Where to buy eclipse glasses in Australia for 2028, and how to tell they're safe

Where to buy them

Online, from a specialist supplier

The most reliable option, and the one you can sort out now. A good supplier tells you who made the glasses, shows the independent test report and ships from Australian stock. That is what we do: every pair we sell is tested to ISO 12312-2:2015 by an accredited laboratory, CE-certified, and carries a QR code that opens its batch certificate. See how our glasses are certified. Paper glasses are A$4.95 a pair plus GST and the family eclipse kit (four pairs and a printed viewing guide) is A$17.50 plus GST. To order, send us your numbers and we reply within one business day.

Retail stores and pharmacies

Some general retailers and pharmacies may stock eclipse glasses as the date gets close. The catch is timing: shop stock tends to arrive late and sell through in the final days. If you buy in a store, check the pair with the list below before you pay.

Science centres, observatories and astronomy clubs

Many run viewing events and sell or hand out glasses on the day. They are a good source of advice and a single pair, but supply is limited and it is first come, first served.

Online marketplaces

Convenient, and where most fake glasses turned up before the 2017 and 2024 eclipses in the United States. The American Astronomical Society keeps a public list of reputable vendors for exactly this reason. If you buy from a marketplace, buy only from a seller that names the manufacturer and can show the test report.

How to tell a pair is safe

Printing "ISO 12312-2" on a frame proves nothing; counterfeit glasses did exactly that. Check all of these:

• The standard: ISO 12312-2 printed on the frame.
• The maker: the manufacturer's name (and ideally address) printed on the frame, not just a brand logo.
• The test report: from an accredited laboratory, available to you before you buy. Ours is on request, and the QR code on every pair links to its batch certificate.
• The lamp test: look at a bright household bulb through them. You should see nothing, or only a very dim image of the filament.
• The condition: no scratches, creases, pinholes or loose lenses. Throw away any damaged pair.

Never use sunglasses (even very dark ones), smoked glass, X-ray film, CDs or welding glass below shade 14. None of them block enough light. If you have no glasses at all, a pinhole projector lets you watch the eclipse safely by looking at the projected image, never at the Sun.

How eclipse glasses are made, and why stock runs out

A pair of paper eclipse glasses looks simple, but every one goes through the same physical steps, and none of them can be rushed.

1. Filter film. The lenses are a specialised solar filter film that lets through only a tiny fraction of visible light and blocks harmful ultraviolet and infrared. Only a small number of manufacturers make it, and they make it in batches.
2. Printing. The frames, with their designs and safety wording, are printed many to a sheet on stiff paperboard.
3. Die-cutting. A cutting die, a steel blade bent to the exact outline of the frame and its eye holes, is pressed through each printed sheet to stamp the frames out. Every frame shape needs its own die, made before production starts.
4. Fitting the filters. The film is cut to size and sealed between the two layers of each frame, with no gaps at the edges.
5. Testing. Samples are tested by a laboratory against ISO 12312-2 before the glasses can be sold as certified.
6. Packing and freight. The glasses are folded, counted, boxed and shipped into stock.

Each step has a fixed capacity: film arrives in set batches, a press cuts only so many sheets an hour, and testing takes time. Demand for an eclipse arrives close to the date, and production cannot jump to meet it. That is why shelves empty, and why fakes, which skip the proper filter and the testing, turn up. Custom-branded glasses add steps at the start: artwork, a printed proof and your sign-off before any sheet is printed.

When to buy, and why earlier is better

Because glasses take weeks to make, the safest plan is to order well before you need them. Work back from the date:

• Households: order by the end of June 2028. You then have time to check every pair.
• Schools: 22 July 2028 is a Saturday, so the glasses need to go home with students on the last school day before it. Check your state's term dates: in some states that day may fall before the winter holidays. Our school safety plan covers the rest.
• Councils and events: order once your crowd estimate is set, allowing time for budget approval and delivery.
• Custom-branded glasses: start several months ahead. Artwork is proofed and approved before anything prints, from 500 units. See custom-branded glasses.

Buying for a group

Schools, P&Cs, clubs and charities can fundraise with boxes of 20 to 250 pairs and keep the profit. Councils, venues and businesses can order bulk cartons quoted to their numbers, with the certification pack included for your safety officer.

Wherever you are in Australia

Everyone in Australia sees at least a partial eclipse on 22 July 2028, so everyone watching needs glasses for the whole event, inside the path of totality or not. We ship from NSW stock to every state and territory. Check your local times on the 2028 eclipse map.

FAQ

Sources

• American Astronomical Society, Solar eclipse eye safety and its list of reputable vendors.
• NASA, Eclipse safety.
• ISO 12312-2:2015, Eye and face protection: filters for direct observation of the sun.

Buying for a school, council or event?

Bulk cartons from NSW stock with the certification pack for your safety officer, or glasses printed with your logo from 500 units.

Get a quoteSchool fundraising

Keep reading

SchoolsEclipse safety plan for schools: 22 July 2028The 2028 eclipseTotal solar eclipse, 22 July 2028: path, times and how long totality lasts in AustraliaWhere to watchThe 10 best places in Sydney to watch the 2028 eclipse

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