Ceramic vs Carbon vs Dyed: What You Feel in a Chicago Summer.
Infrared Follows the Film.

Ceramic vs carbon tint, by Rayno’s published figures: S9 ceramic rejects 91 to 93 percent of infrared across Rayno’s published shades and S5 ceramic 53 to 72 percent depending on shade, while MonoCarbon, the carbon film Tint Starz installs, is rated 72 percent in the 5 percent shade and 41 percent in 35. All three are rated under 1 percent fading, against up to 8.6 percent for the dyed films in Rayno’s 1,000 hour test; Tint Starz does not install dyed film. Infrared is the part of sunlight you feel as warmth on your skin through the glass.

Every film percentage below is Rayno’s published figure, read in October 2026. Every price is a starting price.

What is the difference between ceramic, carbon and dyed tint?

The difference is what colors the film and what it does with sunlight. Dyed film gets its color from dye. Carbon film gets it from carbon particles. Ceramic film adds ceramic particles that reject infrared. Rayno’s Phantom S5 and S9 are carbon ceramic films: carbon for the color, ceramic for the infrared.

Dyed film

Dyed film darkens the glass with a dye in the film. The dye is also its weak point: it fades. In Rayno’s 1,000 hour xenon test, the dyed films Rayno tested against MonoCarbon faded up to 8.6 percent. Faded dye is how old tint ends up purple. Tint Starz does not install dyed film.

Carbon: Rayno MonoCarbon

Carbon at Tint Starz is Rayno MonoCarbon, a 2-ply carbon film with no dyes and no metals; carbon particles give it its color, and carbon holds that color. In the same 1,000 hour test, MonoCarbon faded less than 1 percent. By Rayno’s figures it blocks 99.9 percent of UV and rejects 72 percent of infrared in the 5 percent shade and 41 percent in 35. It comes in 35 and 5 percent. The Rayno MonoCarbon specs page has Rayno’s full table. It is not offered on a Tesla.

Ceramic: Rayno Phantom S5 and S9

Rayno says plain ceramic film tends to oxidize more quickly than other types of window film, so its color lightens over time, while carbon does not oxidize. Phantom carries both: the carbon holds the color and the ceramic rejects the infrared, with no dyes and no metals. By Rayno’s figures, S5 and S9 block 99.9 percent of UV.

Warranty by film is on the warranty page, and Rayno window tint has Rayno’s S5 and S9 figures for each stocked shade Rayno publishes, with total solar energy rejected beside the infrared.

What do you feel in a Chicago summer?

You feel infrared, the part of sunlight that warms your skin through the glass, and infrared rejection is the figure this page compares. It counts one band of sunlight, not all of it. S9 is rated 91 to 93 percent across Rayno’s published shades. S5 is rated 53 to 72 percent, depending on shade. Carbon is rated 72 percent in the 5 percent shade and 41 percent in 35.

Here is every shade the shop stocks, with Rayno’s infrared rejection figure for it:

What do you feel in a Chicago summer?

Shade	Carbon	S5 ceramic	S9 ceramic
5 percent	72 percent	72 percent	92 percent
12 percent	not stocked	not stocked	no published figure
15 percent	not stocked	58 percent	93 percent
20 percent	not stocked	53 percent	93 percent
30 percent	not stocked	56 percent	not stocked
35 percent	41 percent	53 percent	92 percent
50 percent	not stocked	56 percent	92 percent
70 percent	not stocked	not stocked	no published figure

Infrared rejection: Rayno published figures, read October 2026. Tint Starz stocks S9 in 12 and 70 percent, but Rayno publishes no figure for either.

Read across a row. At 5 percent, S9 is rated 92 percent infrared and S5 72; at 50 percent, S9 92 and S5 56. Infrared follows the film more than the shade. Rayno’s second figure, total solar energy rejected, counts every wavelength and does move with the shade: S9 at 50 is rated 53 percent, S5 at 5 is rated 66. What the spec sheet numbers mean explains both figures.

The film choice matters most on the front doors, where Illinois limits how dark the film may go, and the limit depends on the rear windows. The Illinois window tint law page works through the combinations.

Does UV protection matter outside of summer?

Yes. UV comes through car glass in every month, July and February alike, and it is what fades a dashboard and reaches your skin on a long drive. By Rayno’s published figures, Carbon blocks 99 percent of UV, and S5 and S9 block 99.9 percent. All three films do that job in February as well as in July.

Which film holds its color?

Carbon and carbon ceramic, by Rayno’s tests. In Rayno’s 1,000 hour xenon test, which Rayno equates to about 10 years of sun, MonoCarbon faded less than 1 percent, and the dyed films tested against it faded up to 8.6 percent. Rayno rates every published Phantom S5 and S9 shade at under 1 percent fading.

Color matters for the budget too. Film that fades or turns purple has to come off before new film goes on, and removal on its own runs $80 to $150, depending on the film’s condition and how much adhesive stays on the glass.

What does each film cost?

On a coupe or single-cab truck, all-around tint starts at $200 in Carbon, $250 in S5 ceramic and $350 in S9 ceramic. All-around means every side window plus the rear glass. Shade does not change the price: 5 percent and 35 percent cost the same in the same film. A bigger vehicle starts higher.

What does each film cost?

Vehicle	Carbon, from	S5 ceramic, from	S9 ceramic, from
Coupe or single-cab truck	$200	$250	$350
Sedan	$240	$330	$400
SUV or truck	$300	$400	$500

A Tesla Model 3 or Model Y takes ceramic film, not Carbon, from $330 in S5. The final price depends on the vehicle, film, coverage, condition and installation difficulty.

Which film should you pick for a Chicago summer?

Pick S9 if you want light glass with high infrared rejection: Rayno rates it 92 percent infrared even at 50 percent. Pick S5 for ceramic at the lower price, rated 53 to 72 percent depending on shade. Pick Carbon if price decides it: 99 percent UV and color that holds, with no published infrared figure.

Ceramic window tint puts S5 and S9 side by side, and window tint prices lists every starting price with what it covers.

Every film goes on inside the shop at 837 Oakton St Unit C in Elk Grove Village, by appointment, Monday to Saturday 9 to 6. From Des Plaines City Hall, that is about 11 minutes outside rush hour: see window tint in Des Plaines.

For an exact number, call the shop with the car and the film you are leaning toward, or send the same request through the quote form and the shop calls you back within minutes during shop hours.