Shade Sail Education

At Tenshon we strive to be on the cutting edge of the shade fabric, shade sail and shade canopy industry. The key to remaining the best is education and application. We are constantly learning and adapting our practices to fit the latest trends, products and manufacturing techniques to ensure that our clients continue to receive the best products possible. We have dedicated this portion of our website to documenting the things that we have learned over the years in the industry. This is done to ensure that all have the ability to learn as much about the shade fabric, shade sail and shade canopy industry that they desire, before they decide to purchase.

Shade Sail History

Since history has been recorded there have been examples of shade sails being used to shade people from the harmful effects of the sun. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans have all recorded using large fabric sails to provide shade. Roman sailors enacted an ingenious plan to shade the Colosseum in Rome. Using their knowledge of boat sails, they shaded 50,000 people by pulling large canvas sails taught, high in the air, above the Colosseum’s occupants. The Byzantine Greeks were known to use surplus sails for shade in the battlefield, during their battles with western crusaders in the 12th century.

The limited materials and lack of durability, made wide spread application of shade sails minimal. For many years, shade canopies like circus tents, where made of canvas and other like materials. Until recent years it is has been difficult to truly construct durable shade sails on land utilizing the materials used in boating industry. In the early 1990’s more durable and useful materials where developed and utilized in just such a manner. These high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shade fabrics enabled greater flexibility with design, increased sun protection, and unsurpassed durability.

Though more efficient materials have now been present for nearly 20 years, there has been some confusion as to what these shade structures should be called. You will likely note that we refer to them as both shade sails and shade canopies on this site. The correct term is shade sail(s), paying homage to the product’s historical roots of boat sails. While in recent years search engines have seen a dramatic increase in the usage of the term shade sails, rather than shade canopies, the use of the term shade canopy in online searches still outranks the use of the term shade sails by nearly 2 to 1. The widespread usage and labeling of these products as shade sails, in Australia and South Africa over the past two decades has done much to segment and define this industry. Today, the shade sail industry is growing rapidly in the United States, especially in the southwest, bringing better clarification and identity to the shade sail product.

Shade Fabric

HDPE shade fabric has been used in the manufacturing of shade sails for about 20 years now. Originally, shade fabric suffered from UV degradation. Simply put, the fabric would fade and weaken in the sun over time. UV inhibitors are now added to all good shade cloth giving it a 10 year warranty againts degradation. HDPE shade fabric is no different. While the fabric comes in a variety of colors, as noted on the shade fabric page of our website, this additive keeps the fabric bright and durable for years to come.

Because HDPE shade fabric is a knitted fabric, inherent stretch must be taken into account in the design and patterning of the final shade sail product. There are some shade fabrics made of canvas variations and still others of PVC and/or vinyl, a more expensive alternative, but these products do not allow for the same stretch and movement of HDPE. Furthermore, they are typically water tight and do not allow for the natural movement of air. Accordingly, the lower cost of HDPE has proven a prime choice for a shade cloth that blocks out the majority of the sun’s harmful rays, while still retaining excellent breathability.

Shade Sails

When we refer to shade sails we most specifically are referring to the membrane or fabric portion of the structure. As a manufacturer of shade sails, this is often the only part of the project of which we are a part. The shade sail design allows for attachment to a wide variety of setting. For example, in a shade structure the shade sail will be attached to steel or wood poles that are set in concrete footings. Others take a more “do-it-yourself” approach and attach to a house, tree or other structures. We have even had clients take a mix of the two approaches and set a pole in a bucket, poor concrete in the bucket and create a temporary above ground attachment point.

Shade Canopy

The shade industry was built around the shade canopy which are often referred to as shade canopy. When the term shade sail is mentioned, most people stare blankly in response until you describe the shade hip structure applications. Shade hip structures are designed to work efficiently for scalable needs. These canopy structures are the preferred solution for car dealerships, schools, municipalities, government transportation, and “big box” retailers. Our shade canopy structures are fabricated using the same high-quality materials as are our shade sails, shade umbrellas, shade sail structures, and custom shade structures. The most common example of a shade hip structure is exhibited in playground shade solutions in parks and over playground equipment.

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