🛣️ Horizontal road markings — luminance coefficient under diffuse illumination Qd (Annex A) and coefficient of retroreflected luminance RL (Annex B), performance classes, PN-EN 1436

Construction PN-EN 1436

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. We had part of the text — the Slovenian edition SIST EN 1436:2018, according to its title page identical ("istoveten") with EN 1436:2018: the foreword, the introduction, clauses 1–4.2 with Tables 1 and 2 and the beginning of clause 4.3, the table of contents of the annexes. Clause 1: the standard specifies the performance for road users of white and yellow road markings — reflection in daylight or under road lighting, retroreflection in vehicle headlamp illumination, colour and skid resistance — and test methods and conditions. Definitions: Qd — luminance coefficient under diffuse illumination, the quotient of the luminance of a field of the marking in a given direction by the illuminance (mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹); β — luminance factor relative to a perfect reflecting diffuser; RL — coefficient of retroreflected luminance, the quotient of the luminance in the direction of observation by the illuminance perpendicular to the incident light (mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹); SRT — skid resistance of a wet surface measured by the friction of a rubber slider; type I and type II road markings (the latter with special properties enhancing retroreflection in wet or rainy conditions).

REQUIREMENTS (clause 4). The requirements apply throughout the functional life of the marking and are expressed in classes; the standard notes that high classes of retroreflection (RL) and skid resistance (SRT) generally cannot be obtained together, and that the choice of classes belongs to national tender specifications. Reflection in daylight or under road lighting is measured as Qd according to Annex A (in the direction of traffic) or as β according to Annex C; Qd corresponds to a longer viewing distance, β to close range. Table 1 (dry markings): white on asphaltic surfaces — Q0 (no value requested), Q2 ≥ 100, Q3 ≥ 130, Q4 ≥ 160, Q5 ≥ 200 mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹; white on cement concrete — Q0, Q3, Q4, Q5; yellow — Q0, Q1 ≥ 80, Q2 ≥ 100, Q3 ≥ 130. Table 2 (β): white on asphalt — B0, B2 ≥ 0.30, B3 ≥ 0.40, B4 ≥ 0.50, B5 ≥ 0.60; white on concrete — B0, B3, B4, B5; yellow — B0, B1 ≥ 0.20, B2 ≥ 0.30, B3 ≥ 0.40. RL is measured in the direction of traffic according to Annex B; dry markings shall conform to Table 3, during wetness to Table 4, during rain to Table 5 (these tables were not in the part we read). Annex A: measurement method for Qd (spectral match, standard measuring condition, practical application of instruments, calibration, uncertainty); Annex B: measurement method for RL (also portable and vehicle-mounted instruments, condition of wetness, condition of rain); Annex C: β and the chromaticity coordinates x, y.

NOTES FROM THE INTRODUCTION. The standard cannot be used directly as a tender specification or as test instructions — additional documents are needed, including acceptance criteria taking account of measurement uncertainty. A newly applied marking may not show its true performance (excess drop-on materials, an oily surface), so it is measured only once its performance has developed — from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. A value measured on one occasion is not necessarily the average or typical value of that marking.

STATUS (state of the card on 29 September 2026). The card of PN-EN 1436:2018-02 (English version) has no withdrawal note — the standard is CURRENT. Published 09-02-2018, 31 pages, PKN technical committee KT 212 (Road Construction and Maintenance), ICS 93.080.30; "Introduces: EN 1436:2018 [IDT]"; "Supersedes: PN-EN 1436+A1:2008" (English and German versions). The card of PN-EN 1436:2007: withdrawn on 30-04-2009, superseded by PN-EN 1436+A1:2008. EN 1436:2018 was approved by CEN on 22 October 2017; it was prepared by CEN/TC 226 "Road equipment". The foreword lists the changes from EN 1436:2007+A1:2008, among others: the title extended with "and test methods", class Q5 for white markings on asphalt, class R5 for permanent yellow markings, new classes for the chromaticity of retroreflected light of yellow markings, Annex D (skid resistance measurement) deleted — replaced by a reference to EN 13036-4 (pendulum).

