A reflective glass bead does not change when it crosses a border — its designation does. The same recycled glass microsphere can be ordered as an AS/NZS Type C, quoted as an EN 1423 drop-on bead, and submitted as an AASHTO M 247 Type 1, because each market fixes a different combination of gradation, optical requirement and test method. This guide maps one bead portfolio across those frameworks so a buyer can match a market to the right designation before the purchase order is issued.

Dylantech — Dylan Technology Co., Ltd., a LangFang-based manufacturer of glass beads for the road safety industry since 2004 — supplies reflective glass beads, drop-on and pre-mixed grades, and industrial beads from four production bases in Liaoning, Shanxi, Hebei and Henan. The designations mapped here are AS/NZS Type B, Type C and Type D; EN 1423 and EN 1424 together with the BS 6088A and BS 6088B class letters; AASHTO M 247 Type 1 through Type 4; and the TYPE IA, IB, IIA, IIB and IIC codes used inside the product line.

The article is written for the decision stage. You already know you need reflective glass beads; the remaining questions are which designation goes into the contract, which values belong on the certificate, and which acceptance criteria attach to the delivery.

Why a Designation Mismatch Is a Procurement Problem, Not an Optical One

Bead chemistry and roundness are manufacturing properties. Designation is a legal one. When a shipment is rejected at the site gate, the cause is rarely that the beads are dull — it is that the certificate names a different framework, a different edition, or a different application mode than the clause in the tender.

Three failure modes account for most of these disputes.

Application mode confusion. European practice separates drop-on materials from pre-mixed beads. EN 1423 specifies the requirements applicable to glass beads, anti-skid aggregates and the mixture of the two that are applied as drop-on materials on road markings; EN 1424 is the standard referenced for pre-mixed glass beads. Hong Kong road-marking guidance and its sample specification follow exactly this split: drop-on glass beads shall comply with BS EN 1423, pre-mixed glass beads with BS EN 1424, and the refractive index shall conform to at least Class A (n ≥ 1.5). A supplier who quotes “EN compliant beads” without naming which of the two documents applies has not yet made a compliant offer.

Edition drift. AASHTO M 247 was revised in 2026. The current M 247-26 defines Type 0 as a uniform gradation, Type 1 as the standard gradation, and Types 2 through 5 as modified gradations. A purchase order copied from an older template may quote a type list that no longer matches the edition in force, while the laboratory tests to the current document.

National or state overlay. Federal and regional standards are frequently only the first layer. The Texas Department of Transportation, for example, requires road-marking beads to conform to DMS-8290, specifies three bead gradations under that document, and tests them with Tex-831-B. Meeting AASHTO alone does not produce a Texas acceptance.

The certificate, not the bead, is the acceptance document in most tenders — the standard, the edition and the designation all have to appear on it.

What the 2026 Bead Market Actually Looks Like

The global market for glass beads used in road marking was valued at USD 1.18 billion in 2025, and standard 1.5 refractive index beads account for 54.0% of that value. That share exists because most conventional road-marking specifications are written around a minimum index rather than a target index. High-index products sit on top of that baseline: Potters Industries lists standard 1.5 and high-reflective 1.9 refractive index variants, while the Dylantech portfolio is offered in RI 1.6 and RI 1.7 options.

Two consequences follow for buyers.

First, refractive index is a threshold question in most tenders, not a differentiator. Where a specification states a minimum of n ≥ 1.5 — as in the Hong Kong Class A requirement — beads declared at 1.6 or 1.7 clear that threshold, but they do not automatically satisfy the gradation, roundness or coating requirements listed beside it. Second, the competitive difference between suppliers concentrates in consistency: whether the gradation in the bag matches the gradation on the certificate, batch after batch, and whether the paperwork survives an audit.

The supplier landscape is mature. SWARCO states that it has manufactured reflective glass beads for road markings since 1969, with production facilities in Europe, the United States and Saudi Arabia. Against that background, the practical question for a buyer is not who can produce a bead, but who can document a bead against the specific framework the project cites.

The Four-Layer Mapping Model

Every regional scheme can be reduced to four layers. Work through them in order and the designation resolves itself.

1. Jurisdiction. Which document governs acceptance at the delivery point — AS/NZS, EN, BS, AASHTO, or a state or national specification layered on top of one of them?
2. Application mode. Is the bead dropped onto the wet film, or pre-mixed into the binder? This single question decides between EN 1423 and EN 1424 and, in several markets, between two different gradation sets.
3. Designation. The letter or number inside the scheme — Type B, Type C, Type D, Type 1 to Type 4, Class A or Class B, TYPE IA to IIC.
4. Declared values. Refractive index, particle size scope, roundness, coating, and the test method the certificate refers to.

