Road Markings

As per sec. 39 (5) StVO, road markings are (horizontal) traffic signs and serve for orientation and traffic guidance. Therefore, they are an important safety element of road traffic.

German guidelines for road markings (Richtlinien für die Markierung von Straßen) regulate the appearance, geometric layout and use of road markings.

Road marking materials such as road marking tapes have to meet certain minimum requirements regarding visibility, skid resistance and wear resistance. They are available as white and yellow reflective materials. White markings are usually used for permanent road markings, whereas yellow markings are used for temporary application such as at road construction sites. In this case, the yellow markings override the white markings.

Types of Road Marking Systems

According to the Technical Terms of Delivery for Marking Materials (Technische Lieferbedingungen für Markierungsmaterialien TL M 06) markings systems are distinguished as follows:

Preformed road marking systems:

• Road marking tapes (ready to be applied to the pavement e.g., 3M™ Stamark™)
• Preformed thermoplastic materials
• Cold plastic materials (reactive systems)

Non-preformed road marking systems:

• Dispersions
• Thermoplastic materials
• Cold plastic materials (reactive systems)
• Highsolids (low solvent paints)

Different Road Marking Materials by Performance

Road marking materials can be classified by their features and properties.

Reflectivity:
Type I: conventional road marking, no night-time reflectivity in wet conditions
Type II: enhanced night-time visibility in wet conditions

On motorways in Germany, almost only type II road markings are used.

Traffic class:
The traffic class of road marking materials depends on the number of wheel passages the material can withstand. The range goes from P2 (100,000 wheel passages) to P7 (4 mio. wheel passages). The respective traffic class of a material is confirmed by a test certificate from the BASt (Federal Highway Research Institute).

Advantages of Preformed 3M™ Stamark™ Road Marking Materials

• results are uniform and comply with applicable standards (especially the preformed road marking arrows)
• products already contain reflective glass beads and anti-skid particles
• after application of the film, road can be used immediately, no drying or curing time needed
• removal of temporary markings (A721VHD) possible without leaving residues or damaging the road surface
• patterned surface of the material additionally provides acoustic and haptic signalling effect, the “waffle” structure allows water to drain and maximises grip and night-time visibility in wet conditions

Application:

• Temporary road markings do not require pre-heating of the road surface prior to application. The clean surface is prepared with a primer and the laid-out film is rolled over with a tamper cart to activate the pressure-sensitive adhesive.
• For white permanent markings 3M offers different application systems such as Asphalt Plus and Bitumen Plus depending on the road surface.

3M™ preformed road marking tapes are BASt-approved and are available in our shop in different lengths and widths. We also offer road marking arrows for permanent or temporary road markings which we produce in-house in order to guarantee consistent quality of the products.