IRC:35-2015

CODE OF PRACTICE
FOR ROAD
MARKING
 DEFINITION
Road markings are defined as lines,
patterns, words except road signs
which are applied or attached to the
carriageway or kerbs or to objects
within or adjacent to the
carriageway for controlling, warning,
guiding and informing the road
users
Road Markings perform an important
function of guiding and controlling
traffic on a highway. The markings
serve as a psychological barrier and
thus help to signify the delineation of
traffic path and its lateral clearance
from traffic hazards facilitating safe
movement. Further, the road markings
channelize the pedestrians and cyclists
movement into safe location and in
effect, provide for an extension of the
side walk/cycle track across the
roadway. Road markings are therefore,
 The Commonly used Materials
for Road Markings are
● Hot Applied Thermoplastic Compound
● Solvent borne and Waterborne Road
Marking Paints.
Thermoplastic Markings
Thermoplastic is the most commonly
used pavement marking material on
roadways and is a mixture of
plasticizer and resins that serves to
hold all of the other ingredients
together. The thermoplastics hot
applied in molten state adheres to
pavement and get solidified
immediately at the ambient
 Solvent borne and
Waterborne Road Marking
Paint
Road marking paints are oldest form of
pavement marking materials. It can be used
for longitudinal line application in temporary
work zone markings and also for those
marking which are required for a very shorter
period and can be removed thereafter easily.
The solvent-based and water-based are the
two types of road marking paints. Water-based
paint is environmentally friendly and is easier
to handle compared to solvent based paints
and pose less safety hazards to workers. The
 Colour Pattern for
White:- Because of the visibility and good
Markings
contrast against the road surface, the white
colour should be widely used for road markings.
Yellow:- The longitudinal marking in yellow
colour should be used to convey message where
it is not permitted to cross the markings. Yellow
colour is also used to show parking restrictions
and to impose other traffic control.
Blue:- The blue colour should be used to
indicate new and special markings which are not
conventional. Blue is the colour of public
transportation including three wheelers, scooter
and rickshaws. The blue marking should be used
to inform the road users that the lane is
Green:- The green colour should be
deployed to distinguish the bicycle and
non-motorised transport facilities
provided on the road. Green colour
background should be marked at the
intersection to give priority to the
cyclists and pedestrians in crossing the
road.
Red/Purple:- Where multiple road
users are sharing the road space on
hazardous locations, the red colour
marking is primarily used to help people
understand the danger. Red marking is
 Retro Reflectivity
Retro reflection is accomplished in
pavement-marking through the use of
glass beads, partially embedded on the
surface of the marking as binder
material and also spread externally
during application time.
 External Factors
Influencing Marking
Performance
Many factors influence the
performance of a given pavement
marking material. The major factors
can be grouped into three categories
such as
i) Roadway surface
ii) Traffic
iii) Environmental.
All types of materials are very sensitive
to the variables governing the application
and hence warrant strict quality control
during application. The key variables that
influence the durability and retro
reflectivity performance of pavement
markings are:
i) Material composition
ii) Application procedure
iii) Application machines
iv) Roadway surface
v) Presence of immediate traffic.
 Classification of Pavement Marking
Pavement Markings are broadly classified into following seven
categories based on the placement of markings with regard to
vehicular movement and also based on the function of the
markings.

Longitudinal Marking Transverse Marking

Hazard Marking Block Marking

Arrow Marking Directional Marking

Facility Marking
 Longitudinal Marking
The longitudinal marking are generally provided along the
traffic movement. The broken lines, single/double
continuous lines and continuity lines are classified under
Longitudinal Marking and abbreviated as LM01, LM02, LM03
etc. In a multi-lane road, the lane boundary established by
longitudinal marking really guide to avoid side swipe and
head on collision accidents. The continuous longitudinal
marking line can be single and double lines and are not
expected to cross in normal condition. The double
continuous lines are used to make the compliance
prominent and to reinforce the message that it shall never
be crossed. The continuous longitudinal marking in yellow
colour is to signify that the marking provided is strictly
prohibitive in nature and not to be straddled by the vehicles.
 Transverse
The marking provided across
Markings
the carriageway for traffic
control with broken lines,
single/ double continuous lines
such as stop marking and Give
way marking are classified
under Transverse Marking and
are abbreviated as TM01,
TM02, TM03 etc. The
transverse marking establishes
the traffic control, lest it would
lead to crashes, and therefore,
its compliance is vital. The
transverse marking shall
always be accompanied with
corresponding sign.
 Hazard Marking
The pavement marking that facilitating traffic
merging/diverging, prohibiting to cross-over and to
deflect the traffic ahead of hazardous situations,
generally done with like chevron and diagonal
marking, hatch marking and prohibitory marking and
such markings are classified under Hazard Marking
and are abbreviated as HM01, HM02, HM03 etc. The
Arrow
hazard Marking
marking shall always be accompanied with
appropriate
The arrowssign. painted on
carriageway are meant to
give direction for driver to
take mandatorily and are
classified under Arrow
Marking and are abbreviated
 Block Marking
The zebra crossing for

