Quick answer
Onyx Ceramic+ 50% is a light nano-ceramic window film that rejects 95% of infrared heat and 54% of total solar energy while passing about half the visible light. It installs like any ceramic film but shows contamination more, so prep and slip solution matter more than on a 5% shade.
The 50% shade is the film for the customer who says "I want the heat gone but I do not want it dark." This clip is a full Ceramic+ 50% install, and it is a good look at how a light shade behaves on the glass compared with the 5% and 20% most shops install every day.
Key takeaways
- Ceramic+ 50% rejects 95% of IR (900 to 1000 nm) and 54% of total solar energy at 49% VLT.
- Light shades hide nothing: full gasket and glass prep, more slip solution, wrapped card finish.
- Front doors top-load, back glass dry-shrinks, quarters shrink on the outside.
- Four rolls cover most customers: Ceramic+ 50 and 70 plus Carbon 5 and 20.
What the customer is buying
Onyx Ceramic+ at 50% VLT rejects 95% of infrared heat (900 to 1000 nm), 97% across the full 780 to 2500 nm band, and 54% of total solar energy while letting half the visible light through. It is barely visible on the car and it changes the cabin temperature. That combination is the easiest premium upsell in the shop: nothing to argue about on looks, everything to feel on the first hot afternoon.
How 50% compares across the three lines
The same 50% shade behaves very differently by construction. Onyx Carbon 50% rejects 36% of IR and 30% of total solar energy: a look film with everyday heat rejection at $265 a roll. Onyx Ceramic 50% steps up to 52% IR and 41% TSER at $410. Ceramic+ 50% reaches 95% IR and 54% TSER at $700. The customer who wants a light look and real heat rejection is a Ceramic+ customer; the spec sheet makes the sale.
Handling a light film
Light shades show every speck, because there is no darkness to hide behind. Cleaning has to be complete: gaskets, felts, the top edge of the glass. Use more slip solution than you would on a 5%, and finish with a wrapped card so the film surface is not scuffed. The gasket routine is in cleaning contamination in gaskets and the reason it matters twice on ceramic is in prepping a door panel.
The install
- Prep every door: drop the glass, clean the edges, felts and both faces, towel the door card.
- Lay-test each pattern on the outside of the glass and shrink only what lifts.
- Dry-shrink the back glass on the outside and let it cool before trimming.
- Top-load the front and rear doors, leading with the top edge.
- Install the back glass in one piece, anchoring the centre and working out.
- Shrink and fit the quarter glass last.
- Finish every edge with a hard card and a final dry pass, then clean with an ammonia-free cleaner.
The door method is covered in the top-loading method and the rear glass in dry-shrinking a back glass. Ceramic+ holds heat, so the gun stays moving.
Where 50% is legal on the front
Front side window limits vary by state. California requires 70% VLT on front doors, so 50% is a rear-window shade there and 70% Ceramic+ goes on the fronts. Texas allows 25% on front doors, Arizona 33%, Nevada 35%, Florida 28%, so 50% Ceramic+ is a legal front-door film in most of the country. Check your state before quoting, and keep a 70% roll for the customers who need it.
Stocking it
Ceramic+ is stocked in 5, 20, 35, 50 and 70% in 40" rolls at a single posted price of $700, with 60" available from California. Shops that carry 50% and 70% Ceramic+ next to a 5% and 20% Carbon cover the full range of customers with four rolls. Every roll is ID-tracked to the order it ships on; the warehouse side of that is in inside the Onyx warehouse.
Films mentioned in this post
Onyx Ceramic+ 50%
95% IR · 54% TSER · 99%+ UV
95% IR, 54% TSER, barely visible. The film in this clip.
From $700 Shop →
Onyx Ceramic+ 70%
93% IR · 49% TSER · 99%+ UV
The front-door shade for California and full windshields.
From $700 Shop →
Onyx Carbon 20%
57% IR · 46% TSER · 99%+ UV
The volume rear-door roll to pair it with. $265.
From $265 Shop →
Questions shops ask
Will 50% Ceramic+ pass a front-window law?
In California front side windows need 70% VLT, so 50% is a rear-window shade there. Check your state; several allow darker fronts.
Is the heat rejection really that high at 50%?
Yes. Ceramic rejects infrared in the ceramic layer, not in the dye, so the light shades keep most of the performance. The full manufacturer sheet is on every shade card in our shop.
How does it price?
Ceramic+ starts at $700 a 40" roll. Posted wholesale, no account needed.
Does Ceramic+ interfere with signals?
No. It is fully non-metallic, so GPS, 5G, toll tags and key fobs work normally after install.
Onyx Distribution supplies wholesale window film to professional tint shops across the United States from warehouses in Lodi, California and Jarrell, Texas. Pickup in Lodi Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Questions: support@onyxautomobilia.com.