AirSprayTech Academy Certificate Program

Professional Line Striping for Contractors

Article 17 of 24

Stencils, Symbols, Numbers, Letters, Arrows, and Curb Markings

Precision Beyond the Straight Line

Stencils, arrows, legends, accessible-parking symbols, space numbers, and curb markings communicate instructions that drivers and pedestrians must recognize quickly. Their quality depends on accurate layout, correct proportions, suitable equipment, controlled application, and compliance with the governing plans and requirements.

A clean symbol is not created by simply placing a stencil on the pavement and applying paint. The contractor must control scale, orientation, spacing, material buildup, stencil movement, overspray, edge definition, and the relationship between the marking and the surrounding traffic pattern.

Start with the Approved Design

Regulated traffic-control symbols and arrows should not be improvised or freehanded. Use the project drawings, specifications, governing-agency requirements, and applicable standard drawings to establish the required shape, dimensions, stroke width, color, placement, and orientation.

• Confirm whether the site is governed by public-road requirements, private-property requirements, or both.
• Verify the edition of the governing standard identified in the contract.
• Check state, county, municipal, fire-code, and accessibility requirements.
• Obtain written clarification when the plans and governing requirements conflict.
• Document approved substitutions and field changes before application.

The Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices applies to streets, highways, and qualifying site roadways open to public travel. It does not automatically establish every marking detail for every private parking facility. Identify the authority having jurisdiction and the contract requirements for each project.

Stencil Materials and Construction

The stencil material should suit the pavement condition, marking material, production requirements, and expected number of uses. Common choices include flexible plastic, rigid plastic, aluminum, fiberboard, and reusable modular systems.

Inspect reusable stencils for cracked bridges, bent edges, dried material, distorted corners, and dimensional changes. Damage that appears minor on the truck can produce a visibly defective marking on the pavement.

Scale, Proportion, and Viewing Perspective

A pavement marking is normally viewed from a low angle by an approaching driver. For that reason, roadway legends and arrows may use elongated proportions that look unusual from directly above but appear correct from the intended viewing position.

• Verify the overall height, width, stroke width, and internal spacing.
• Check the marking from the direction in which it will be approached.
• Maintain consistent scale among related symbols and messages.
• Confirm that parked vehicles, islands, wheel stops, or other features will not conceal the marking.

Layout and Control Points

Establish control points before placing the stencil. Depending on the marking, these may include a centerline, baseline, front edge, longitudinal axis, or measured offsets from stall lines, curbs, and traffic lanes.

1. Confirm the location against the approved layout.
2. Identify the driver’s direction of approach.
3. Mark the centerline or baseline with suitable temporary reference points.
4. Measure the stencil in both directions rather than positioning it entirely by sight.
5. Inspect its alignment from a distance before applying material.
6. Record approved deviations caused by drains, joints, repairs, or other site conditions.

Accessible-Parking Symbols

Accessible-parking markings must be coordinated with the applicable federal, state, and local accessibility requirements and the approved site plan. Use the required International Symbol of Accessibility design and confirm its dimensions, color, background, and location.

A pavement symbol does not ordinarily replace the required above-ground accessible-parking sign. Sign height, van-accessible identification, access-aisle markings, parking-space dimensions, and other identification requirements must be verified independently.

State and local provisions may exceed federal minimum requirements or prescribe particular pavement-symbol sizes and colors. One stencil should not be assumed to satisfy every jurisdiction.

Letters, Numbers, and Word Legends

Letter and number markings require consistent height, stroke, spacing, alignment, and orientation. Assemble and measure modular characters as a complete message before spraying begins.

• Use the alphabet and numeral style required by the project or governing standard.
• Establish a common baseline to keep the characters aligned.
• Measure character and word spacing rather than relying solely on visual judgment.
• Confirm spelling and message sequence before applying paint.
• For roadway legends, verify the required order in which multiple words are encountered by approaching traffic.
• Photograph completed messages from the intended direction of approach.

Directional Arrows

Arrows must communicate the intended movement without ambiguity. Their design, size, placement, and orientation should match the traffic function and applicable standard drawing.

Do not substitute a decorative parking-lot arrow for a specified through, turn, combination, lane-reduction, or wrong-way arrow. Standard Highway Signs and Markings drawings provide approved layouts for regulated pavement arrows and symbols.

