Unrivaled Guide: What is Faraday Fabric or RF Blocking Material & How to Use it for EMF Protection

Technology is all around us. Sure, this is a good thing — can we even imagine life without our smartphones, laptops and tablets?

But these same devices that we’re glued to day in and out, also produce electromagnetic frequencies (EMF), which is a major concern today.

EMF radiation is all around us and includes EMF frequencies emitted from cell phones, laptops, wireless routers, smart TVs, cell towers, power lines, 5G towers, smart meters, dirty electricity and more.

Some people are sensitive to this invisible radiation, and actually experience very real physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, burning sensations, nausea and anxiety — also known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

If you’re one of these people, it makes sense to take immediate measures to limit this radiation.

But, even if you’re not, there’s every reason to do what you can to block out more radiation than is necessary in your life, and RF blocking fabric or faraday fabric can help you do just that.

In this post, we’ll cover what is faraday fabric, does it work, and how to use faraday fabric or RF blocking material for EMF protection.

Table of Contents

• What is Faraday Fabric?
• How Faraday Fabric Works
• Why Use RF Blocking Material
• How to Use Faraday Fabric
• WiFi Radiation Protection
• Smartphone and 5G Network Protection
• Laptop Radiation Protection
• EMP Protection
• Smart Meter Radiation Protection
• Hacking and Data Theft Protection
• Keyless Car Theft Protection
• Testing RF Fabric Using an EMF Meter
• Safety Measures
• Where to Buy Faraday Fabric
• Faraday Fabric FAQs
• Key Takeaways

What is Faraday Fabric?

Faraday fabric, also known as EMF shielding fabric or RF shielding fabric is a flexible fabric made out of an interwoven conductive metallic thread.

It is constructed of cotton or polyester material that is infused with thin strands of copper, silver or nickel creating a powerful mesh that "attenuates," or reduces the intensity of radiation emitted from devices such as the mobile phone in your pocket, the WiFi router in your home office, and the smart meter outside your bedroom window.

The function of faraday fabric is to block electrical charges or electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) radiation from entering or escaping whatever is enclosed within it.

Used by law enforcement agencies and the military to block signals from Wi-Fi routers, cellular phones, Bluetooth connections, GPS, RFID, and more, this highly-effective EMF blocking fabric helps protect against data theft and enhances digital privacy.

Today, with the sheer number of devices emitting EMF radiation, faraday material has found another critical application — blocking harmful radiation from your wireless gadgets and helping to lower your EMF exposure.

How Faraday Fabric Works

To understand how faraday fabric blocks radiation, we need to take a look at how a Faraday cage works.

Named after Michael Faraday, who invented the electronic isolation chamber in 1836, a faraday cage is a metallic container made from a conducting shielding material such as metallic plates or a metallic wire mesh that shields whatever is in it from external electromagnetic fields.

The way faraday cage material works is that the electric fields or radiation are distributed around the cage’s exterior, cancelling out charges and the field’s effects on the cage’s interior. So, the cage acts as a protective shield, blocking charges on the surface, and preventing them from entering the interior.

But, that’s not all.

The same way a faraday cage prevents outside radiation from penetrating inside the cage, it can also do the exact opposite — prevent electromagnetic radiation from components placed inside the cage to escape outside.

This two-way protection makes it incredibly useful in many types of real-life applications, such as being used in the metal shell of your microwave, shielded TV cables, suits worn by electricians while working on high voltage power lines, MRI scan rooms — and protection from EMF-emitting wireless devices.

Why Use RF Blocking Material

Sure, you can use a faraday cage, but carrying a solid metallic structure to protect you from your phone’s wireless signals can get difficult!

RF fabrics are ordinary cotton or polyester materials infused with thin strands of copper, silver or nickel creating a powerful mesh that "attenuates," or reduces the intensity of radiation emitted from devices such as your mobile phone.

