SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
The total length of striping to receive drop-on beads.
Sum the length of all striped lines in the project, or the specific run you are estimating beads for.
The painted width of the striped line.
Standard roadway lines are commonly 4 in (0.1 m) wide, though wider lines are used for edge lines, crosswalks, or stop bars.
The mass of glass beads applied per unit of striped line area.
This rate depends on the bead gradation and target retroreflectivity — confirm the specified rate for your project rather than assuming a generic value.
Retroreflective bead material needed
20.2 lb
Bead application rate varies by bead gradation (Type I/II/III per AASHTO M247) and target retroreflectivity level — confirm the rate for your specific project specification rather than assuming a generic value.
- Total striped line area
- 546.67 sq ft
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Roadway Striping Retroreflective Drop-On Bead Calculator: 20.15 lb — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- Bead mass = striped line area × the bead application rate (kg per m² of line), a separate material from the paint itself, applied while the paint is still wet to create retroreflectivity
Inputs used
- Total Line Length
- 1640 ft
- Line Width
- 4 in
- Bead Application Rate
- 0.04 lb/sq ft
Intermediate steps
- Total striped line area
- 546.67 sq ft
Confidence note: Bead application rate varies by bead gradation (Type I/II/III per AASHTO M247) and target retroreflectivity level — confirm the rate for your specific project specification rather than assuming a generic value.
What this calculation does not cover
- Calculates the beads that land on the line, not the beads that leave the truck. Drop-on beads bounce, scatter and blow off the edges of the stripe — on an open road in any wind a meaningful share of what the gun throws never embeds — so the ordered quantity needs an allowance above this figure or the crew runs the last stretch bare.
- Mass does not buy retroreflectivity past a point. What matters is embedment depth: the bead has to sink roughly halfway into a wet film and stay there, which is set by the paint's wet film thickness and by how closely the bead gun follows the paint gun down the road. Beads dropped on a film that has already skinned sit on top and sweep off within weeks, at any application rate.
- Models longitudinal striping only. Legends, arrows, crosswalk bars, stop bars and symbol markings are taken off by their own painted area rather than by length times width, and they commonly carry a different bead rate in the specification than a running line does.
Estimated cost — your price
This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.1.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations1
- Bead mass = striped line area × the bead application rate (kg per m² of line), a separate material from the paint itself, applied while the paint is still wet to create retroreflectivity
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