Type 1 (Engineer Grade) – Highway Signage, Construction Zone Devices, Traffic Delineators
Type 1 (Flexible Engineer Grade) – Vehicle and Other Graphics
(Enclosed Lens – Glass Bead Type)
D4956 Type I Retro Reflective Sheeting – Available in both standard and flexible versions. Medium intensity retro reflective sheeting is normally referred to as an “engineering grade”. This is a very common and popular film, and is available in a multitude of colors. Engineer grade is the original reflective tape developed by the 3m company. They created the film in the 30’s and filed for a patent in 1940. Type 1 tapes are used in both commercial and consumer applications. In commercial applications, EG is used for permanent highway signage, construction zones, emergency vehicle graphics, bollards, building lettering, truck lettering, and traffic delineators. (As brighter films have come onto the market, engineer grade is used less for signage and more for other graphics related applications.)
Engineer Grade Type 1 is an enclosed lens film which refers to glass beads that are completely surrounded by a flexible polymer. Because of this type of construction, these types of films can be cut on a plotter without effecting reflectivity at the edges or damaging the film, hence their popularity for graphics. Type 1 engineer grade and Type 2 super engineer grade are the only two films considered to be enclosed lens films that can be used in this way. The flexible version of engineer grade is the most common film for cutting letters, logos, and graphics. After cutting, edges DO NOT have to be sealed. Engineer Grade is very visible at night, and is quite bright. However, Type 2 – 11 films are brighter. As you can see from the list below, more colors are available in the flexible version, due to its intended use for graphics.
Photo-metrics for Type 1 Sheeting (minimum coefficient of reflection in candelas)
Observation Angle : positive .2 degrees / Entrance Angle : negative .5 degrees
- White – 80 (standard and flexible)
- Yellow – 50 (standard and flexible)
- Orange – 25 (standard and flexible)
- Green – 9 (standard and flexible)
- Red – 14 (standard and flexible)
- Blue – 4 (standard and flexible)
- Brown – 2 (standard and flexible)
- Black – 10 (flexible version only)
- Lime – 70 (fleet marking grade)
- Violet – 12 (flexible version only)
- Ruby Red – 18 (flexible version only)
- Lemon Yellow – 70 (flexible version only)
- Dark Red – 14 (flexible version only)
- Sky Blue – 12 (flexible version only)
Steven Cole (Economics, MBA – University of West Florida , Business & Innovation – Stanford University) 25 years of experience in the reflective safety business. Specializing in vehicle accident and rear end collision reduction through increased visibility.