How long can skin type IV tan without burning?
Fitzpatrick type IV (burns rarely, tans easily) reaches the first redness after about 33 min at UV 8 and 53 min at UV 5, with no sunscreen. Its safe ceiling is UV 6.7 — above that, there is no unprotected midday window.
Olive or light brown skin, dark hair, dark eyes.
Today in Columbus
UV 0 right now (low) · peak UV 8.6 at 14:00 · skin type IV window 11:07–12:20 and 15:21–17:49
- 14:00 Peak UV hour
- 31 min Time to redness at peak, type IV
- 11:07–12:20 First of 2 windows
- 11:20–17:13 Protection recommended (UV 3+, WHO)
Type IV at every UV level
| UV index | No SPF | SPF 15 | SPF 30 | SPF 50 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV 1 | 4 h 27 | over 24 h | over 24 h | over 24 h | Low |
| UV 2 | 2 h 13 | over 24 h | over 24 h | over 24 h | Low |
| UV 3 | 89 min | 22 h 13 | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 4 | 67 min | 16 h 40 | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 5 | 53 min | 13 h 20 | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 6 | 44 min | 11 h 07 | 22 h 13 | over 24 h | High |
| UV 7 | 38 min | 9 h 31 | 19 h 03 | over 24 h | High |
| UV 8 | 33 min | 8 h 20 | 16 h 40 | over 24 h | Very high |
| UV 9 | 30 min | 7 h 24 | 14 h 49 | over 24 h | Very high |
| UV 10 | 27 min | 6 h 40 | 13 h 20 | 22 h 13 | Very high |
| UV 11 | 24 min | 6 h 04 | 12 h 07 | 20 h 12 | Extreme |
Rows up to UV 6.7 are the levels where type IV keeps at least 40 minutes before the first redness. How this is calculated.
What type IV actually means
At 400 J/m², type IV has double the tolerance of type I and a limit of UV 6.7. On a British summer day the window is continuous from morning to evening. At UV 8 and above it splits, like everyone else’s.
How to recognise it: Type IV rarely burns and browns quickly and evenly. Common around the Mediterranean, the Middle East and parts of Latin America.
What to do: The useful number for type IV is not the burn time, it is the ceiling: UV 6.7. Below it, plan nothing. Above it, plan the midday.
Where type IV sits among the six
- Type I — limit UV 3.3 17 min at UV 8 · MED 200 J/m²
- Type II — limit UV 4.2 21 min at UV 8 · MED 250 J/m²
- Type III — limit UV 5 25 min at UV 8 · MED 300 J/m²
- Type IV — limit UV 6.7 33 min at UV 8 · MED 400 J/m²
- Type V — limit UV 8.3 42 min at UV 8 · MED 500 J/m²
- Type VI — limit UV 10 50 min at UV 8 · MED 600 J/m²
Where the sun is strongest right now
- Brighton — UV 6.5High · United Kingdom · peak at 13:00 · type II window 10:00–10:22
- Bristol — UV 6.3High · United Kingdom · peak at 13:00 · type II window 11:17–12:12
- Cardiff — UV 5.8High · United Kingdom · peak at 13:00 · type II window 11:17–12:18
Skin type IV — the questions people actually ask
How long can skin type IV stay in the sun?
It depends entirely on the UV index, not on the temperature or the season. Type IV has a minimal erythemal dose of 400 J/m², which gives about 89 min at UV 3, 53 min at UV 5, 33 min at UV 8 and 24 min at UV 11, with no sunscreen and a clear sky.
What UV index is safe for skin type IV?
Up to UV 6.7. That is the level at which type IV still has 40 minutes before the first redness — the threshold UV Hour uses everywhere. UV 6.7 sits in the high band, so on days above that, type IV gets a morning window and an afternoon window instead of one continuous one.
Am I skin type IV?
Olive or light brown skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Burns rarely, tans easily. Type IV rarely burns and browns quickly and evenly. Common around the Mediterranean, the Middle East and parts of Latin America.
How much does SPF 30 change things for type IV?
At UV 8 it takes type IV from about 33 min to about 16 h 40 in laboratory conditions. In practice the two-hour reapplication rule arrives first, so treat SPF 30 as removing the burn deadline rather than extending it to a specific new time.