checkered
(BM)
pedestrians, triangular
marking
and
for
speed breakers and Give
way symbol which are
painted in blocks on
carriageway are classified
under Block Marking and
are abbreviated as BM01, Facility Marking
BM02, BM03 etc. The marking for parking, the
word messages for buses,
cyclists and disabled ones are
classified under Facility
Marking and are abbreviated
as FM 01, FM 02, FM03 etc.
The applications of these
 Directional Marking
The word message which are directional
nature are classified under Directional
Marking and are abbreviated as DM01,
DM02, DM03 etc. for easy referencing as
given in Table A.6. The applications of
these markings are described in
respective sections
 Marking For Road Links
Center Line
the center line may not be located at the centre
position:
● Carriageway width transition location
● Additional turning lanes at junctions
● Odd number of lanes on vertical and
horizontal curves with limited sight distances
● Urban roads with parking permitted on one
side only
● Urban roads with odd number of lanes with
Traffic Lane
extra lanes allotted to the predominant
direction of flow.
The carriageway having two or more
● On
in
Lines
curves with extra widening
one direction are divided into
separate lanes by traffic lane line
marking for vehicles to move in
proper lanes and to discourage the
meandering tendency of the drivers,
thereby promoting safety and
 No Overtaking Lines

No overtaking zones shall be

established on summit curves,
horizontal curves and elsewhere on
two and three lane highways where
overtaking maneuvering must be
prohibited because of restricted sight
distances or other hazardous
conditions. The double solid centre
line prescribed for such highways is
to be regarded as continuous no-
overtaking marking, which is not to
 Warning Lines

Warning lines are broken lines and are marked

on horizontal and vertical curves where the
visibility is greater than Minimum Visibility
Distance (MVD), but less than the Warning
Border or Edge Line
The border or edge lines are intended
to indicate end of the carriageways
and thus help to delineate the limits
up to which driver can safely venture.
This continuous guideline makes night
driving comfortable during inclement
weather. 4.5.1 The pavement edge
lines are desirable at the following
locations:
● Where the shoulder is paved and is
of similar texture and colour to the
main carriageways.
● In advance of and near narrow
bridges and around sharp curves;
● Where obstructions on the shoulder
are close enough to constitute a
hazard to the motorist.
● On pavement width transitions.
● On heavily trafficked two and three
Longitudinal Marking for
Undivided Road
 Two Lane Bi-Directional
Road

