Welding Safety Glasses

IR Shade 1.7–5.0 · ANSI Z87.1+ Impact Rated · Torch, Braze, Solder, Cut · Not Arc Welding

Which welding safety glasses do you need?

Short answer: match the shade to the process. For torch soldering, shade 2; for light brazing, shade 3 — the Pyramex SB7950SF or HexArmor NX1 Weld. For oxyfuel cutting and gas welding, shade 3–5 by thickness (light cutting 3–4, gas welding 4–5) welding glasses — the Bolle Shade 5, Lincoln Starlite IR 5, or Miller Shade 5. If you tack and inspect repeatedly, a flip-up such as the Sellstrom S79101 saves taking them off.

Editor's pick: the 3M flip-up shade 3 — the flip mechanism means the clear lens stays in front of your eyes between passes, so impact protection never comes off with the filter.

Affiliate disclosure: WC Safety is an independent review site. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We do not sell products directly, and no brand paid for placement.

Our methodology: how this collection was curated

We record the shade number exactly as the manufacturer states it and match it to process guidance rather than to marketing language. Where a product is a multi-lens platform, we say that the welding shade is one variant among several rather than letting the collection title imply the default lens is filtered. We are equally explicit about the ceiling: nothing here exceeds shade 5, so arc and plasma work is named as out of range instead of being quietly served by the nearest available number.

Welding Safety Glasses (2026)

Radiant energy from hot work spans ultraviolet, visible and infrared, and a filter lens attenuates all three by an amount expressed as its shade number — higher blocks more. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.133 requires filter lenses with a shade appropriate to the specific operation and publishes a table matching process to shade, while the construction and impact requirements come from ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, published through ANSI. Where a listing carries the Z87.1+ mark, it means that frame and lens passed the high-impact test, which is separate from the filtering job the shade does.

The practical significance of shade 1.7 to 5.0 is that it covers the flame-based end of hot work — torch soldering, brazing, oxyfuel cutting and light gas welding — and stops well short of arc processes. Short exposure to unfiltered arc radiation causes photokeratitis, the painful corneal burn welders call arc eye, and it typically appears hours after the exposure that caused it.

What this collection covers

Sixteen ANSI Z87.1+ products from Pyramex, 3M, Bolle, HexArmor, Sellstrom, Jackson Safety, Hobart, Miller Electric, Lincoln Electric, KleenGuard, MCR Safety and Uvex, in two groups worth telling apart:

• Nine shade-dedicated glasses — the filter is the product: Pyramex SB7950SF and HexArmor NX1 Weld at shade 3; Bolle, Jackson Hellraiser IR 5, Hobart 770726, Miller Electric and Lincoln Starlite IR at shade 5; plus the 3M and Sellstrom flip-ups.
• Seven multi-lens platforms with an IR variant — the shade is an option, not the default: the 3M Solus 2000 offers IR shade 1.7 and 5.0, the Uvex Genesis XC offers welding shade 2.0 and 5.0, and the Bolle Tracker, KleenGuard Nemesis VL and V30, MCR Swagger SR5 and Pyramex Emerge each carry an IR shade among their lens choices.

For arc work see welding helmets; for sealed eye protection against sparks and slag see welding goggles, including the Forney 55301 shade 5. Related: safety glasses, safety goggles, welding gloves, and welding respirators for fume.

Shade number by process

How to choose shade 5 safety glasses without getting it wrong

Can you arc weld in welding glasses?

No. Arc processes call for shade 10 to 14 and the highest lens here is 5, so the filtering is nowhere near sufficient — but the shade number is only half the reason. An arc also throws ultraviolet at the whole face and neck, and spectacles leave both exposed, which is why the standard answer is a helmet rather than a darker pair of glasses. Shaded glasses do have a legitimate place in arc work: worn underneath the helmet, they keep impact protection on your face while the hood is lifted for grinding, chipping or inspection. That is a supporting role, not a substitute.

Did you select the shaded variant?

Worth checking, because seven of the sixteen products here are multi-lens platforms — the Bolle Tracker, 3M Solus 2000, Uvex Genesis XC, both KleenGuard Nemesis models, the MCR Swagger SR5 and the Pyramex Emerge — where clear or smoke is the default lens and the IR shade is one option among several. These platforms carry ANSI Z87.1+ high-impact ratings in their published variants (verify the marking on the specific model — the Hobart 770726 is published as Z87.1 without the plus), but only the IR variant filters radiant energy. Ordering the default and expecting a filter is an easy mistake to make from a grid view.

What about lasers?

