During your search, one of the line marking applications you’ll definitely come across will be thermoplastic, a commonly used application for car park markings, playground marking and road marking. But, what is thermoplastic, how is it applied, and why is thermoplastic used over other line marking applications? To answer these questions, we’ve created this short post, which should take no more than three minutes to read.

What is thermoplastic?

Thermoplastic, as the scientifically-minded out there might have noticed, is as the name ‘thermoplastic’ reveals, a line marking application that relies on being heated and liquified, prior to being used for line marking.

And to go into a little more detail – thermoplastic is made up of four key components, which include:

  • Filler material
  • Binder
  • Glass beads
  • Pigment

Each of these components combine to create a highly durable, long-lasting and vibrant road marking application, used across the globe for marking the lines in the road, in car parks, loading bays, playgrounds and more.

How is thermoplastic applied

As mentioned above, thermoplastic needs to be heated before it can be used to create line markings. To do this, special thermostatically controlled pre heaters are used, which heat the compound up to around 170-210°C, and keep it in motion until it’s required for use.

Once in a liquid state, thermoplastic is applied using various systems, either hand or machine operated. But, it’s important to note, before thermoplastic can be installed, the road or car park surface etc, must be fully prepared and clear of debris, to ensure good adhesion.

What are the main benefits of thermoplastic?

Whilst other line marking applications have certain benefits, the benefits of thermoplastic stand out, and explain why this road marking application is more commonly used. Benefits of thermoplastic include:

  • Thermoplastic is quick drying: After a line marking application, especially on a busy road or in a busy car park, it’s vital downtime or closure time is kept to a minimum.

    Thermoplastic has a drying time of around 5 minutes, making it an ideal line marking solution, even for the busiest of roads or car parks.

  • Thermoplastic is available in a range of colours: Modern properties often require line marking layouts to contain a variety of colours, other than the usual red or yellow.

    Thermoplastic comes in a wide range of vibrant colours, or can have pigments carefully mixed to create more unique colours, for brand-specific line marking for example.

  • Thermoplastic can be preformed: Due to the way it sets, thermoplastic can be preformed in the desired shape, rather than being shaped on application.

    This benefit can make thermoplastic installation a lot faster and a lot cheaper than many other traditional line marking applications.

  • Thermoplastic is reflective: Due to the addition of tiny and harmless glass beads, thermoplastic has a unique reflective quality when hit by light.

    This benefit greatly improves road safety, particularly at night, and also help to give the colour a brighter and more vibrant appearance.

  • Thermoplastic is hardwearing: When installed correctly, by a team of professional line marking operatives, thermoplastic can last anywhere between 3 to 6 years, even with high levels of traffic.

Contact Us

If you’re looking for car park markings, warehouse line marking, playground marking, or thermoplastic road marking, contact City Road Markings today, one of the UKs leading line marking specialists.