carolina's regulated windows, because combined transmission would be well under 27%. Only possible behind the driver on vehicles exempt from the light limit, or under the statute's medical affidavit exemption.
- 20%Very dark
- Strong privacy and glare control; a popular look on SUV rear glass. Combined with factory glass it falls below 27%, so it is not compliant on the front side windows of any vehicle or on the side and rear glass of sedans, coupes and pickups.
- 35%Medium charcoal
- The classic tinted look with good daytime privacy and reasonable night visibility. On ordinary factory glass it lands right around the 27% combined line, so whether it complies depends on your specific glass. This is the shade that most needs measuring first. The 27% rule with examples
- 50%Light
- A subtle tint that still cuts glare and, with a ceramic film, a fair amount of heat. Comfortably above 27% combined on typical clear factory glass, and easy to see through at night.
- 70%Nearly clear
- Barely visible from outside. Chosen for UV and heat control without changing the look, often in a ceramic or clear construction. Comfortably compliant on side and rear windows; the windshield is a separate rule. Clear heat-rejecting film
SC law
Which Windows Each Shade Can Go On
Under S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5015, the side windows next to the driver, the side windows behind the driver and the rear-most window must all keep at least 27% combined light transmission, and any film must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber. If you put film on the rear-most window, the vehicle must have both a left and right outside mirror.
Subsection (I) changes the picture for some vehicles. The light transmittance requirement applies to windows behind the driver on pickup trucks, but not to windows behind the driver on other trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes, multipurpose passenger vehicles and recreational vehicles. The statute defines a multipurpose passenger vehicle as one designed to carry ten people or fewer and built on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road use, which covers most SUVs and many vans.
The windshield follows its own rule: film only along the top, not below the AS-1 line, and none at all if the line is not visible. Every tinted window, on every vehicle, needs a certificate of compliance sticker in its lower right corner.
Comfort
What Darker Shades Do for Heat and Glare
Darker film blocks more visible light, so it cuts more glare and some more heat. LLumar's published data for its CTX ceramic line shows glare reduction rising from 37% at the 50 shade to 94% at the 05 shade, and total solar energy rejection rising from 43% to 58% across the same range.
Notice what that means for heat: the jump from a light ceramic to a limo ceramic adds about 15 points of solar rejection, while switching construction at the same shade can add as much. In LLumar's data, CTX 50 rejects more total solar energy than its color-stable dyed ATC 20, even though the ceramic film is far lighter. If heat is your goal, film type often matters more than going darker.
Night
What Darker Shades Cost You at Night
The trade-off for darkness is visibility when the light is low. A Virginia Transportation Research Council report found that tinting reduces the ability to detect targets that would already be hard to see through clear glass, that the adverse effects become increasingly pronounced as transmittance goes below 70%, and that they are strongest for older drivers and people who wear glasses, with problems more likely at night.
A laboratory study on backing found detection of a child and of road debris through the rear window dropped as transmittance fell, and that backing safety was compromised for all drivers at the darkest levels studied. If you back out of a dark driveway or drive rural Upstate roads at night, give that real weight when choosing a shade for the rear glass, even where the law would allow darker.
| Film shade | Look | Example combined on 80% glass | SC regulated windows | MPV windows behind driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | Nearly black | About 4% | Not compliant | No light limit |
| 20% | Very dark | About 16% | Not compliant | No light limit |
| 35% | Medium | About 28% | Borderline; measure first | No light limit |
| 50% | Light | About 40% | Compliant | No light limit |
| 70% | Nearly clear | About 56% | Compliant | No light limit |
Regulated windows: front side windows on every vehicle, plus side and rear windows behind the driver on cars and pickups. All film must be nonreflective, not red, yellow or amber, and carry a compliance sticker. Example glass value is for the math only.
Not Sure Which Shade Is Legal on Your Car?
We check the legal shade for your vehicle before installing, because factory glass already reduces light. Choose LLumar Carbon or LLumar Ceramic and we'll match the shade to the law.
Common questions
Does 35% tint pass the South Carolina limit?
It depends on your glass. South Carolina measures film and factory glass together and requires at least 27% on regulated windows. A 35% film on glass that passes about 80% of light gives roughly 28%, just over the line; on slightly darker glass it falls under. Have the combined transmission checked before installing.
Is 20% tint legal on an SUV in South Carolina?
On the front side windows, no, because combined transmission must stay at or above 27%. Behind the driver, the light transmittance requirement does not apply to multipurpose passenger vehicles, a category that includes most SUVs. The film still has to be nonreflective, not red, yellow or amber, and carry a compliance sticker.
What tint percentage looks good but stays legal?
For regulated windows, a light to medium shade that keeps combined transmission at 27% or more. Many owners choose a shade that visually matches factory rear privacy glass as closely as the law allows on the front windows. A ceramic film lets you choose a lighter shade without giving up as much heat rejection.
Can I see out of 5% tint at night?
With difficulty. Research on tint and visibility finds effects grow as transmittance drops below 70%, especially at night and for older drivers. At 5% the view out is very limited in low light, which matters most on the rear glass when backing up. In South Carolina 5% is only possible on windows exempt from the light limit.
Keep reading
Sources
- S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5015, South Carolina Legislature (https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c005.php), accessed October 2026
- Automotive Window Film, International Window Film Association (https://iwfa.com/automotive/), accessed October 2026
- LLumar Window Film Performance Data (LL0116NAEN), Eastman Performance Films (https://llumar.com/content/dam/eastman/performance-films/llumar/documents/LL0116NAEN_AutoSpecs_screen.pdf), accessed October 2026
- The Effects of Motor Vehicle Window Tinting on Traffic Safety and Enforcement (VTRC 94-R14), Virginia Transportation Research Council via National Transportation Library (https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/19355), accessed October 2026
- Effects of Reduced Transmittance Film on Automobile Rear Window Visibility, TRID, Transportation Research Board (https://trid.trb.org/View/383453), accessed October 2026
Prices on this page are The Auto Show’s published starting prices. Film ratings and warranty terms come from the manufacturer. This guide explains South Carolina law in plain words; it is not legal advice.