So, why use EMF blocking cloth? Below, is an overview of some of the key benefits and shielding applications:

• Military-grade protection: Used by law enforcement agencies and the military to block signals from WiFi routers, cellular phones, Bluetooth connections, GPS, RFID, and more
• Data and identity protection: Highly-effective RF shielding material helps protect against data theft and enhances digital privacy
• Anti-credit card skimming: Prevents hackers from accessing anything with an RFID chip, like your credit card or building access card
• Reduce EMF for health: Blocks harmful radiation from your wireless gadgets, helping to lower your EMF exposure
• EMP shield: Protects your devices from EMPs such as power surges, lightning, solar flares and other electromagnetic pulses
• Commercial EMF protection: Minimizes RF exposure in commercial environments and helps isolate signals in secure facilities
• EMF testing: Provides RF isolation for testing hardware and software, great for wireless IOT testing
• 5G network protection: Blocks harmful 4G and 5G signals

How to Use Faraday Fabric

Just like any other fabric, faraday cloth can easily be cut and sewn to totally isolate devices from incoming or outgoing signals.

It’s great to use for pillow covers, to cover walls to protect against electrosmog from the neighbours’, and perfect for creating faraday bags, faraday cases and pouches to enclose wireless devices such as your smartphone, laptop, tablet, Wi-Fi router, credit cards or smart meter. You can also use it to shield signals from your car keys by creating a faraday bag for key fob.

Below, we’ll cover some key applications of faraday EMF shielding fabric:

WiFi Radiation Protection

WiFi routers constantly emit radio frequencies (RFs). Your WiFi router is built using transmitters, which use microwave radiation to transmit data through the air, to all of your WiFi-enabled devices. This means there is always radiation floating in your surroundings when your wireless router is on and transmitting.

Create a faraday pouch to protect against WiFi radiation:

• Lay out and fold the fabric over your WiFi router to completely cover it
• By completely cover, we mean double up the fabric, and create a faraday pouch to completely enclose your router and make sure there is a tight seal at the top, bottom and sides of the router
• Even if you do not manage to seal the router completely (for example, if there is a cable protruding out), the fabric will still considerably reduce signal and provide EMF protection

💡 Important notes:

• Placing the faraday fabric over your router may reduce EMF radiation but may NOT eliminate all RF signals
• A reliable EMF meter will show EMF reduction, but keep in mind that results may vary due to the strength of your router and different testing environments
• You can increase the shielding effect by adding more fabric layers as required
• When used properly, Atmosure faraday fabric provides 99% shielding against WiFi (2.4 & 5GHz)

Smartphone and 5G Network Protection

Your smartphones and tablets emit radio frequencies or RF radiation at full power when they are sending or receiving information - such as when you’re on a call, browsing the internet, connected to a 5G network, or navigating using GPS.

Our RF blocking fabric is composed of a fine copper mesh that "traps" the RF signal from your phone or tablet, effectively blocking any outside radio waves (including 5G signals) from reaching your device. 

Create a faraday bag for phone to protect against cellular and 5G radiation:

• Lay out and fold the fabric over your smartphone or tablet to completely cover it. This will help you to measure out the size of your device
• Leave some extra fabric at the edges to have enough space for hemming and sewing the edges or sealing them with faraday tape (you can also simply fold and wrap the fabric tightly around your device)
• Make sure to leave enough fabric to do a double fold for entries and flaps when creating a resealable enclosure like a faraday case for phone, tablets etc.
• You can attach a Velcro seal to open and close the shielded enclosure

💡 Important notes:

• A tightly sealed smartphone pouch made from the fabric stops any incoming, outgoing and missed calls; blocks texts, and prevents people tracing your location via GPS
• It also stops all internet activity (including your favourite social networking sites), as well as any malicious programs or viruses from sending or receiving data
• Signal/radiation reduction for cellular data including 5G networks often depends on several factors. For example, if you live in a rural area just one layer of fabric coverage may be enough to block your signal completely. However, in a location with dense coverage you may need to double up the fabric for best results
• Depending on your needs you can increase the shielding by adding more fabric layers as required to the smart device enclosure you create
• When testing your phone for signal blocking using an EMF meter, you may need to wait for 30-40 seconds after placing it in the faraday enclosure, as it takes some time for the cell phone to realize that it is fully disconnected from the cell tower. It's going to try again and again to reconnect, until it eventually stops and shows low or no signal

Laptop Radiation Protection

If you tend to work with your laptop on your lap, creating a laptop radiation shield to protect from RF radiation is worthwhile. RF radiation is emitted when your laptop is sending or receiving any type of wireless information which in most cases is from the WiFi router, Bluetooth or any other wireless device such as a wireless keyboard or mouse.