Two Lane Bi-Directional

Road

Two Lane Bi-Directional Road with

Paved Shoulder
Three Lane Bi-Directional Road

Four Lane Bi-Directional

Road
 Road Studs
Retro-reflective studs are used to
supplement longitudinal/transverse
reflector zed road markings, which would
improve visibility in night time and
adverse weather conditions. Road studs
are also used across the carriageway to
serve as Speed Arrestor coupled with
eschewing warning through the creation
of the rumbling sensation to the user.
Series of such road reflector studs are to
be laid in advance of
junction/crossings/end of the flyover
Road studs for a bi-Directional
Road
Road studs for a Divided
Carriageway
For Chevron/diagonal
markings on gorge,
red colour road studs
shall be provided and
spacing shall be the
same as that for the
spacing of diagonal
and chevrons. The
studs shall be placed
to mark the
continuous line of
diagonal and chevron
marking. Road studs
shall be placed inside
 Solar Road Studs
Solar Powered Road Markers are more effective which can
immediately draw the attention of drivers and shall be
provided at locations like approach to road crash prone
locations and highly hazardous locations like bridge, toll
plaza, sharp curves, pedestrian crossing, lane transition,
speed humps, junctions, channelizes, construction sites,
rail road crossings, accident prone locations, median
opening and lane changing where performance of normal
The solar are
road studs road studseffective
not that functions
due to street lightings
automatically and activities.
and other roadside obviously do not
rely on vehicle head light. The
intense brightness of the Light
Emitting Diode (LEDs) makes them
visible at distances of more than 800
m under favourable conditions. The
solar studs are also more distinctly
visible during rainy and foggy
STOP AND GIVEWAY MARKINGS
 Hatch Markings
Where traffic has to be deflected in an unusual
situation, mere edge line will not be effective, in which
hatch marking should be considered. In the hatch
markings also where traffic has to be shifted taper rate
shall be applied. For deflecting of one lane to other and
also for achieving lane reduction situation, it shall be
done with hatch markings. Ladder hatching should be
used where there are two streams of opposite side
traffic merge. HM10/HM11/HM12/HM13 marking is the
ladder hatching marking. The spacing of the diagonal in
ladder hatching shall be 4 m for speed up to 65 kmph
and 6 m for speed exceeding 65 kmph and the width of
diagonal shall be 100 mm or 150 mm.
 Raised Profile Edge Lines
Raised profile edge lines are for use as
an alternative to the edge markings. It is
a continuous line marking with ribs
across the line at regular intervals. The
advantage of ribs is that the vertical
edges of the raised ribs are clearly visible
above the water film in wet conditions.
 Directional Arrow
Directional arrows should be used in advance to
guide drivers to correct lane when approaching
busy intersections whether signal controlled or
not. Directional arrows must be elongated in the
direction of the traffic flow to have adequate
legibility, as arrows are viewed at low angle.
On two lane approaches to an
intersection, the arrangement of arrows
indicating the lanes for
(a) straight ahead, (b) left turn, and (c)
right turn will depend on the relative
turning volumes and on the site
conditions. In a two lane approach road
having heavy right turn movements, the
straight ahead and left turn arrow can be
provided by combining both of them and
the right turn arrow can be provided on
the extreme right lane signifying
exclusive right turning movements.
Deflection Bifurcation Arrow
Arrows
Deflection arrows are The bifurcation arrow should
used in advance to be provided at the
warn of the commencement of
approaching restriction deceleration lanes on the
and to direct the traffic approach to junctions to
to the correct lane and guide vehicles ensuring that
also to warn of a hazard the full length of the lane is
or change of direction used to slow down for the
and to indicate the side junction without impeding
on which traffic should the through vehicles on the
pass main carriageway.
 Marking for at grade
Carriageway markings
within and intersection
in the
neighborhood of an
intersection would ensure
orderly movement of traffic.
The type of carriageway
marking for a particular
intersection depends on
At-grade
speed intersection,
characteristics of
marking
traffic andinvolves i) Marking
availability of
for
spaceTraffic Control; ii) Lane
Demarcating Markings; iii)
Diagonal & Chevron
Markings; iv) Directional
Arrow Markings and Word
messages; v) Hatch
Markings/Ghost Island; vi)
 Signalised
According to signal traffic phase based on traffic turning
movements, Intersection
dedicated arrow markings shall be given.
Pedestrian marking shall be provided and shall be user
friendly by lowering the height of raised kerb and shall
be provided with different surface texture to make it
distinct. The width of the zebra crossing shall be based
on pedestrian crossing volume and shall be provided
with road studs also.
The
Roundabout
general rule governing the behavior of
traffic at roundabout is that drivers should give
way to any traffic on their immediate right. The
conventional roundabouts always operate
based on the priority from right rule and shall
be adhered.
 Marking For Reduction
Measures, Pedestrian
Crossing and Cyclist
Markings on Speed
Breaker
The markings on speed breakers are
necessary to warn driver about the
hazard ahead in advance. For better
night time visibility, the marking shall be
made with retro reflective and reinforced
with road studs. Speed breaker markings
shall be supplemented with warning sign
in advance of zebra crossing location and
 Thermoplastic Bar
Marking
Thermoplastic bar marking is a softer
treatment to reduce the speed. One set of bar
marking (refer TM 08) comprises of 6 bars of
300 mm wide. Each strip of thermoplastic strip
shall be of 5 mm high and shall be applied
across the full width of the carriageway. Each
strip of 300 mm shall be set apart by 600 mm
and one set shall comprise of 6 strips.
 Railway Level Crossing
The markings shall be placed at all road-rail level crossings having
significant vehicle/rail conflict. At unimportant crossings or in urban
areas, where other devices are provided with suitable control,
these markings may be omitted. Continuous edge line of
carriageway at rail crossing shall be marked. The type of centre
line marking used generally depends on the width of the
carriageway available at rail crossing. Where the width of the
carriageway over the rail crossing is less than 5 m, centre line
markings will not normally be provided. If carriageway width is
between 5 m and 5.5 m, then longitudinal warning lines shall be
provided on either side of crossing.
 OBJECT PAINTING
Kerbs of all islands
located in the line of
traffic flow shall be
painted with vertical
black and white stripes of
500 mm wide. The
concrete barrier or
bridges and flyover shallThe section where
also be painted withsome restriction like
vertical black and white‘No-Parking’ or ‘No
stripes of 500 mm wide. Stopping ‘measures,
is in vogue, the kerb
shall be painted with
 Performance Assessment and
Monitoring
Wear Durability
Assessment of the degree of wear is measured as a percentage
of the area remaining intact of the high performance pavement
marking. Pavement marking systems demonstrate different
wear profile. Some pavement marking systems wear out faster
corresponding with the traffic operation while others tend to
exhibit the phenomenon of staying intact for a longer time with
the pavement surface depending up on its wearing resistance.
As wear may be more apparent on left-hand edge lines or side
road entries, the overall performance of the marking system
needs to be taken into account.