A welding shade offers no laser protection at all, and the two should never be substituted. Laser eye protection is governed by ANSI Z136 and specified by optical density at particular wavelengths, so protective eyewear has to be matched to the laser in use rather than to a shade number. We do not carry laser-rated eyewear, and we would rather say so than let a shade 5 lens stand in for it.

Do shade numbers work like sunglasses?

No, and treating them that way is dangerous in both directions. Sunglasses are not rated for infrared or for impact, so they are never welding protection however dark they look. Equally, a shade higher than the task needs is not a free safety margin — it darkens the work to the point where you cannot see the puddle or the joint clearly, and people respond by lifting the lens or leaning in. Pick the shade the process calls for, and pick a flip-up if you need to alternate.

What does the Z87.1+ mark mean?

The plus indicates the product passed the high-impact test in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 — a separate requirement from the filtering the shade number describes. Every product in this collection carries it, which matters because hot work usually arrives with grinding, chipping or slag alongside the radiation. Our Z87.1 explainer and what Z87+ means cover the marking system, and the 2020 revision covers what changed.

Care, fit, and what else the job needs

Filter lenses scratch like any other, and a scratched IR lens scatters light in exactly the way that makes fine work harder, so clean with a proper lens cloth rather than a shop rag and store them in a case rather than a pocket. Replace a lens that is pitted or spark-marked; the damage does not reduce the shade rating, but it does reduce how well you can see, which changes behavior at the bench.

Eye protection is one control among several for hot work. Fume is a separate hazard with its own answer in welding respirators, hands need welding gloves, and where sparks and slag come at the eyes from the side, sealed welding goggles beat spectacles. Further reading: best safety glasses for welders, best welding and cutting goggles, and face shields for welding and grinding.

Welding glasses FAQ

Can I use welding safety glasses for arc welding?

No. Arc processes need shade 10 to 14 and a helmet that also shields the face and neck from ultraviolet. The maximum here is shade 5. Shaded glasses are useful under a helmet for grinding and inspection between passes.

What shade do I need for what job?

Roughly: shade 2 for torch soldering, 3 for brazing, 3 to 4 for light oxyfuel cutting, and 4 to 5 for light gas welding. Plasma cutting needs about shade 8 and arc welding 10 to 14, both above this range.

Are all the glasses in this collection shaded?

Nine are shade-dedicated. Seven are multi-lens platforms where the IR shade is one variant and clear or smoke is the default, so the shaded variant has to be selected deliberately.

Do welding glasses protect against lasers?

No. Laser protection is governed by ANSI Z136 and specified by optical density at particular wavelengths. A welding shade number provides no laser protection, and the two are not interchangeable.

Can I wear sunglasses instead?

No. Sunglasses carry no infrared rating and no impact rating, so darkness alone tells you nothing about protection. Only a rated filter lens with a stated shade number is welding eye protection.

What does the plus in Z87.1+ mean?

It marks that the product passed the high-impact test in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, which is separate from the filtering the shade number provides. Every product here carries it.

Is a higher shade always safer?

No. Too dark makes the work hard to see, and people compensate by lifting the lens or moving closer. Match the shade to the process, and use a flip-up if you need to alternate between filtered and clear vision.

What is arc eye?

Photokeratitis — a corneal burn from ultraviolet exposure, usually painful and typically appearing hours after the exposure that caused it. It is the reason unfiltered viewing of an arc is dangerous even briefly.

Should I choose glasses or goggles?

Goggles seal against the face, so they are better where sparks, slag or grit arrive from the side or below. Torch safety glasses are lighter and cooler for extended work. Both are available in shade 5.

Are flip-up welding glasses worth it?

They are if you alternate between torch work and inspection, because the clear lens stays in front of your eyes when the filter is flipped up — so impact protection never leaves your face along with the shade.

Do you carry prescription welding glasses?

Not as a single lens. Some frames here offer prescription or reader variants and separately offer an IR shade variant, but no product combines both in one lens, and we will not imply otherwise.

Can I use these for plasma cutting?

No. Plasma arc cutting calls for about shade 8, above the shade 5 maximum in this collection. Use a helmet or shield rated for the process.

Why trust WC Safety on welding eye protection?

WC Safety reviews workplace PPE full-time as an independent affiliate site — we do not sell products, hold no inventory, and accept no paid placements. On this page that mostly means marking the edges of what shade 1.7 to 5.0 can do: not arc welding, not plasma cutting, not lasers, and not a substitute for a helmet. We also flag that seven of these sixteen are multi-lens platforms whose default variant is unfiltered, because a grid view hides that. Shade numbers are reported as the manufacturer states them and matched to OSHA's process guidance rather than to marketing copy. Standards referenced are ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, ANSI Z136 and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.133. Reviewed by Steven Eaton, WC Safety editor. Last reviewed: July 2026.