Create a faraday blanket to protect against laptop radiation:

• Simply lay out the fabric and use it as a blanket or cover on your lap while working or browsing on your laptop to reduce RF
• To create an RF-proof faraday laptop case you may need more layers, if you’re looking to not just reduce, but eliminate signals. Lay out and fold the fabric over your laptop to completely cover it. This will help you to measure out the size of your device
• Leave some extra fabric at the edges to have enough space for hemming and sewing the edges or sealing them with faraday tape (you can also simply fold and wrap the fabric tightly around your laptop)
• Make sure to leave enough fabric to do a double fold for the opening
• You can attach a Velcro seal to open and close the shielded laptop enclosure

💡 Important notes:

• The laptop’s screen/monitor and the logic board emit magnetic fields while RF radiation is emitted from the WiFi or wireless card and the Bluetooth antenna
• Faraday fabric will NEVER remove magnetic fields, so if you create your laptop enclosure and test it with an EMF meter used to measure magnetic fields, you will not see any signal reduction. This does not mean that the fabric itself is not working, as it is still protecting from RF radiation
• You will need to measure signal reduction with an EMF meter designed to measure RF fields
• If you use and test your laptop while it is charging it will emit a high amount of electrical fields, so it is best to NOT use it while connected to the charger
• We recommend that a laptop is better kept off your lap, because of the magnetic, electric and RF fields - when it comes to laptop radiation, distance is your friend

EMP Protection

Faraday fabric is often also called EMP cloth, as it helps to protect your devices from both natural and deliberate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) such as power surges, lightning, solar flares, nuclear explosions, EMP bombs and other electromagnetic pulses that can damage or fry your electronics. 

Solar storms have occurred in the past, and if one were to occur today it would widely damage power grids, cars, computers and electronic devices.

How to use the EMP fabric to protect against electromagnetic pulses:

• We have many customers who line their own enclosures such as wooden boxes or suitcases with our fabric for EMP protection
• It is recommended to build or choose a wooden box with a tight lid and then line the fabric completely inside the box (a staple gun can be used to attach the fabric to the wood).
• Make sure to line the inside of the lid with a double layer of fabric
• You can now store all your devices inside to provide EMP protection and also to block signals from tracking and hacking

💡 Important notes:

• If you're aiming for 100% shielding, you may need to add more fabric layers and test using a reliable RF EMF meter, until the enclosure meets your specifications

Smart Meter Radiation Protection

Smart meters have been under speculation for quite a few years now as they emit the same kind of (RF) microwave frequencies as mobile phones and Wi-Fi devices. 

If a smart meter is installed on the wall opposite from the room you sleep in, there's a good chance that a lot of EMF is leaching into your bedroom. If you’re especially sensitive to EMF, symptoms may include anxiety, fatigue, tinnitus, sleep disruptions, dizziness and more.

Create a faraday case to protect against smart meter radiation:

• Instead of using a smart meter faraday cage, many customers purchase our fabric for this exact reason with positive results
• Cover the smart meter tightly on all sides with a double layer of the faraday shielding material and tie it securely in place
• For optimal protection, it is best to shield the wall behind the smart meter as well. Use faraday tape to attach the fabric to the wall, starting from the top left of the ceiling. Make sure to keep a 1” overlap on connected fabric layers and tape the overlaps on both sides
• For even better protection, it is highly recommended to ground the whole wall using a grounding cord. Use the alligator clip side on the cord and attach it to a corner of the fabric, and plug in the other end of the cord. The entire wall is now grounded, and you are optimally protected against smart meter radiation

💡 Important notes:

• It may be difficult to create a faraday case that completely covers the smart meter emitting the signal and shield out 100% EMF, however, covering it with the fabric will provide definite signal reduction and EMF protection

Hacking and Data Theft Protection

Faraday fabric enclosures offer military-grade protection and are used by law enforcement agencies to protect their devices and block signals from WiFi routers, cellular phones, Bluetooth connections, GPS, RFID and electromagnetic interference. 

