Why is Wearing Black Warmer Than Wearing White?

The dynamics of clothing color and heat depend on a number of factors, such as how loose or tight the clothing is and how well the fabric itself holds or releases heat. Wearing black may or may not be warmer than wearing white.

Expert Insight

• Scientist Robert Wilson explains that light energy, which contains the spectrum of colors, is reflected by a white surface and absorbed by a black surface. The energy a black surface absorbs manifests as heat, so a black surface will get warm.

Misconceptions

• J.R. Breckenridge and R.L. Pratt of the Defense Technical Information Center conducted a test of how well black, white and khaki military uniforms absorbed solar heat. They concluded that black uniforms absorbed only 17 percent more heat than white ones, and khaki absorbed only 7 percent more heat than white uniforms. They surmised that folds in the fabric of all colors kept heat loss down.

Traditional Clothing

• A presentation from the Illinois State University Physics Department describes the phenomenon that allows the loose black robes worn by Bedouin tribesmen to stay as cool as possible in the desert. The black robes absorb heat and become much warmer than the tribesman's body temperature. Heat rises, drawing body heat off with it and sending it out the top of the robes while pulling cooler air in through the bottom. Accordingly, black robes are more efficient at helping them stay cool.

Warm White Polar Bears

• Underneath his fur, the polar bear's skin is black. side view of the head of a polar bear image by David Smith from Fotolia.com

  Polar bears stay warm in the frigid Arctic winds because their thick, fluffy white fur is good at reflecting solar heat back to their black skin, which absorbs heat efficiently.