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17 September 2026, read on 28 September 2026). All records of number 1436: 36 entries at 14 laboratories. Forms: "PN-EN 1436:2018-02 Załącznik A" for Qd and "… Załącznik B" for RL — 10 laboratories; "PN-EN 1436:2018-02 zał. A/B" — AB 1483; "PN-EN 1436:2018 Załącznik A/B" — AB 1529; AB 1481 also records the withdrawn edition "PN-EN 1436+A1:2008" in the same entry; "PN-EN 1436" without the year — AB 424. The "Laboratories" tab searches for records BEGINNING with "PN-EN 1436" and will show 15 laboratories — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 29 September 2026: 15, because it also catches AB 742 with the standard PN-EN 14363 (railways), whose number begins with the same digits. Current scopes on the PCA website (read on 29 September 2026, issues from 11 July 2025 to 9 September 2026): all entries stand in the valid issues, every pair of range numbers from the copy appears in the current document and no entry is suspended; the full records of the reference documents agree with the copy. At AB 1483 the second Qd and RL entries (with a vehicle-mounted instrument) have an empty document field in the copy; in the PCA scope (issue no. 14 of 9 February 2026) the cells "PN-EN 1436:2018-02 zał. A" and "zał. B" are merged and cover both entries of each pair.

WHAT THEY MEASURE. Qd — all 14 laboratories, range (1 – 318) mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹ (AB 424 without a range); RL — also 14, range (1 – 2000) mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹. Usually "dry"; AB 1486 and AB 424 measure RL in the dry and in the wet state. With a portable instrument and one mounted on a vehicle (separate entries) — AB 1544 and AB 1545; from a vehicle — AB 1547 (next to entries without an instrument stated) and AB 1483 (in the copy); with a portable instrument — AB 1549. AB 424 ("Road marking materials", "Road traffic safety equipment") additionally has the luminance factor β and the chromaticity coordinates x, y (together with PN-EN 1871) and the skid resistance index (together with PN-EN 13036-4). The object at the others: "Horizontal road markings".

ALONGSIDE THIS STANDARD. The scopes cite Qd and RL of horizontal markings only with PN-EN 1436. Another part of the PN-EN 13036 series — longitudinal evenness measured with a profilograph (PN-EN 13036-6) — has a separate entry in this knowledge base.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. Tables 3–5 (RL classes in the dry state, in wetness and in rain), the content of Annexes A–C (measuring geometry, calibration, wetness and rain conditions, uncertainty) or the colour and skid resistance classes — we did not have those pages.

Method principle

Qd — the quotient of the luminance of a field of the marking by the illuminance under diffuse illumination — is measured according to Annex A in the direction of traffic; RL — the quotient of the luminance in the direction of observation by the illuminance perpendicular to the incident light, i.e. the brightness of the marking in the driver's own headlamps — according to Annex B, in the dry state, in wetness or in rain. The result is compared with performance classes (Tables 1–5) chosen by the client in the national specification. We DO NOT GIVE the measuring geometry and the RL classes — we did not have those pages.

Applications

• Acceptance and inspection of horizontal road markings — Qd and RL in the scopes of 14 laboratories
• Measurements with portable and vehicle-mounted instruments — AB 1544, AB 1545; from a vehicle also AB 1547 and AB 1483, portable AB 1549
• Colour (β, x, y) and skid resistance of markings — AB 424, together with PN-EN 1871 and PN-EN 13036-4

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 1436:2018-02 (wersja angielska; wprowadza EN 1436:2018 [IDT])

Title (PL)

Materiały do poziomego oznakowania dróg — Wymagania dotyczące poziomych oznakowań dróg dla użytkowników oraz metody badań

Title (EN)

Road marking materials — Road marking performance for road users and test methods

Step-by-step procedure

1. Timing of the measurement

   A fresh marking is measured only once its performance has developed — from a couple of days to a couple of weeks (introduction).

2. Qd

   Measurement in the direction of traffic according to Annex A; the result in mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹ is compared with the class from Table 1.

3. RL

   Measurement in the direction of traffic according to Annex B — dry marking (Table 3), in wetness (Table 4), in rain (Table 5).

4. Colour and skid resistance

   β and x, y according to Annex C; skid resistance (SRT) according to EN 13036-4.

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• Measurements on a road open to traffic — signing of the work site and protection of the measuring staff against traffic
• NOTE ON SUBSTANCE: for this standard the "Laboratories" tab also shows AB 742 (PN-EN 14363, railways) — a different standard whose number begins with 1436

Frequently asked questions