AS/NZS Type B, Type C and Type D

In Australia and New Zealand, beads are ordered under an AS/NZS designation, and the product line addresses that market through three grades: Type B, Type C and Type D. The three letters are not interchangeable, and they are not a quality ladder in the marketing sense — they are gradation and application classes that a specifier selects to match the marking system and the road category.

For a buyer, three practical points matter. First, an AS/NZS designation must be declared as AS/NZS, with the edition, on both the quotation and the certificate of analysis; an EN 1423 certificate does not become an AS/NZS Type C certificate because the bead is the same. Second, the three types should be treated as three separate order lines with three separate retained samples, because acceptance testing at the destination will be performed against the type named in the contract. Third, where a project permits substitution between types, the substitution rule should be written into the purchase order by the buyer before shipment, not negotiated afterwards.

EN 1423, EN 1424 and the BS 6088A / BS 6088B Question

European acceptance works through a pair of documents rather than a single one. EN 1423 covers drop-on materials — glass beads, anti-skid aggregates and mixtures of the two applied on top of the marking. EN 1424 covers pre-mixed beads. The pair is used as a pair in procurement guidance: the Hong Kong Highways Department sample specification requires drop-on beads to comply with BS EN 1423 and pre-mixed beads to comply with BS EN 1424, with a refractive index of at least Class A (n ≥ 1.5).

BS 6088A and BS 6088B belong to the same family of UK-derived designations and continue to appear in tender documents and supplier listings, where “BS 6088 Class A beads” is a familiar catalogue line. The trap is treating a BS class letter as a synonym for an EN class. When a tender cites BS 6088A or BS 6088B, the order should name that document and that class letter, and the declaration should be issued against it; when the tender cites EN 1423 or EN 1424, the class definition inside the EN document governs. Two documents, one delivery — if the specification cites both, request both declarations.

AASHTO M 247 and the State Overlay

In the United States, AASHTO M 247-26 is the entry point. The current edition defines Type 0 as a uniform gradation, Type 1 as the standard gradation, and Types 2 through 5 as modified gradations. Suppliers and buyers commonly work with Type 1 through Type 4 in day-to-day correspondence; the discipline that matters is quoting the exact type number from the edition the project references, because a modified gradation is defined by its own curve, not by a description.

The state overlay is where most US orders are actually decided. Texas requires conformity to DMS-8290 with three gradations tested under Tex-831-B; other states maintain their own qualified-product lists and sampling protocols. The consequence for an overseas buyer is straightforward: AASHTO compliance is the entry ticket, and the state document is the acceptance document. An order shipped against “AASHTO M 247” alone can still be rejected at a state laboratory.

What the TYPE IA, IB, IIA, IIB and IIC Codes Are For

Inside the product line, beads are also grouped under the internal codes TYPE IA, IB, IIA, IIB and IIC. These codes are useful for order entry, stock planning and repeatability: they let a distributor reorder the same physical product across markets without renegotiating the specification each time.

They are not a compliance claim by themselves. An internal code does not replace an AS/NZS type, an EN class or an AASHTO type, and a certificate issued only against an internal code will not close a tender. The correct practice is dual declaration: the internal code for the factory and the distributor, plus the external designation for the authority. This keeps the supply chain simple without weakening the documentation.

Where RI 1.6, RI 1.7 and 850–180 µm, 710–125 µm and 1700–710 µm Fit

Refractive index and particle size are properties; designations are combinations of properties. That distinction explains why the same bead can look compliant on a datasheet and still fail a tender.

On optics, the portfolio offers RI 1.6 and RI 1.7 beads alongside standard grades. Where a framework sets a minimum — n ≥ 1.5 in the Hong Kong Class A example — the higher-index options clear the threshold with margin, and their value is realised in programmes that specify a higher index or a higher retroreflective performance class for night and wet-night visibility. Where a framework simply states 1.5, ordering 1.7 is a commercial decision rather than a compliance requirement, and it should be justified by the performance class in the tender rather than by the datasheet.

On size, the portfolio is offered in three scopes — 850–180 µm, 710–125 µm and 1700–710 µm — with custom sizes available on request. The coarse 1700–710 µm scope and the two finer scopes behave differently in application: gradation controls embedment and bead retention in the film, while refractive index controls how much light returns. A tender's type or class designation is primarily a statement about gradation, so the size scope must always be declared next to the standard, never assumed from it.

