Traffic Paint Cost Per Gallon: 2026 Pricing Guide ($25-$95)

Traffic paint runs $25 to $95 per gallon in 2026, with chemistry, color, and quantity all driving the spread. This is product-only pricing -- not service pricing. For service pricing (paint plus labor plus mobilization on a striping job), see the existing Cojo guide on line striping cost guide. This article focuses on what the can, pail, or drum costs at the distributor.

What is the headline price for traffic paint?

Industry Baseline Range

Chemistry	Per Gallon	Per 5-Gallon Pail	Per 55-Gallon Drum
Waterborne acrylic, white	$25 to $40	$115 to $185	$1,150 to $1,800
Waterborne acrylic, federal yellow	$30 to $45	$135 to $210	$1,350 to $2,000
Fast-dry waterborne acrylic	$32 to $52	$145 to $240	$1,450 to $2,300
Solvent-based alkyd	$35 to $65	$165 to $310	$1,650 to $3,000
Two-component epoxy	$55 to $95	$260 to $460	n/a (not stocked in drums)
Methyl methacrylate (MMA)	$90 to $160	$410 to $740	n/a (not stocked in drums)
Aerosol stripe paint (per 17-20 oz can)	$7 to $14	n/a	n/a

These figures reflect published industry averages. Current market pricing varies significantly and actual quotes may fall well outside these ranges based on site-specific conditions, material costs, and project complexity.

Current Market Reality

2026 traffic paint pricing is running 18 to 28 percent above pre-2022 baselines. Three drivers:

• Titanium dioxide pigment. TiO2 is the white pigment in most paint and a key whitener in colored paint. Global TiO2 supply tightened in 2024 to 2025 and pricing has not fully relaxed.
• Resin and monomer costs. Acrylic latex monomers, MMA monomer, and epoxy resin precursors all moved up sharply post-2022.
• Freight on heavy pails and drums. Diesel pricing and trucking capacity push freight costs up disproportionately on heavy paint shipments. Pacific Northwest freight from Midwest manufacturers often adds $80 to $200 per pallet.

Why is yellow more expensive than white?

Federal yellow traffic paint runs roughly 1.3 to 1.5 times the price of white per gallon because:

• Pigment cost. Modern organic yellow pigments (lead-chromate substitutes per EPA's 1996 phase-out) cost more than the titanium dioxide white-pigment chemistry.
• Lower hiding power. Yellow requires more pigment loading per gallon to achieve the same coverage opacity, so per-gallon manufacturing cost is higher.
• Smaller production volume. White waterborne acrylic outsells yellow roughly 2-to-1 in U.S. parking-lot work. Smaller production runs carry higher per-gallon overhead.

Why is solvent alkyd more expensive than waterborne?

Solvent alkyd traffic paint runs $10 to $20 per gallon more than waterborne acrylic in 2026 because:

• Solvent costs. Mineral spirits and naphtha solvents in alkyd are subject to crude oil pricing, which has been volatile.
• Production volume has fallen. As state and federal VOC rules tightened, alkyd production volume dropped, raising per-gallon overhead.
• Specialty handling. Solvent alkyd inventory requires Class 1B flammable liquid storage under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106, which adds cost at the distributor level.

For a chemistry-side breakdown of why each system carries the price it does, see factors affecting traffic paint cost.

How does pail or drum quantity change the price?

Quantity	Typical Per-Gallon Discount vs Single Gallon
Single 1-gallon can	Reference (no discount)
5-gallon pail	8 to 15 percent lower per gallon
55-gallon drum	18 to 28 percent lower per gallon

The break-even on a 55-gallon drum versus pails depends on annual volume. A crew running fewer than 1,500 LF of stripe per year is better off in pails. Above that, drums pay back within 12 to 18 months.

What about freight and storage?

Two costs that show up after the per-gallon line:

• Freight on full pallets. $80 to $200 per pallet from Midwest manufacturers to Pacific Northwest distributors. LTL on partial pallets runs higher.
• Storage. Waterborne acrylic shelf life is 12 months unopened, 6 months opened. Solvent alkyd is 18 to 24 months unopened. Epoxy and MMA components have shorter shelf lives once opened. Crews running multiple sites need climate-controlled storage that protects from freeze-thaw.

Why do data sheets sometimes list prices that look low?

Manufacturer published prices are typically dealer-distributor prices, not contractor or end-user prices. Add 12 to 18 percent for distributor margin and you reach the typical contractor cost. Add another 25 to 40 percent for full-service applicator pricing on a job. The Federal Highway Administration's pavement marking cost data (referenced in the FHWA Office of Asset Management) discusses this layering for state DOT contracts.

How does color stability affect long-term cost?

Yellow traffic paint fades faster in UV than white because the organic yellow pigments are more sensitive to ultraviolet degradation than titanium dioxide. On a sunny lot in Bend or Eastern Oregon, yellow may need touch-up at 14 to 18 months while white still holds at 22 months. The total cost over 5 years for an all-yellow lot can run 12 to 18 percent above an all-white lot just from repaint frequency. For broader UV and lifespan context, see our traffic paint chemistry comparison.

What is the per-stall paint cost?

A typical parking stall takes about 24 LF of 4-inch stripe (two 12-foot sides) and uses roughly 0.075 gallons of waterborne acrylic at 15 wet mil. At $30 per gallon, that is $2.25 of paint per stall. ADA stalls with hatching and ISA symbols use 4 to 6 times that. For the per-stall breakdown including bead drop and primer when needed, see traffic paint cost per stall paint only.

Cojo product-cost example -- April 2026 retail center

In April 2026 we re-striped a 27,000-square-foot retail center off Allen Boulevard in Beaverton. Material costs only:

• 11 gallons Sherwin-Williams Setfast Acrylic, federal white: $341
• 2 gallons Setfast Acrylic, federal yellow: $74
• 66 lb AASHTO M247 Type I glass beads: $58
• 4 cans Krylon Quik-Mark for ADA stencil work: $42

Total material: $515 across 142 stalls plus 2 ADA spaces -- about $3.58 per stall in materials. Service-side pricing is in our line striping cost guide. For Portland-area distributor mapping, see traffic paint supply Portland Oregon.

Get a traffic paint product quote.

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