When headlights pick up a white edge line on an unlit Indian highway, that line is usually thermoplastic, not household paint. PS Road Marking Services specifies the material because it is heated to about 180–200°C, bonds into the asphalt texture, and carries glass beads that keep working as the surface wears.
What thermoplastic is
It is a solid mix of resin, pigment, filler and beads. Screed boxes lay centre and edge lines; spray guns cover zebras, arrows and legends. Both methods must hit the thickness in the drawing — thin film is the usual reason a “thermoplastic” job fades like paint.
Paint versus thermoplastic
Solvent or water-based paint is cheaper on day one and often dead within a year on a busy urban arterial. Thermoplastic on a prepared surface commonly lasts three to seven years. Whole-life cost, not the first invoice, is the comparison NHAI and PWD engineers should make.
IRC:35 in practice
IRC:35 sets colour, dimensions and retroreflectivity. We record bead drop-on and film thickness so the engineer-in-charge can certify quantities without an argument. Contact hello@psroadmarking.in with chainage and the clause in your tender.