Finally, all beads described here are made from recycled glass and are available in transparent, opaque or mixed colour, with smooth or matte finishes. Colour and finish are order attributes rather than designation attributes: they belong in the specification as additional requirements, listed separately from the compliance clause, so that a colour deviation does not become a compliance dispute.

Batch records travel with the shipment: Dylantech's laboratory uses CAMSIZER and X-2600 instruments for particle size, reflectivity and wear-resistance checks under an ISO 9001 quality management system.

Seven Steps from Tender Clause to Order Line

This sequence converts a compliance requirement into a purchase order that a laboratory can verify.

1. Name the governing document at the destination, not the origin. Write the standard number, the edition and the jurisdiction. For AASHTO work add the state specification, such as DMS-8290 in Texas; for European work state whether EN 1423 or EN 1424 applies.
2. Fix the application mode. Drop-on or pre-mixed. This decides which document the certificate must cite and, in several markets, which gradation family is acceptable.
3. Convert the designation into three numbers. Refractive index minimum, particle size scope, and test method. If any of the three is missing from the tender, request written clarification before quoting.
4. Request the declaration per designation. The supplier should issue the certificate against each framework separately. A single “multi-standard” line item is a warning sign, not a convenience.
5. Attach batch data. Ask for the batch record covering particle size and optical properties, and confirm that it travels with the shipment rather than staying in the factory.
6. Write acceptance criteria into the purchase order. Name the retained sample, the retest method, the acceptable deviation and the dispute procedure. Acceptance criteria that exist only in email are not acceptance criteria.
7. Validate by sample before the bulk order. Test the sample against the tender method, keep the retained sample sealed, and make the bulk order reference the approved sample number.

Four Procurement Scenarios

An Australian or New Zealand contractor resurfacing a highway

The relevant document is the AS/NZS designation written into the project specification. The order should name Type B, Type C or Type D exactly as written, with the edition, and should not be filled by substitution from a European grade. Where the contractor also imports pre-mixed material, the two order lines are declared separately, because drop-on and pre-mixed materials are governed by different clauses.

A European distributor supplying several countries

EN 1423 for drop-on and EN 1424 for pre-mixed is the baseline, with BS 6088A and BS 6088B appearing wherever UK-derived specifications remain in use. The distributor's interest is a single physical bead that can be declared against more than one designation; the internal TYPE IA to IIC codes make that manageable in stock terms, provided each shipment carries the external declaration the receiving country requires.

A US contractor preparing a state submittal

AASHTO M 247-26 defines the type number; the state document defines acceptance. For Texas, conformity to DMS-8290 with three gradations tested under Tex-831-B is the operative requirement. A submittal package should include the type number from the current edition and the gradation curve, not a generic compliance statement.

A multi-market distributor consolidating SKUs

Rather than holding a separate bead for every framework, the distributor maps one physical product to several declarations: the same 850–180 µm RI 1.6 material can serve as a drop-on grade in one market and as part of a type-based gradation in another, provided the gradation and index meet each document. The savings come from disciplined documentation, not from asking the factory to relabel a product.

In application, gradation controls bead embedment and retention while refractive index controls how much light returns to the driver.

Comparison: How the Frameworks Differ

The table below places the frameworks side by side on the criteria that decide an order, rather than on the criteria that fill a brochure.

Comparison: Portfolio Performance Against Common Baselines

The performance figures below describe how the Dylantech portfolio compares with three baselines that appear in most tender justifications.

Option Matrix: What Comes After the Designation

Dylan Technology Co., Ltd. holds ISO 9001, CE, JIS and KIS certification; a scheme-specific declaration is still required for each destination framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Match the Market First, Then the Model

The designation is the product in a compliance purchase. A bead that meets a gradation and an index but carries the wrong declaration is, for the receiving authority, the wrong bead — and the cost of that error is a rejected load, a re-test and a resurfaced schedule, not a small quality variance.

Three questions resolve most of the mapping work. Which document governs acceptance at the destination, and in which edition? Is the material drop-on or pre-mixed, which decides between EN 1423 and EN 1424? And which designation inside that scheme does the tender name — AS/NZS Type B, C or D, a BS 6088A or 6088B class letter, or an AASHTO M 247 type? Once those three are fixed, the internal TYPE IA to IIC code becomes what it should be: a factory and stock reference, paired with an external declaration.

Dylantech works from that sequence. The portfolio is made from recycled glass, offered with RI 1.6 and RI 1.7 options in 850–180 µm, 710–125 µm and 1700–710 µm scopes, with custom sizes available on request, and it is documented against the framework the buyer's market actually applies rather than against a single generic standard.

Order pack: designation statement, batch test record and product brochure, issued for the framework your market applies.