The fabric is excellent to use for data and identity protection, and prevents hackers from accessing anything with an RFID chip, like your credit card or building access card.

How to use the RF blocking fabric to protect against hacking and data theft:

• Go here to read instructions on how to create a fabric enclosure to enclose any devices you wish to protect, such as your smartphone or tablet
• To create a RFID blocking portable vault for your contactless credit card, lay out and fold the fabric over your card to completely cover it, to measure out the fabric
• Leave some extra fabric at the edges to have enough space for hemming and sewing the edges or sealing them with faraday tape
• Make sure to leave enough fabric to do a double fold for the case opening
• You can attach a Velcro seal to open and close the shielded credit card enclosure

Keyless Car Theft Protection

Creating an RFID blocking bag or faraday bag for key fob is one of the best ways to prevent your car getting stolen. 

Modern car key fobs function on electromagnetic signals. When the key is close to the car, a frequency is transmitted between the key fob and the car to lock/unlock it. Tech-savvy thieves have figured out how to clone the signal, open the door and drive off.

Create a faraday fabric key fob holder to protect against keyless car theft:

• To create a handy faraday fabric key fob holder, lay out and fold the fabric over your car key to completely cover it, to measure out the fabric
• Leave some extra fabric at the edges to have enough space for hemming and sewing the edges or sealing them with faraday tape
• Make sure to leave enough fabric to do a double fold for the case opening
• You can attach a Velcro seal to open and close the shielded car key enclosure

💡 Important notes:

• By using this key fob holder, the signal from your car keys will get blocked, so your unique key frequency will never reach the thief’s device
• Make sure to drop your keys into the key fob holder as you enter your home. That way you no longer have to worry about your car getting stolen in the middle of the night.

Testing RF Fabric Using an EMF Meter

When testing EMF fabric to ensure maximum success with your RF shielding project, it is important to understand what your expectations are. 

EMF signal reduction is very different from achieving 100% signal blocking. 

These are very different projects with their own unique challenges. 

Every environment is different and the steps required to achieve your desired result will vary depending on your particular environment, and what you want to achieve.

What to keep in mind before testing faraday fabric with an EMF meter:

• Placing the faraday fabric over a device may reduce direct radiation but will NOT eliminate all RF signals. A reliable EMF meter will show EMF reduction, but keep in mind that results may vary due to different testing environments
• Different EMF meters measure different types of radiation - there are EMF meters that measure magnetic fields and electric fields (such as the fields in a laptop), and there are EMF meters that measure RF frequencies (wireless, GPS, Bluetooth, RFID etc.)
• Faraday fabric does NOT block magnetic fields, no matter how many layers you use, so when testing it is very important to understand what your EMF meter can do, and what types of radiation it is designed to test for
• To further reduce signals and radiation, the device must be COMPLETELY covered by the fabric. Even the smallest opening can leak signals, leading to inconsistent results
• One layer of RF fabric is enough for radiation reduction, but blocking powerful signals like WiFi may require 2-3 layers of fabric on ALL sides of the device to completely block signals
• The way you use the fabric also depends on the application it is being used for. To create a credit card cover that is inside your wallet, a single layer should be sufficient. An EMF-proof laptop case may need more layers, if you’re looking to not just reduce, but eliminate signals
• The quality of your EMF meter will greatly influence the results you get. Most people use dirt cheap EMF meters, and those will not give you the best results for accurate testing. 

Steps for testing faraday fabric with an EMF Meter:

1. Check if your EMF meter is designed to test for RF signals - magnetic fields will not be blocked, no matter how many fabric layers you use - See our complete post on this topic: The Ultimate Guide to EMF Meters and Detectors: Our Favorites for 2023
2. Check if the device you have covered actually emits RF signals - the fabric is not meant for other types of EMF signals so testing for them will not show results
3. If an appliance emits RF, then just cover it, and RF will be mitigated or eliminated depending on the signal strength and number of fabric layers used

Safety Measures

Just like all faraday fabrics are metal-based making them flammable, Atmosure faraday fabric is constructed of copper and nickel. As such, it is conductive, and may get hot.

Please note: Keep the fabric away from electrical outlets, power strips, and plugs.

