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This document is intended to help identify sign sheeting materials for rigid signs and their common specification designations. It is not a qualified product list. FHWA does not endorse or approve sign sheeting materials. Many other sheeting materials not listed here are available for delineation and construction/work zone uses.
Many sign sheeting materials have watermarks and/or patterns that are used to identify the material type and manufacturer. The watermarks shown in this guide have been enhanced. The watermarks will be less visible in practice and may not be present on smaller pieces of sheeting due to the spacing.
Example of Sheeting (Shown to scale) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ASTM D4956-04 | I | II | II | III | III | III | III | III |
ASTM D4956-13 | I | II | II | III | III | III | III | III |
AASHTO M268-13 | (1) | (1) | (1) | A | A | A | A | A |
Manufacturer | Several companies | Avery Dennison® | Nippon Carbide | 3M™ | ATSM, Inc. | Avery Dennison® | Nippon Carbide | ORAFOL Americas Inc |
Brand Name | Engineer Grade | Super Engr Grade | Super Engr Grade | High Intensity | High Intensity | High Intensity | High Intensity | ORALITE® High Intensity |
Series | Several | T-2000 | 15000 | 2800 3800 | ATSM HI | T-5500 | N500 | 5800 |
NOTES: | (2) (8) | (3) (4) (9) | (4) | (3) (4) (9) | (4) | (4) | (4) | (4) |
1) Sheeting material does not meet minimum AASHTO classification criteria. 2) Glass Bead Engineer Grade sheeting is uniform without any patterns or identifying marks. 3) Material no longer sold in the United States as of the date of this publication. 4) Section 2A.08 of the 2009 MUTCD (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov) does not allow this sheeting type to be used for new legends on green signs. |
- ASTM D4956-04 is referenced in Table 2A-3 of the 2009 MUTCD.
- ASTM D4956-13 is the most current ASTM sign sheeting specification (the 2013 version is designated by "-13").
- AASHTO M268-13 is the most current AASHTO specification (the 2013 version is designated by "-13").
Manufacturer Contact Information
3M – http://www.3M.com/roadwaysafety
ATSM, Inc. – http://www.atsminc.com
Avery Dennison – http://www.reflectives.averydennison.com
Nippon Carbide – http://www.nikkalite.com
ORAFOL Americas Inc. – http://www.orafolamericas.com
FHWA Publication Number: FHWA-SA-14-022. You may download and print the electronic version of this document, available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/retro
This document is intended to help identify sign sheeting materials for rigid signs and their common specification designations. It is not a qualified product list. FHWA does not endorse or approve sign sheeting materials. Many other sheeting materials not listed here are available for delineation and construction/work zone uses.
Many sign sheeting materials have watermarks and/or patterns that are used to identify the material type and manufacturer. The watermarks shown in this guide have been enhanced. The watermarks will be less visible in practice and may not be present on smaller pieces of sheeting due to the spacing.
Example of Sheeting (Shown to scale) | ||||||||
D4956-04 | (5) | (5) | III, IV | III, IV, X | (5) | (5) | (5) / X | (5) |
D4956-13 | I | I | III, IV | III, IV | III, IV | III, IV | VIII | VIII |
M268-13 | (6) | (6) | B | B | B | B | B | B |
Manufacturer | 3M™ | Avery Dennison® | Avery Dennison® | 3M™ | ORAFOL Americas Inc | Nippon Carbide | Nippon Carbide | 3M™ |
Brand Name | EGP | PEG | HIP | HIP | ORALITE® HIP | HIM | Crystal Grade | Reflective Sheeting |
Series | 3430 | T-2500 | T-6500 | 3930 | 5900/5930 | CRG 94000 | CRG 92000 | 3940 |
NOTES: | (8) | (8) | ||||||
Example of Sheeting (Shown to scale) | ||||||||
D4956-04 | VIII | VII, VIII, X | IX | IX | (5) | (5) | (5) | (5) |
D4956-13 | VIII | VIII | IX | IX | IX | IX | XI | XI |
M268-13 | B | (7) | B | B | B | B | D | D |
Manufacturer | Avery Dennison® | 3M™ | 3M™ | Avery Dennison® | Nippon Carbide | ORAFOL Americas Inc | 3M™ | Avery Dennison® |
Brand Name | MVP Prismatic | Diamond Grade™ LDP | Diamond Grade™ VIP | OmniView™ | Crystal Grade | ORALITE® | Diamond Grade™ DG3 | OmniCube™ |
Series | T-7500 | 3970 | 3990 | T-9500 | 95000 | 7900 | 4000 | T-11500 |
NOTES: | (9) | (9) | ||||||
5) Material was either unavailable in 2005 (previous version of this Guide) or unassigned in the 2004 version of ASTM D4956. |
Resources
Federal Highway Administration – https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/retro
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) – http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov
Texas A&M Transportation Institute – http://tti.tamu.edu/visibility
ASTM – http://www.astm.org
AASHTO – http://www.transportation.org