Written and reviewed by SafetyGearPro’s team and our U.S. optical lab. Last updated June 2026.

ANSI Z87.1 is the U.S. standard that proves a pair of glasses was tested to stop impact, dust, splash, and radiation, not just built to look the part. If you don’t see a Z87 mark, it is not an OSHA-compliant pair of safety glasses, no matter how rugged the frame looks. This guide explains every marking stamped on a compliant pair of safety glasses, the difference between Z87 and Z87+, and points you to the right rating for the specific hazards in your work environment. Do you have a prescription? Read this first, then jump to our guide to ANSI prescription safety glasses.

What is ANSI Z87.1?

ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 is the American National Standards Institute’s standard for occupational eye and face protection, developed in conjunction with the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA). It sets the lab tests eyewear has to pass: high-mass and high-velocity impact, lens retention, optical clarity, and separate exposure tests for dust, splash, and radiation. The current edition is ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2025, published in January 2026; it replaced the 2020 edition. A pair that passes carries the Z87 mark, and OSHA uses this standard as its benchmark for workplace eye protection (note: OSHA’s regulation currently incorporates earlier editions, Z87.1-2010 and prior, even though 2025 is the latest).

Z87 vs. Z87+: the mark that matters most

Z87 means the eyewear passed the basic impact test. Z87+ means it also passed the high-velocity test, where a quarter-inch steel ball is fired at the lens. Any work that throws particles, such as grinding, machining, masonry, woodworking, or hammering, calls for Z87+. The “+” is the first thing to look for on a jobsite. SafetyGearPro lists the exact rating on every product page, and most of the frames we carry are Z87+ rated.

Reading the markings on your safety glasses

Every compliant pair is stamped with letters and numbers on the frame and lens, and each one tells you a specific test it passed. Here’s the key:

A lens marked Z87+ D3, for example, passed high-velocity impact and the splash test, the combination you want for pressure-washing or chemical work. Our clear safety glasses and anti-fog safety glasses pages list these markings per product.

How to tell if safety glasses are genuinely ANSI-rated

On a real ANSI-rated pair, both the manufacturer mark and the Z87 (or Z87+) mark appear on the frame and the lens. If either is missing, the eyewear is not certified. Check the temple arm for the maker’s mark followed by Z87/Z87+, then check the lens for a matching mark. A “Z87 look-alike” sold with no manufacturer mark has never been verified to meet the standard, no matter how tough it feels in the hand. SafetyGearPro states the certification each product carries right on its page, so you can confirm the rating before you buy. If it isn’t marked, it is not safety-rated.

ANSI vs. MIL-PRF (ballistic): when Z87+ isn’t enough

Z87+ is the workplace high-impact standard; MIL-PRF-32432 is the military ballistic standard, which fires a heavier projectile at higher velocity. They aren’t substitutes for each other. A Z87+ lens handles jobsite debris but isn’t certified ballistic, and a ballistic lens (Wiley X, Oakley SI) usually meets Z87+ in addition to MIL-PRF. If you shoot, ride, or work around fragmentation, look for the MIL-PRF mark alongside Z87+.

Does OSHA require ANSI-rated safety glasses? And who pays?

OSHA requires employers to provide eye protection meeting ANSI Z87.1 wherever there’s a real risk of eye injury (29 CFR 1910.133), and a separate rule (29 CFR 1910.132(h)) requires the employer to pay for most required PPE, including safety eyewear. The exception is non-specialty prescription safety eyewear that the employer lets workers take home (refer to 29 CFR section 1910.132(h)(2). Reimbursement requirements vary in that scenario, so check your company’s safety program. For teams, SafetyGearPro has a corporate safety program with bulk discounts and convenient Net-30 billing.