low 70% of Area Intact

Above 95% of Area Intact
 Daytime visibility Nighttime Visibility
Reflection in day light or under road Nighttime pavement marking
lighting is measured based on the
visibility is a function of both
luminance coefficient exhibited
under the diffuse illumination Qf line pattern dimensions and
measured in accordance with EN retro reflectivity, can be
1436 and expressed in milli candela appreciated in Fig. 15.4
per square meter per lux sharing both daytime and
(mcd/m²/lux). Qd corresponds to nighttime visibility. The
how drivers can view the marking brighter and wider the
from distance (30 m) see Fig. 15.3. marking is, the longer is the
depicts the typical day time visibility
road preview time, or end-
of a properly laid road marking.
of-line detection distance.
 Warrant and Testing Method
Road Marking Evaluation Process
This technique shall be used to assess for newly installed
markings as well as for in-service markings. This technique
can be used to assess all types of pavement markings. All
measurements are to be made in the direction of travel. On
the centre line of undivided highways, measurements
should be made in both directions unless otherwise
Longitudinal
specified.
Pavement Marking Line:- For
Pavement Marking Lines (3 km or less): Measurements
shall be made on any randomly located evaluation
section on the pavement marking line. The sample size
shall be set at least 20 numbers and the average of the
20 measurements is to determine the retro-reflectivity
of the marking.
For Pavement Marking Lines (3 to 16 km):-
Measurements shall be made on at least three
randomly selected evaluation sections wherein the
pavement marking line is in place. The evaluation
sections shall not overlap. Measurements within each
evaluation section shall be made with a sample size of
20 and the average retro-reflectivity for each
evaluation section shall be calculated. The grand
average is determined using the average retro
reflectivity from each evaluation section.
For Pavement Marking Lines (more than 16 km):-
For assessing pavement marking lines wherein the
length if more than 16 km, it is essential to select more
than three evaluation sections and the average retro
reflectivity for each evaluation section shall be
calculated. The grand average is determined using the
average retro-reflectivity from each evaluation section
 Category of Defect and
Maintenance
Category 1:- Defects that require prompt
attention because they represent an
immediate or imminent hazard, there is a
breach of statutory duty (e.g. A Badly Worn-
out STOP or GIVE WAY line, double white lines)
or a slippery road marking. Category 1 defects
shall be corrected or made safe at the time of
inspection if reasonably practical or within no
more than 24 hours of notification. If it is not
possible to repair the defects within 24 hours,
then the appropriate prescribed sign shall be
displayed until long term repairs are carried
out. These repairs shall be completed within 7