Before application, inspect the stencil from the expected driver approach and confirm that the arrow points in the intended direction. This is particularly important when a stencil can be rotated or reversed.

Controlling the Stencil

The stencil must remain flat and stationary. Wind, hose movement, uneven pavement, and spray turbulence can lift an edge or shift the stencil during application.

• Use suitable weights, handles, positioning aids, or crew assistance.
• Position hoses so they cannot drag across or move the stencil.
• Protect adjacent surfaces when wind or close clearances create an overspray exposure.
• Keep hands clear of the high-pressure spray path and injection hazard.
• Stop application when wind prevents reliable control of the stencil and spray.

Spray Technique and Film Control

Hold the gun reasonably perpendicular to the pavement and use only enough pressure to produce a properly atomized pattern. Excessive pressure can increase overspray and drive material beneath a raised stencil edge.

Apply controlled, overlapping passes. Several moderate passes are generally easier to manage than one excessively heavy pass. Heavy application can cause puddling, slow drying, stencil bridging, tracking, surface skinning, or poor edge definition.

• Use a tip and pressure combination appropriate for the material and stencil opening.
• Maintain consistent gun height, angle, and travel speed.
• Direct the spray downward rather than toward the stencil edge.
• Monitor narrow stencil bridges for excessive material buildup.
• Verify wet-film thickness or application rate when required by the specification.

Multi-Color Symbols

Multi-color symbols require an established application sequence. Apply the background and symbol colors in the order recommended by the material manufacturer and permitted by the project specification.

• Confirm compatibility between coats and colors.
• Observe required drying and recoat intervals.
• Do not place masking material over an insufficiently cured coating.
• Use registration points to align separate stencil layers.
• Inspect for color bleed, lifting, tracking, and incomplete coverage.

Curb Markings

Curb colors and legends may identify fire lanes, loading areas, passenger zones, restricted parking, accessible areas, and other designated uses. Their meaning and required wording vary by jurisdiction. Do not assume that a color has the same legal meaning at every location.

• Verify the required color, wording, letter size, spacing, and repetition interval.
• Determine whether the curb face, top, gutter, or adjacent pavement must be marked.
• Remove dirt, laitance, loose material, oil, biological growth, and failed existing coatings.
• Use a material approved for the curb substrate and expected exposure.
• Maintain defined terminations at curb ends, ramps, drains, and transitions.
• Confirm fire-lane requirements with the local fire authority or code official.

Production Workflow

1. Review the approved marking schedule and field conditions.
2. Lay out and verify all symbol locations.
3. Group work by material and color where practical.
4. Assign responsibilities for positioning, spraying, traffic control, and inspection.
5. Provide protected locations for handling and cleaning wet stencils.
6. Keep traffic out until the completed markings are ready for service.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

• Correct symbol, message, color, and location
• Required dimensions, alignment, orientation, and spacing
• Complete coverage without excessive material buildup
• Recognizable shape and acceptable edge definition
• No unacceptable overspray, tracking, smearing, or paint transfer
• Required application rate or film thickness achieved
• Adequate drying or curing before traffic exposure

Technical References

• Federal Highway Administration, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, current adopted edition, particularly Part 3, Markings.
• Federal Highway Administration, Standard Highway Signs and Markings, pavement-marking alphabet, numeral, arrow, and symbol drawings.
• U.S. Access Board, Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Standards and guidance concerning the International Symbol of Accessibility.
• U.S. Department of Justice, 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
• Federal Highway Administration, Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects, FP-24.
• Applicable state transportation standards, local accessibility requirements, fire codes, approved project drawings, and the marking-material manufacturer’s current technical data and safety data sheets.

Standards and local requirements are subject to revision. Confirm the currently adopted editions and project-specific requirements before beginning work.

Professional responsibility: Follow the approved plans, project specifications, authority-having-jurisdiction requirements, traffic-control plan, and the marking-material manufacturer’s current technical and safety instructions. Obtain written clarification before proceeding when requirements conflict or site conditions require a change.

Copyright © 2026 Azimuth Spray Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, stored, or used in any form without prior written permission from Azimuth Spray Systems, LLC, except for brief quotations used with proper attribution.

AirSprayTech.com — The Finishing Authority®