The Shade Sail Boutique UK

Elegant sun protection from Australia
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The best australian shade sails with UV protection from Coolaroo

We stock top quality Austrlian Shade Sails that offer long lasting UV protection giving you outstandinge value for money
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Here at The Shade Sail Boutique we stock products from Australia's best known brand, Coolaroo. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Melbourne based company Gale Pacific, the creator of the original shade sail in the 1960's and still the worlds largest manufacturer of premium solar cloth, Coolaroo manufacture market leading products with manufacturing operations in Australia, Asia and the USA.

Skin cancer was a major health problem in the middle of the 19th century, with Australia often described as a skin cancer capital of the planet. With skin cancer rates increasing year on year, the Australian government began research programs to find out if anything could be done to protect its population. Scientific research gradually identified and confirmed the link between many of the skin cancers and the amount of UltraViolet rays our skin is exposed to. With its hot climate, high number of sunny days and its population with largely European heritage, it emerged that Australia was the perfect environment for skin cancers to flourish.

A number of different solutions were needed to reverse this trend. Firstly a widespread education program was launched to inform people of the link and to advise them how they could best protect themselves. Next several innovative products came to market including UV blocking swimwear (mostly aimed at children), and the development of a new UV blocking fabric, HDPE, that was used to create the first modern shade sails.
Strands of HDPE fabric were knitted together to form a woven fabric that could absorb and block the suns harmful Ultraviolet rays. The fabric was knitted so that air could flow through the fabric creating the coolest possible environment under the canopy. Gale Pacific, the creator of this new fabric and the modern shade sail, have continued to develop and improve their fabrics through the intervening years so that today their shade cloths offer customers the best UV protection. These fabrics are also used by many of the worlds top quality brands, as well by their subsidiary, Coolaroo, who use the latest and most advanced fabrics in their product ranges. Coolaroo shade sails are a major brand worldwide are used intensively in both private homes and public settings. These top quality shade sails can be frequently found in public parks, in schools playing fields, in public swimming pools, shopping malls and car parks as well as shading the gardens of many people homes.

Coolaroo is based in Melbourne, Australia, where there market leading products set the standards not just in Austrlia, but for the worldwide shade sail industry in terms of long lasting UV protection.
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Gale Pacific and their subsidiary Coolaroo have continued to develop their shade cloth, setting the standards in terms of quality and long lasting UV protection which has been proven over many years.

Manufacturer's Warranty - Coolaroo products are designed to give customers reliable and long lasting UV protection. All of Coolaroo's products come with a fabric warranty ranging from 3 years on the portable range, to an industry beating 15 year warranty for the commercial ranges.

Premium fabric - Coolaroo have developed different product ranges to suite all needs and budgets. Their industry leading Commercial range have a fabric warranty of 15 years, whilst the Everyday range has a fabric warranty of 5 years.

Top quality stainless Steel fixings - The metal fixings at each corner of the shade sail are important not only for strength but using high quality, marine grade stainless steel guarantees that the fixings will not rust and so will not discolour the shade sail even after many years of use.

90%+ UV protection - Coolaroo fabrics are market leaders providing customers with reliable, long lasting protection against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Every strand of every Coolaroo shade sail and external blind has been created to block the sun's harmful UltraViolet rays over the long term. Competitors products using lower quality fabrics often have their UV protection applied in a chemical bath after the fabric has been created. Applying the UV protection in a chemical bath in this manner gives irregular levels of protection across the fabric, and the protection afforded to those sheltering beneath the fabric can be both unreliable and relatively short lived.

Knitted / Breathable Fabric - The knitted fabric of our shade sails allows hot air to escape upwards through the fabric, maintaining as cool a temperature as possible beneath. Knitted fabric allows breezes to pass through the shade sail, again helping you to keep cool. Waterproof shade sails stop both water and air from passing through the fabric, so although you stay dry in wetter climates, the temperature under the shade sail can become much higher than the surrounding area when the sun shines as strong sunlight warms the fabric and in turn the air beneath which can not then escape. The air trapped beneath waterproof shade sails will become warmer and warmer as the strong sunlight warms the canopy above, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures under the canopy, sometimes as much as 5 degrees warmer. Coolaroo's knitted shade sails allows hot air to escape creating the coolest shade.

Designed in Australia - Coolaroo shade sails have been designed, and proven over many years, to cope with challenging Australian climate. They provide the best protection from the suns harmful rays, a protection that you and your family can depend upon.
At the Shade Sail Boutique we have been selling the very best Australian shade sails from Coolaroo for many years. Coolaroo offer customers several ranges of shade sails with each range using a different fabric developed by the company. Each shade sail range has different characteristics to respond to different customer requirements and budgets.

When choosing a shade sail we believe that customers should consider three important characteristics to decide up on the shade sail that best suits their needs.

Create shade which protects against the sun's harmful UltraVoilet radiation


UV protection is the most important product feature, and the main reason that the modern shade sails was developed. It is critical that a shade sail has a proven track record in providing customers with reliable, long term protection from the sun's harmful UV rays.

When customers are comparing shade sails to ascertain which best firs their needs, it is practically impossible for most customers to evaluate the UV protection offered by examining the fabric. When premium and budget shade sails both claim the same very high levels of UV protection, how can a customer differentiate between the two to decide which model will provide them with the protection they require ?

