Waterproof breathable membrane

Chemistry not stated by the term

Coatings and finishes. Also written membrane, laminate, 3 layer, waterproof breathable, hardshell.

A thin film bonded between the face fabric and the lining, which blocks liquid water while letting vapour through. It is a separate thing from the water repellent finish on the outside of the same garment, and a jacket usually has both.

Classic membranes were expanded PTFE, and polyurethane and polyester based membranes are the fluorine-free route. A listing that says only waterproof breathable has described a function and not a chemistry.

What the makers actually said

Of the 156 graded products whose materials record a waterproof breathable membrane alongside a coating or finish, 100% name no coating chemistry anywhere in their published materials. This is a count of what companies published. It is not a statement about what any product contains.

Named a fluoropolymer
0
Named a coating that is not a fluorochemical
0
Named no chemistry at all
156

A further 1 products record a waterproof breathable membrane with no coating or finish at all, so there is nothing for a maker to have disclosed. They are outside the split above.

Free to quote with a link. Of the 156 graded consumer products that record a waterproof breathable membrane together with a coating or finish, not one of them names a coating chemistry anywhere in their published materials, according to PFAS Authority's October 2026 spec sheet decoder edition.

How those 157 products graded on our rubric

These are model-based estimates, not laboratory tests, scored on one public rubric. Read the spread against the categories underneath it rather than as a verdict on a waterproof breathable membrane in the abstract, because the rubric gives every category a baseline and a term concentrated in one category will carry that category’s spread with it.

Median grade 20 out of 100, across 12 categories.

GradeProductsShare
Excellent10.6%
Good00%
Poor21.3%
Bad15498.1%

Where a waterproof breathable membrane turns up

The 6 categories holding the most of it, out of 12. Each one links to the live ranking for that category, best graded first.

Best graded with a waterproof breathable membrane

One per category, best first, so the list is not five of the same thing.

Worst graded with a waterproof breathable membrane

One per category, worst first. A low grade here is usually something else on the product, not the term.

Decode a whole listing instead

A product usually names several of these at once, and the one that matters is rarely the one in the title. Paste the full materials line into the decoder and it will pick out every term it recognises, the most open-ended first.

Other coatings and finishes

Edition 2026-10-08, read from 11,337 graded products carrying a material string, and frozen at that date. A term is matched against the material and construction string recorded for each product, written from its published materials, specification and ingredient list rather than from a laboratory test. Products count under every term they match, so the totals across terms overlap. Found something wrong? Tell us.