What size stencil do I need for parking stall numbers?

12-inch character height for multifamily and HOA assigned parking, 18-inch for fleet yard and inventory tracking, 24-inch for dock-door numbering. Three-digit and four-digit numbers may need to drop one size class to fit within stall width.

What font is required for parking stall numbers?

MUTCD §3B-21 specifies Series C font for pavement applications. Series C is a clean, slightly extended sans-serif with a 1:6 stroke-to-height ratio (a 12-inch character has a 2-inch stroke).

How long do painted stall numbers last?

Water-based traffic paint: 12 to 18 months. Solvent-based: 18 to 24 months. Thermoplastic: 4 to 6 years. Pre-formed thermoplastic: 5 to 8 years. High-traffic and tire-scrub locations reduce lifespans by 25 to 40 percent.

Where should the number go on a parking stall?

Front of stall (18 inches inside curb) for maximum visibility while driving in. Center of stall for tire-scrub avoidance. Back of stall on curb or wall face for the longest lifespan. Front-of-stall is most common for multifamily; back-of-stall is preferred for assigned-resident parking with curbs.

How much does it cost to stencil parking stall numbers?

Industry baseline is $8 to $25 per stall total (paint, labor, materials). A 100-stall numbered project runs $850 to $2,500. Three-digit and four-digit numbers add 30 to 50 percent to labor.

Parking Stencils for Numbering: Stall Number Specs & MUTCD Compliance

Parking Stencils for Numbering: How to Spec Stall Numbers Right

A parking stall number stencil is a reusable or disposable template used to paint sequential numbers on parking-stall pavement for assigned parking, fleet inventory, multifamily resident parking, or visitor management. Stencil sets typically include digits 0 through 9 in 12-inch, 18-inch, or 24-inch character heights, painted in white, yellow, or red traffic paint. The MUTCD §3B-21 governs character proportion (Series C font, 1:6 stroke-to-height ratio) and the FHWA's Standard Highway Signs handbook provides exact dimensions for legible-from-vehicle pavement letters.

Below is how we size the stencil, pick the font, spec the paint, and walk the install on every numbered-stall job.

Why Use Stenciled Stall Numbers?

Stenciled numbers serve four common use cases:

Assigned parking: residential apartments, condos, HOAs.
Fleet inventory: distribution centers tracking trucks, trailers, or rental vehicles.
Visitor management: corporate campuses with reserved visitor spots.
Subdivided commercial: tenant-assigned spots in multi-tenant buildings.

The Cojo crew installed 246 numbered stalls at a Tualatin multifamily complex in February 2026. Numbers ran 1 through 246 in 12-inch white-paint stencils placed at the front of each stall, 18 inches inside the curb. Three-digit numbers (100 through 246) used 10-inch height to fit within the stall width.

What Number Sizes Should I Use?

Use Case	Recommended Height	Recommended Width per Digit
Multifamily / HOA assigned	12 inches	8 inches
Fleet yard / inventory	18 inches	12 inches
Distribution center / dock door	24 inches	16 inches
Visitor management	12 inches	8 inches
Reserved corporate	12 to 18 inches	8 to 12 inches

Three-digit and four-digit numbers may need to drop one size class to fit within the stall width without crowding. A 9-foot-wide stall accommodates roughly 5 feet of stenciled number; 12-inch digits at 8-inch width fit 7-character spans.

What Font Does MUTCD Recommend?

MUTCD §3B-21 specifies Series C font for pavement-letter applications. Series C is a clean, slightly extended sans-serif designed for legibility from a moving vehicle at 25 to 35 mph. The FHWA's Standard Highway Signs handbook provides exact stroke-width specifications:

1:6 stroke-to-height ratio - a 12-inch character has a 2-inch stroke
Square-cornered geometry - no rounded terminals
Vertical strokes equal weight to horizontal strokes

For our parking stencil MUTCD letter spec deep-dive, see the full spec breakdown.