A simple rule of thumb when comparing shade sails, as with so much else in life, is that you generally get what you pay for. The vast majority of people do not have the specialist knowledge to allow them to see or feel the difference between different fabrics, but there are general items that can indicate the relative quality and reliability of a product.
  • The weight of the fabric can be a good indication of quality with heavier fabric generally a sign of superior quality. Recent developments, however, have meant that lighter fabrics can now offer very high levels of UV protection
  • Quality shade sails are made using high quality HDPE strands with long lasting UV protection built in. Coolaroo shade sails have a 3, 5, 10 or even 15 year manufacturers warranty which guarantees the fabrics performance. You should look for a fabric guarantee when choosing your shade sail

Coolaroo shade sails use bespoke fabrics that they have developed. Coolaroo shade sails offer customers long lasting UV protection which has been built in to every fiber of the fabric, and have a long track record to prove it. Coolaroo shade sails set the gold standard for UV protection in the industry worldwide.

Reliable long term UV protection


Coolaroo's top quality Australian shade sails give you reliable protection against the sun's harmful UV rays that will last many years. When choosing the shade sail for your outdoor space you should consider :

  • How durable is shade sail's UV protection : The HDPE strands from which Coolaroo knitted shade sail fabric is made has been developed by the worlds leading manufacturer. The fabric has a guarantee against UV deterioration. While the guarantee for the different fabrics used in the various ranges vary, every Coolaroo shade sail guarantees very high levels of UV protection, which will last for many years
  • Does the shade sail have strong edges and borders : Under tension a shade sail will stretch to become a taught rigid structure. TO achieve this it is important that the curved edges and the corners are strong enough to allow the necessary stretching. Coolaroo shade sail are stitched all of the way around the circumference, ensuring that they are strong enough.
  • Does the shade sail have quality fixings at each corner : Marine grade stainless steel fixing are found at each corner of Coolaroo shade sails. The use of marine grade stainless steel ensures they will not rust.


As it is impossible for most of us to differentiate between premium and budget HDPE fabric, comparing the fabric between different shade sails is not possible. Instead you can look for the elements of the shade sail which can be differentiated by most of us, on the assumption that if these other elements are of good quality, then it is very likely that the fabric is too. For example you can look at the borders and corners of the shade sail. Do they seem well made and strong ? And the fixings at each corner, do they appear large and robust ? If either of these is not true, then there is a good change that other elements such as the UV protection may also be low quality.

So ironically the simplest method to identify a good quality shade sail which will offer reliable UV protection, is to examine the metal fixings at each corner and the edges of the fabric. The three images below show the fixings and the stitching along the edges of Coolaroo shade sails. As you can see, the fixings are 8mm, marine grade stainless steel fixings which are large and robust. The stitching along the borders is also strong and robust. In addition to these two elements also look for a fabric warranty from the manufacturer, as this is also a very good indication of durable, reliable UV protection.
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Long lasting, reliable protection from the sun's harmful UV rays


We all want to get the best value for our money. When deciding which products offers the best value for money, the cost is a very important element but we rarely find that the cheapest product, or indeed the most expensive, offers the best value overall. Instead value for money often depends upon a number of elements such as the price, the quality, the reliability and the durability of a product. When all of items are considered together, the product which gives you the best value for money is usually the products which addresses your needs in respect of all of these factors. In the case of a shade sail which many customers purchase because of the UV protection it offers, it is especially important that you can be completely confident that it will provide UV protection that is both reliable and long lasting.

For many customers the protection a shade sail offers against the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays is the most important characteristic and most customers choose their shade sail with this in mind. There are many shade sails available on the market marketed at different price points and offering different benefits. Shade sails are frequently considered in a category of goods includes items such as sun cream, where many customers want to buy the most reliable UV protection possible to protect themselves and their loves ones.
In Australia shade sails are considered primarily health products, with the aesthetic benefits a secondary consideration. This view is gaining acceptance worldwide. Shade sails can offer protection from the sun's harmful UV rays at levels exceeding those offered by the best sun creams. As with sun creams, however, there are many different products at different price points with budget creams generally offering less reliable protection than premium products with a longstanding, proven track record in UV protection. Exactly the same is true in the shade sail marketplace.

When installing a shade sail, the cost of the canvas shade sail is only a part of the overall installation cost. Each shade sail will requires solid fixings at each of its corners and while you may be able to attach some corners to existing structures such as a wall or large tree, it is often necessary to install one or two posts to complete the installation. Each corner of the shade sail will require fixings including a turnbuckle to tension the fabric, creating a semi-rigid structure which will not move in the and.

A good quality shade sail will last for many years meaning that it is often a lot more cost effective to buy a premium shade sail than a budget model which will need to be regularly replaced. Additionally when you buy a premium shade sail from an established manufacturer you can be completely confident that it will provide the UV protection you need and that this protection will be reliable and long lasting. This is not the case with budget shade sails which may appear to be in good condition but where the UV protection coating may have significantly deteriorated relatively rapidly.

To order any of our top quality shade sails with UV protection built in to every fiber, simply select the range, the shape, the size and the colour that you require, complete the order process and your shade sail will be dispatched within 2 working days.
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