Lens materials, compared

Polycarbonate is the default safety lens because it’s impact-resistant by nature and blocks essentially all UV; Trivex matches polycarbonate’s impact protection, but is lighter and provides better clarity; high-index is for strong prescriptions, not for impact. For most jobs:

• Polycarbonate — the standard for Z87+: tough, light, and it blocks essentially all UV on its own. The right call for most work. (Inherent UV-blocking isn’t the same as a rated U filter — that takes the U mark.)
• Trivex — comparable impact, a touch crisper optically, very light. A premium pick.
• High-index (1.67 / 1.74) — thins down a strong prescription; chosen for the prescription, not the impact rating (the prescription guide covers how this works in safety lenses).
• Glass — rarely the right call for safety eyewear: heavy, and it can shatter.

For more information about prescription lens choices, see the ANSI prescription safety glasses guide.

Lens coatings, compared

Coatings are a separate choice from the lens material, and the right ones depend on your environment. A coating can be the difference between glasses you keep on and glasses you push up onto your forehead. The common ones:

• Anti-fog — the one most workers wish they had. It keeps lenses clear when you move between temperatures, sweat, or wear a mask or respirator. Worth adding if you fog up regularly; see our anti-fog safety glasses.
• Anti-scratch (hardcoat) — a hardened surface that resists everyday scuffs. It does not make a lens scratch-proof, but it adds real life on a dusty jobsite.
• Anti-reflective (AR) — cuts reflections off the front and back of the lens; easier on the eyes for screen work and night driving.
• UV — blocks UVA and UVB. Polycarbonate blocks essentially all UV on its own, so this matters most on other materials or tinted outdoor lenses.
• Mirror and tint — cut brightness and glare for outdoor work; gray keeps colors true, brown lifts contrast.
• Photochromic — darkens in sunlight and clears indoors (the V mark), so one pair covers in-and-out work.
• Polarized — kills glare off water, snow, and flat surfaces; the best choice for driving and waterside work, in a Z87+ frame.
• Blue-light filter — filters some of the blue light from screens, for shop or office work in front of a monitor.

Most coatings can be combined; anti-fog plus anti-scratch is the workhorse pairing for the trades.

Features that decide whether you’ll wear them

Past the rating, fit and coverage are what decide whether a pair stays on your face all shift. Look for a wrap or close-fit frame that blocks particles from the side, or one with built-in side shields. A frame that pinches or slips ends up on your forehead, and glasses that are off protect nothing, so size it to your face. For dusty or over-the-glasses needs, we carry foam-padded and fit-over styles. For coatings such as anti-fog and tint, see the lens coatings section above.

Choosing by job and hazard

Match the mark to the hazard: impact takes Z87+, chemical or splash adds D3, heavy dust adds D4/D5, welding takes the W/U/R/L filter marks, and bright outdoor work takes a tint or polarized lens that’s still Z87+. A quick guide:

Working a specific trade? Each guide below goes deep on the hazards, the ratings that match them, and the frames that hold up on the job:

• Construction — impact, dust and jobsite Z87+.
• Manufacturing — machining, grinding and plant-floor Rx.
• Healthcare — splash, bloodborne pathogens and clinical Rx.
• Oil & gas — H2S, offshore glare and cold-weather fog.
• Mining — MSHA, underground fog and surface glare.
• Laboratory — chemical splash, D3 goggles and cleanrooms.
• Food processing — washdown, sanitizers and cold-room fog.
• Agriculture — UV, dust/chaff and EPA pesticide rules.
• Electrical — non-conductive frames and NFPA 70E arc flash.
• Automotive — brake dust, battery acid and grinding sparks.
• Welding — filter shades and Rx under the helmet.
• Tactical & shooting — ballistic platforms and Z87+ Rx inserts.

Caring for your safety glasses

Rinse the grit off before you wipe the lenses, clean them with a microfiber cloth and lens spray, store them in a case, and replace lenses once they’re badly scratched. A deep scratch can fail at the point of impact, and it interferes with your vision. Skip the shirttail and paper towels; they grind grit across the lens. Keep them off a hot dashboard, since heat warps frames and degrades coatings, and keep solvents and window cleaner away from coated lenses. A polycarbonate safety lens holds its rating for years with that basic care. Replace it the moment you see a crack, pitting, or a damaged frame.

Frequently asked questions