How long can skin type V tan without burning?
Fitzpatrick type V (burns very rarely, tans very easily) reaches the first redness after about 42 min at UV 8 and 67 min at UV 5, with no sunscreen. Its safe ceiling is UV 8.3 — above that, there is no unprotected midday window.
Brown skin, dark hair, dark eyes.
Today in Columbus
UV 0 right now (low) · peak UV 8.6 at 14:00 · skin type V window 11:07–13:34 and 14:14–17:49
- 14:00 Peak UV hour
- 39 min Time to redness at peak, type V
- 11:07–13:34 First of 2 windows
- 11:20–17:13 Protection recommended (UV 3+, WHO)
Type V at every UV level
| UV index | No SPF | SPF 15 | SPF 30 | SPF 50 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV 1 | 5 h 33 | over 24 h | over 24 h | over 24 h | Low |
| UV 2 | 2 h 47 | over 24 h | over 24 h | over 24 h | Low |
| UV 3 | 1 h 51 | over 24 h | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 4 | 83 min | 20 h 50 | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 5 | 67 min | 16 h 40 | over 24 h | over 24 h | Moderate |
| UV 6 | 56 min | 13 h 53 | over 24 h | over 24 h | High |
| UV 7 | 48 min | 11 h 54 | 23 h 49 | over 24 h | High |
| UV 8 | 42 min | 10 h 25 | 20 h 50 | over 24 h | Very high |
| UV 9 | 37 min | 9 h 16 | 18 h 31 | over 24 h | Very high |
| UV 10 | 33 min | 8 h 20 | 16 h 40 | over 24 h | Very high |
| UV 11 | 30 min | 7 h 35 | 15 h 09 | over 24 h | Extreme |
Rows up to UV 8.3 are the levels where type V keeps at least 40 minutes before the first redness. How this is calculated.
What type V actually means
At 500 J/m² the burn times are long — 42 minutes at UV 8, more than an hour at UV 5 — and the limit sits at UV 8.3. Burning is uncommon but not impossible: type V does burn at extreme UV, at altitude, and on reflective surfaces, which are exactly the situations where nobody expects it to.
How to recognise it: Type V very rarely burns and deepens quickly in the sun. Common in South Asia, the Middle East and much of Africa.
What to do: Type V has a continuous window on almost every day of a northern-European summer. The exceptions worth knowing are snow, high altitude, and the tropics at midday.
Where type V 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
- Cairns — UV 8.4Very high · Australia · peak at 12:00 tomorrow · type II window 08:42–09:42
- Darwin — UV 6.7High · Australia · peak at 13:30 tomorrow · type II window 09:06–10:12
- Brighton — UV 6.5High · United Kingdom · peak at 13:00 · type II window 10:00–10:22
Skin type V — the questions people actually ask
How long can skin type V stay in the sun?
It depends entirely on the UV index, not on the temperature or the season. Type V has a minimal erythemal dose of 500 J/m², which gives about 1 h 51 at UV 3, 67 min at UV 5, 42 min at UV 8 and 30 min at UV 11, with no sunscreen and a clear sky.
What UV index is safe for skin type V?
Up to UV 8.3. That is the level at which type V still has 40 minutes before the first redness — the threshold UV Hour uses everywhere. UV 8.3 sits in the very high band, so on days above that, type V gets a morning window and an afternoon window instead of one continuous one.
Am I skin type V?
Brown skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Burns very rarely, tans very easily. Type V very rarely burns and deepens quickly in the sun. Common in South Asia, the Middle East and much of Africa.
How much does SPF 30 change things for type V?
At UV 8 it takes type V from about 42 min to about 20 h 50 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.