Rayno S5 vs S9: The Numbers, Shade by Shade.
Infrared Is the Gap.

The main difference between Rayno S5 and S9 is infrared rejection: by Rayno’s figures, S9 rejects 91 to 93 percent of infrared across Rayno’s published shades, and S5 53 to 72 percent on the shades Tint Starz stocks, depending on shade. Infrared is the part of sunlight you feel as warmth on your skin through the glass. Both block 99.9 percent of UV.

Tint Starz installs both films inside the shop at 837 Oakton St Unit C in Elk Grove Village. Every film figure below is Rayno’s published figure, read in October 2026. Every price is a starting price.

What is the difference between Rayno S5 and S9?

S9 is the higher Phantom tier, rated 91 to 93 percent infrared rejection across Rayno’s published shades, against 53 to 72 percent for S5 on the stocked shades. Rayno makes S5 in black and S9 in charcoal. Both are Rayno Phantom films: carbon ceramic, with no dyes and no metals. The carbon carries the color and the ceramic handles the infrared.

A lot is the same. By Rayno’s figures, both block 99.9 percent of UV, both are rated under 1 percent fading and read between 5 and 7 percent visible light reflection, inside and outside, on every published shade. So the choice comes down to three things: infrared, how long the color holds, and price.

Rayno S5 and S9, shade by shade

Here are the two films side by side, on every shade the shop stocks:

Rayno S5 and S9, shade by shade

Shade	S5 infrared	S5 total solar energy rejected	S9 infrared	S9 total solar energy rejected
5 percent	72 percent	66 percent	92 percent	70 percent
12 percent	not stocked	not stocked	no published figure	no published figure
15 percent	58 percent	59 percent	93 percent	66 percent
20 percent	53 percent	51 percent	93 percent	64 percent
30 percent	56 percent	49 percent	not stocked	not stocked
35 percent	53 percent	51 percent	92 percent	58 percent
50 percent	56 percent	41 percent	92 percent	53 percent
70 percent	not stocked	not stocked	no published figure	no published figure

Rayno published figures, read October 2026.

“Not stocked” means Tint Starz does not carry that film in that shade. The shop stocks S9 in 12 and 70 percent, but Rayno publishes no figure for either, so we quote none. Rayno does publish an S9 30 percent, rated 91 percent infrared, the low end of the S9 range; the shop does not stock it.

What changes from one shade to the next?

Shade changes how dark the glass looks, and on S5 it moves the infrared; on S9 it barely does. By Rayno’s figures, every stocked S9 shade with a published figure is rated 92 or 93 percent infrared, while S5 runs from 72 percent at 5 percent down to 53 at 20 and 35.

Read the S9 columns from top to bottom. Infrared holds at 92 or 93 percent on every stocked shade from 5 to 50 percent that Rayno rates. Total solar energy rejected, the second figure, counts every wavelength combined, visible light among them, and it steps down as S9 gets lighter: 70 percent at 5, 64 at 20, 58 at 35 and 53 at 50.

S5 is less even. The 5 percent shade is rated 72 percent infrared; from 15 to 50 percent, S5 sits between 53 and 58. So the gap between the two films is narrowest at 5 percent, 92 against 72, and widest at 20 percent, 93 against 53.

From 15 percent up, the films separate. At 50 percent, S9 is rated 92 percent infrared and S5 56 percent. S9 at 50 percent is rated higher on infrared than S5 at 5 percent.

Rayno rates each shade separately, so ask which shade any single figure belongs to. S5’s 72 percent infrared is the 5 percent shade; at 20 and 35 percent, S5 is rated 53 percent infrared and 51 percent total solar energy rejected.

When is S5 enough?

S5 is enough when you want ceramic film, UV protection and privacy at the lower price, and infrared is not the deciding number. By Rayno’s figures, it blocks 99.9 percent of UV, is rated under 1 percent fading, and in the darkest shade it is rated 72 percent infrared. On a coupe or single-cab truck, S5 all-around starts at $250.

S5 suits a car that spends most of the day in a garage, a lease you plan to hand back, or a budget where the price gap matters more than the infrared gap. If you want the rear glass dark anyway, 5 percent is where S5 comes closest to S9 on infrared; on an Illinois registered car, outside the medical exemption, it goes on the rear only, and the front doors then take no film. The shop warranty on S5 runs 2 years.

When does S9 earn the extra money?

S9 earns it when infrared is what you are paying for: the car parks outside all day, the commute faces the sun, or you want lighter glass without giving up infrared. By Rayno’s figures, S9 is rated 91 to 93 percent infrared rejection across Rayno’s published shades, against 53 to 72 percent for S5, depending on shade.

Lighter glass is where S9 makes its case. Illinois limits how dark film can go on the front doors, and the limit depends on the rear windows; the Illinois window tint law page works through the combinations. At 35 percent, the same shade on either film, S9 is rated 92 percent infrared and S5 53 percent.

S9 also carries the longer shop warranty: lifetime on S9, against 2 years on S5.

Which holds its color, and which is clearer?

Both hold color well by Rayno’s tests, and S9 tested higher. In Rayno’s 1,000 hour test, Phantom S5 held true color 35 percent better than the leading competitors, and S9 54 percent better. Rayno rates every published shade of both at under 1 percent fading. On Rayno’s clarity scale, S5 reads 0.72 and S9 0.81, where lower is clearer.

Rayno says plain ceramic film tends to oxidize more quickly, so its color lightens over time, while carbon does not oxidize. That is Rayno’s reason Phantom carries both: the carbon holds the color.

Rayno sets each clarity reading against 1.18 for a competing film. Both sit below 1, and S5’s reading is the lower of the two.

What do Rayno S5 and S9 cost?

All-around tint, every side window plus the rear glass, starts at $250 in S5 and $350 in S9 on a coupe or single-cab truck. A sedan starts at $330 in S5 and $400 in S9, and an SUV or truck at $400 and $500. Shade does not change the price.

What do Rayno S5 and S9 cost?

Vehicle	S5 ceramic	S9 ceramic
Coupe or single-cab truck	from $250	from $350
Sedan	from $330	from $400
SUV or truck	from $400	from $500

The final price depends on the vehicle, film, coverage, condition and installation difficulty. Window tint prices lists every starting price with what it covers, and the warranty page has the shop warranty by film.

Choosing, and where the film goes on

Rayno window tint at Tint Starz sets Carbon, S5 and S9 side by side with starting prices. To see each shade on a car before you choose, use the tint shades page.

Every film goes on inside the shop on Oakton Street, by appointment, Monday to Saturday 9 to 6. From Schaumburg Village Hall that is about 13 minutes outside rush hour, by Schaumburg Rd and Meacham Rd, then Higgins Rd east to Oakton St: see window tint in Schaumburg.

For an exact number, call the shop and say S5 or S9, or send the same request through the quote form and the shop calls you back with the price within minutes during shop hours.