What Paint Should I Use?

Paint Type	Lifespan	Best Use	Industry Baseline Range (per stencil)
Water-based traffic paint	12 to 18 months	Budget multifamily, HOA	$4 to $10
Solvent-based traffic paint	18 to 24 months	High-traffic fleet yards	$6 to $14
Thermoplastic (hot-melt)	4 to 6 years	Permanent fleet, distribution	$25 to $55
Pre-formed thermoplastic	5 to 8 years	Premium long-life applications	$40 to $90
Epoxy paint	2 to 3 years	Indoor decks, garages	$10 to $22

For high-cycle parking lots (multifamily turnover, fleet rotation), thermoplastic outperforms paint by 3 to 5 times in lifespan. For our parking stencil cost breakdown, see the dedicated guide.

Where Does the Number Go on the Stall?

Three placement conventions, each with different visibility and longevity tradeoffs:

Front of Stall (Curb-Side)

Number painted 18 inches inside the curb at the head of the stall. Most visible to driver pulling in. Most worn by tire scrub from steering. Lifespan: 12 to 18 months on water-based paint.

Center of Stall

Number painted at the center of the stall along the long axis. Less worn by tire scrub but partially obscured by parked vehicle. Lifespan: 18 to 24 months.

Back of Stall (Curb or Wall Face)

Number painted on the curb face or back wall. Most durable but only visible when stall is empty. Best for assigned parking where the resident knows their stall.

The Cojo crew uses front-of-stall placement on 80 percent of multifamily and HOA jobs and back-of-stall placement for assigned-resident parking where curbs or walls offer the durable surface.

How to Install Numbered Stencils

The Cojo standard procedure:

Lay out stall positions and verify number sequence with the property owner.
Position the disposable stencil or reusable stencil board.
Paint with a paint roller (water-based) or spray applicator (solvent or thermoplastic) - 2 passes for water-based, 1 pass for solvent and thermoplastic.
Lift the stencil and re-position for the next number.
Cure: 30 minutes for water-based dry-to-touch, 4 hours dry-to-vehicle. Solvent: 2 hours dry-to-touch, 12 hours dry-to-vehicle. Thermoplastic: 5 minutes cool to touch, 30 minutes ready for traffic.

For a 246-stall multifamily project, a 2-person Cojo crew completes the numbering in 1.5 to 2 work days using 12-inch stencils and water-based paint.

Industry Baseline Range

Component	Industry Baseline Range
12-inch stencil set (digits 0 to 9) - reusable	$80 to $200
18-inch stencil set - reusable	$140 to $320
24-inch stencil set - reusable	$220 to $450
Paint per stenciled number (water-based)	$3 to $8
Paint per stenciled number (thermoplastic)	$25 to $55
Labor per number painted (3-digit)	$5 to $14
Total per stall (paint, labor, materials)	$8 to $25
100-stall numbered project total	$850 to $2,500

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

Stencil-set prices held flat through 2025. Water-based traffic-paint prices rose 8 to 14 percent. Thermoplastic rose 12 to 18 percent. Add 5 to 10 percent for prevailing-wage projects. Three-digit and four-digit numbering adds 30 to 50 percent to per-stall labor over single-digit numbering.

Should You Use Reusable or Disposable Stencils?

Project Size	Recommended
Under 30 stalls	Disposable
30 to 100 stalls	Either
100-plus stalls	Reusable
Annual re-stenciling	Reusable

For our parking stencil reusable vs disposable deep-dive, see the comparison article.

Get a Numbered-Stall Striping Quote

Stenciled stall numbers are the simplest way to organize multifamily, fleet, and assigned-parking lots. Cojo specs, supplies, and applies number stencils across the Willamette Valley and Portland metro using MUTCD-compliant Series C characters. Contact Cojo for a numbered-stall quote, or read our parking stencil guide for the full product overview.