Delineators: What They Are and What They Do

As defined by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), delineators are "retro-reflective devices typically mounted above the roadway surface and at continuous intervals along the side of the roadway to indicate alignment of the roadway."

An often overlooked and unsung hero of highway infrastructure, delineator’s niche but very important role in highway safety of distinguishing roadways and barrier placement comes from their simple, but effective design, with their reflective sheeting being especially visible during the night or inclement weather. At PSS, we design several types of delineators, each developed with specific applications.



The largest delineator PSS offers, QuikMark, is 12” long and up to 8” wide (depending on configuration) and is designed primarily for permanent traffic barriers. With the larger variants of QuikMark containing 96 square inches of reflective sheeting, they are the optimal delineator for larger, permanent traffic structures. QuikMark meets both state and federal specifications, and uses a secure, high-impact bracket that ensures it is safe to use on high-speed roadways. QuikMark is available in orange, white, and yellow sheeting. The sheeting for all our delineators comes from 3M and can be ordered with whatever state-specific sheeting is required.



While QuikMark is designed for concrete barrier delineation, QuikGard is designed for guard rails. QuikGard utilizes the reflective capabilities of QuikMark but features an L-type mounting bracket that is on the same plane as the sheeting, allowing for convenient mounting on guard rails. Like QuikMark, QuikGard comes in standard delineator colors, and comes in three sizes, ranging from a 3”x4” reflective area, all the way up to a 4”x13” sheeted area. QuikGard is available in white, yellow, and red sheeting.



QuikMark and QuikGard, despite their different use cases, are very similar devices: they are sheeted, rigid plastic devices with mounting hardware unique to their intentions. Another delineator we developed, BAM, is unique in our delineator range in that it utilizes a flexible hinge mounting design. This hinge is designed to reduce the cost of replacement/maintenance of a delineator, as the flexibility permits it to withstand more force from a collision to the barrier. Its compact size and light weight make it ideal for horizontal mounting, allowing it to be used in conjunction with QuikMark; QM on the top of the barricade, BAM on the side. BAM also utilizes a plastic lens to enhance its reflective capabilities. It is mounted with adhesive, and comes in red, amber, and white sheeting colors.



All of these devices are designed with traffic barricades in mind, permanent or otherwise. Panelite, on the other hand, is designed as an inexpensive replacement for Type 3 warning lights, often used atop traffic drums and other channelizers. Panelite shares its design with QuikMark and QuikGard, utilizing reflective sheeting on a lightweight, plastic body that can be mounted as needed. Panelite, on the other hand, is much smaller than QuikMark to be comfortably mounted on a traffic drum. Through its size and specificity, Panelite serves as an inexpensive, yet still effective replacement for traditional traffic drum warning lights.Delineators can often be overlooked. They are among the smallest and least intrusive of all traffic infrastructure, yet when miles of visible information are needed, on a dark night or snowy morning, they are there. They are standard, they are unimaginably common, but they will always be needed.

Click to learn more about our family of delineators.