What is 70% tint, and what does LLumar publish for it?
At Brookswood Tint, 70% is the lightest-tinted of three AIR shades, alongside 80 and 90, all of them LLumar’s clear nano-ceramic film. LLumar’s current spec sheet gives figures for the 80 and 90 only, so no heat or glare number for 70% appears here.
What LLumar does say covers the whole AIR line. Its AIR product page calls AIR a nano-ceramic film and says it blocks over 99% of harmful UV. The data sheet (LL0116NAEN, 03/26) then lists the two shades it measured:
| Published AIR shade | Visible light through | Solar energy rejected (TSER) | Infrared energy rejected (IRER) | Glare cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR 80 | 77% | 43% | 60% | 13% |
| AIR 90 | 84% | 30% | 40% | 5% |
Both measured shades let through a little less light than their names, by three and six points. Don’t read that as a forecast for the 70: with no published row, there’s nothing to forecast from. If documented performance matters to you, AIR 80 is the nearest shade with a full set of numbers. The film itself is covered on the LLumar AIR page.
Where does the 70% figure come from?
Not from BC’s film rule. Ontario’s vehicle inspection standard writes 70% down twice, and the same number is commonly cited for factory glass.
Ontario’s MTO Passenger and Light-Duty Vehicle Inspection Standard explains in a note that OEM tinting “does not block more than 30% of light,” which it expresses as “minimum 70% luminous (light) transmittance.” Its side-window item 10d then rejects any vehicle made on or after January 1, 2017 whose windows directly beside the driver let through less than 70%, and item 9g rejects any aftermarket windshield tint on those vehicles.
BC’s Motor Vehicle Act Regulations handle factory glass in s. 7.05(9), which requires tint built into the glass to meet the federal light-transmittance standard. That standard leans on ANSI/SAE Z26.1, a paywalled document, and the 70% figure usually quoted for it is commonly cited rather than printed in BC’s regulation. For aftermarket film, BC uses a different rule entirely, s. 7.05(8), and it contains no percentage at all.
Why isn’t 70% film allowed on BC front doors?
Because BC allows no film at all on the two front side windows, however clear, and 70% film still reduces the light coming through. A full windshield is no different, since film is allowed only in its top 75 mm.
Inspectors work from the 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual: its item 13d turns away film or coating on the driver’s and front passenger’s side glass, and item 12e turns away windshield film reaching further than 75 mm from the top. Neither item names a percentage that would let a light film through.
In BC: The shop will put AIR on front doors or a full windshield on request, once it has explained that the result isn’t road-legal. A tint ticket is typically $109, says Mission RCMP, and a Notice & Order can follow, under which the film must be removed and the car inspected inside 30 days or a $598 fine applies.
For the front glass rule in full, read can you tint front windows in BC; nearby provinces and states are set side by side in the 2026 BC tint law guide.
Where does 70% film earn its place on a BC car?
On glass behind the driver where you want heat and UV control but no change in look or night vision. Three spots stand out.
Over factory privacy glass
Plenty of SUVs, minivans and crew-cab pickups come with darkened glass from the front doors back. LLumar’s AIR page names exactly that glass. A near-clear film keeps the shade you already have and adds the ceramic layer; whether that glass itself is legal in BC is answered at is factory privacy glass legal in BC.
Clear rear glass you reverse through
If you back out of a dark driveway every night, a near-clear film on the rear window changes the inside-mirror view far less than a dark shade would. BC’s mirror rule for back-glass film still applies: both outside mirrors must be fitted, as item 14c checks.
Rear doors with passengers who sit in the sun
Children in car seats and passengers on long drives get the UV protection of AIR without a dark cabin. Darker shades block no more UV; LLumar rates its films above 99% across the range.
How does 70% compare with the darker shades on the menu?
It’s lighter than any dyed or IRX shade the shop sells, by a wide margin. The lightest of those, the two 50s, measure 60% and 54% visible light; every AIR shade, including 70%, is sold as near-clear.
| Shade the shop sells | Film | Visible light through, measured |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | ATC 50 / IRX 50 | 60% / 54% |
| 70% | AIR | Not published |
| 80% | AIR 80 | 77% |
| 90% | AIR 90 | 84% |
Between 50% and 70% the jump is from a visible tint to a near-clear film, and between ATC and AIR it’s from dyed to ceramic. If you’re weighing the 50s against AIR, the 50% window tint page has their full rows, and clear heat-rejecting film explains the AIR line as a whole.
How is 70% tint priced and booked?
AIR is quoted per package as an upgrade on the posted rear-glass prices, which are in dyed ATC: from $220 for a sports coupe’s three windows, $240 for a sedan’s or pickup’s five and $260 for a full-size SUV’s or wagon’s seven. The shop sends both figures so you can see the difference.
Most cars are ready to drive home on the day. Keep the filmed windows closed for 3 to 5 days; a faint haze in week one fades as the film dries. AIR carries LLumar’s lifetime limited warranty and the shop’s lifetime cover on workmanship. Send your car and the windows you have in mind through the 70% tint quote form, or text 604 534 6433. A full windshield is a separate job with its own legal catch, set out on windshield tint.