Where to Buy Faraday Fabric

Looking for faraday fabric near me? Faraday products may be available in home improvement stores, but the ideal place to often buy the best faraday fabric is online. You can opt for a faraday fabric roll, or buy anti-radiation faraday sheets by the yard.

Atmosure’s military-grade Faraday Fabric for EMF Protection (1 Yard) comes in a high-grade metallic copper, nickel and polyester fiber composition in a fine diamond-pattern for superior shielding against:

• Electromagnetic fields (EMF)
• Radiofrequency (RF) signals
• Electromagnetic pulses (EMP)
• Electromagnetic interference (EMI)

The best faraday fabric is highly durable, corrosion-resistant and long-lasting. Atmosure’s faraday fabric is an excellent daily radiation blocker wherever you go and offers:

• 99% blocking efficiency against EMF, EMI, RF signals and EMPs
• Rich golden-brown color, making it aesthetically beautiful
• Corrosion and tarnish resistant for long-term use
• Durable and lightweight
• Easy to use — simply cut and sew like standard fabric

Available by the yard (44" x 36") for easy measuring and purchase.

Comes with an actionable 5G safety guide and a handy instruction card!

Faraday Fabric FAQs

How do I know if the faraday case or pouch I created is properly blocking signals?

You can use a reliable EMF meter to test the level of RF signals blocked. Place the meter on the device to measure signal strength BEFORE you cover it with the fabric. Then cover the device with the faraday enclosure and retest the signal strength again. This will help you assess how effective the enclosure you’ve created is, and if it partially or completely blocks signal transmission.

I have covered my device with the RF fabric but do not see any signal reduction on my EMF meter when testing? 

First you need to check if your EMF meter is designed to test for RF signals. Second, you need to see if the device itself emits any RF signals. If an appliance emits RF, then just cover it, and RF signals will be considerably reduced, which can be measured using a high-quality RF EMF meter.

Can I use EMF fabric to block signals from an external cell tower or powerline?

To achieve best results, it is highly recommended to use EMF fabric only for devices that you can cover.

If I make a Faraday pouch for my Wi-Fi router, will the fabric block WiFi signal and not allow the router to function?

If you completely cover the router with the faraday shielding material from all sides, it won’t function as it will block the signal. By completely cover, we mean double up the fabric and make sure there is a tight seal at the top, bottom and sides. This same concept can be applied to any type of faraday bag for phone, laptop case, or pouch made with the fabric.

Can faraday fabric be used to line walls?

For best signal shielding, it is recommended to use multiple layers of EMF shielding fabric to layer the wall and make sure the fabric touches the wall end-to-end. You can use special faraday tape to join multiple faraday sheets (use at least a 1-inch overlap) and seal the seams and ends.

Will curtains made from RF fabric protect against EMF?

Yes, many customers use Atmosure faraday fabric to create curtains and window coverings for EMF protection. If you have tested your home and know that EMF is coming in through your windows (from a neighbor’s smart meter or WiFi), covering your windows is a good idea to minimize signals entering your home.

Can RF blocking fabric be used to create bedsheets?

Faraday bed sheets can help prevent electric fields from reaching your body when you're sleeping. This keeps your body grounded and therefore protects against any electrical discharges that would normally be absorbed by the earth.

When creating faraday clothing, which side of the fabric should be up or away from one’s body?

When it comes to Atmosure faraday fabric, our tests have shown that faraday fabric clothing is equally protective no matter which side of the fabric is facing up, so it can be used on either side. If you’re worried about the metallic fibers rubbing against your skin you may want to line the faraday fabric with a non-metallic fabric on the inside when creating wearable faraday clothing.

Key Takeaways

• Faraday fabric is constructed from conductive metallic thread and blocks electrical charges and radiation from entering or leaving whatever it encloses
• Faraday pouches and cases are excellent for data and identity protection, and to protect your RFID chip credit card or wireless key fob from getting hacked
• RF blocking material is one of the best ways to protect against 5G network signals and protecting your devices from EMPs
• It's important to use a high-quality EMF meter to test signal reduction and use several layers of fabric to achieve 100% signal elimination
• The best faraday fabric should provide 99% blocking efficiency against EMF, EMI, RF signals and EMPs and should be highly durable, corrosion-resistant and long-lasting