UV 5.5, Type I — 24.2 min
Index 5.5 is 0.1375 W/m², and this skin takes 200 J/m² to redden. Divide, and you have 24.2 minutes.
Type I — always burns, never tans
With sunscreen on
SPF 30 means thirty times longer before the skin reddens. That number comes from a lab applying 2 mg per square centimetre evenly, and most people put on less than half of that. The times below are therefore generous — reapplying every couple of hours matters more than the number on the bottle.
- SPF 15363.6 min
- SPF 30727.3 min
- SPF 501212.1 min
- UV index
- 5.5
- Forecast band
- moderate
- Strength on the skin
- 0.1375 W/m²
- Dose that reddens
- 200 J/m²
- Time until it reddens
- 24.2 min
- To last two hours
- SPF 5
- The shadow rule
- Your shadow is longer than you
Nearby cells
Same index, other skin types
Same skin, other index values
How to read this
- The time is the reddening dose divided by the strength the index stands for. Double the index, half the time.
- Sunscreen times are laboratory figures. Real coverage is thinner, so the real time is shorter.
- Snow, water and altitude add ultraviolet. None of that is in this table.
- Redness shows up about eight hours later — by then the exposure has already happened.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How long can I stay out at UV 5.5?
About 24.2 minutes before the skin starts to redden. It shows up some eight hours later, by which time the exposure is done.
Q. How much does sunscreen add?
SPF 15 gives 363.6 minutes, SPF 30 gives 727.3, SPF 50 gives 1212.1. These are lab figures; real life is shorter.
Q. What should I wear for two hours outside?
SPF 5 or higher works on paper. Reapplying every couple of hours matters more.
Q. How strong is this index?
On the forecast scale it counts as moderate.