What Is ANSI Z87.1 Safety Glasses? | Impact Ratings Decoded

ANSI Z87.1 is the U.S. safety standard for protective eyewear, and Z87+ on a lens and frame marks high-impact protection.

For the full breakdown, see our best ANSI Z87.1 Safety Sunglasses guide.

Tiny printed marks on a lens and temple tell you everything about a pair of “safety glasses” — the words on the box mean nothing on their own. Understanding what ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses are comes down to one national standard: ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, the U.S. consensus standard for occupational and educational eye protection. The markings that standard requires, Z87 or Z87+, separate compliant eyewear from lookalikes, and they decide whether a pair holds up when a tool, chemical, or airborne particle meets your face.

What Does ANSI Z87.1 Cover?

ANSI Z87.1 covers personal eye and face protection used in work and school settings. The standard applies to spectacles, goggles, face shields, side shields, and related protective eyewear, setting performance and marking requirements every compliant device must meet.

The standard comes from ANSI and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) as a voluntary consensus standard, but its reach goes well beyond the voluntary. OSHA-aligned workplace eye protection guidance commonly points to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 compliance as the benchmark for employee eye and face protection under OSHA jurisdiction, which is why so many job sites require marked eyewear. The core requirements cover lens retention, basic and high impact resistance, marking durability, and optical quality.

Shop for the label and you’re checking the wrong thing. A compliant pair carries permanent manufacturer marks plus the ANSI designation, molded or printed directly on the product.

ANSI Z87.1 Markings: What Each Code Means

Compliant eyewear is permanently and legibly marked with the manufacturer’s mark plus the standard designation. The designation depends on the device type and its rating, and these are the codes you’ll actually see on lenses and frames.