Why is thermoplastic 4 to 6 times more expensive per linear foot than traffic paint?

Thermoplastic at 125 mil contains 15-20 times the material thickness of traffic paint at 6-8 mil dry film. The hot-applied resin requires a melter at 410-430 degrees F, glass-bead drop applicators, and skilled operators. Material cost alone is 4-6x paint material cost. Labor and equipment add the rest. The trade-off is 4-8x lifespan.

What is the cheapest thermoplastic option per linear foot?

Hot-applied sprayed white at 80 mil from Crown Technology runs roughly $1.20 to $2.05 per LF installed in Pacific Northwest, the lowest in the category. Trade-off: lifespan is 4-6 years vs 6-8 years for extruded 125 mil. For lots under 2,500 ADT this can be the optimal choice.

Does cold-weather install affect thermoplastic price?

Yes. November-March installs in Pacific Northwest run 12-18 percent above peak summer pricing due to substrate-temperature monitoring labor, longer crew dispatch (waiting for warm-window time of day), and material spoilage from extended hold time at application temperature. For substrate below 50 degrees F, switch to MMA cold plastic which carries a different (higher) base price.

Is yellow thermoplastic always more expensive than white?

Yes, by 25-35 percent on installed price. Organic yellow oxide pigment costs significantly more than titanium dioxide white pigment. The cost gap widened in Q1 2026 because organic yellow ran 31 percent higher than Q1 2024 baselines while white pigment only ran 11 percent higher.

How accurate are per-LF pricing benchmarks?

Per-LF benchmarks are useful for back-of-envelope budgeting but real quotes will vary by 30-50 percent based on project scope (mobilization amortization), substrate condition (primer pass needed), color mix (yellow markup), build (sprayed vs extruded), and crew availability. Always get a project-specific line-itemed quote rather than relying on a benchmark.

Thermoplastic Pavement Marking Cost Per Linear Foot: 2026 Pricing Guide

Thermoplastic pavement marking installed cost runs $1.50 to $3.50 per linear foot for a 4-inch white line in 2026, with the median Pacific Northwest installed price landing at $1.95 to $2.85 per LF. Material cost makes up roughly 40-45 percent of that total ($0.85 to $1.40 per LF for AASHTO M249 hot-applied resin and AASHTO M247 glass beads). Labor, equipment mobilization, and crew time make up the remaining 55-60 percent. Yellow and high-vis colors carry a 25-35 percent premium over white. Sprayed application at 60-90 mil runs 30 percent below extruded at 125 mil but delivers proportionally shorter lifespan.

Below we break the per-linear-foot cost into material, labor, and equipment components, walk through the factors that move the price up or down, and show how the cost stacks up against traffic paint over a 6-year window.

What does thermoplastic cost per linear foot in 2026?

Industry Baseline Range

Application	Build	Color	Range per LF (4-inch line)
Hot-applied extruded	125 mil	White	$1.95 to $3.50
Hot-applied extruded	125 mil	Yellow	$2.40 to $4.20
Hot-applied extruded	90 mil	White	$1.65 to $2.95
Hot-applied sprayed	80 mil	White	$1.20 to $2.40
Hot-applied sprayed	80 mil	Yellow	$1.45 to $2.85
Hot-applied extruded	125 mil	High-vis green (bike lane)	$3.20 to $5.40

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.

For wider stripes, multiply roughly proportionally:

6-inch line at 1.5x the 4-inch price
8-inch line at 2.0x the 4-inch price
12-inch stop bar at 3.0x the 4-inch price

Current Market Reality

2026 thermoplastic resin pricing climbed 18-22 percent over 2024 because hydrocarbon resin tracks crude oil and the EPA glass-bead lead-content reformulation pushed mid-2025 bead pricing up 9 percent. Yellow pigment is the largest cost-mover: organic yellow oxide ran 31 percent higher in Q1 2026 than Q1 2024. Cojo's Salem and Eugene crews see installed prices ~12-18 percent above 2024 baselines, with Bend high-desert work running another 5-8 percent above I-5 corridor pricing due to mobilization distance.

What is the material vs labor split?

A typical 4-inch white extruded line at 125 mil decomposes:

Cost Element	$ per LF	Share
AASHTO M249 hot-applied resin	$0.62 to $0.95	28 to 36 percent
AASHTO M247 Type I glass beads (drop-on)	$0.05 to $0.12	2 to 4 percent
Equipment fuel and depreciation	$0.15 to $0.30	7 to 11 percent
Crew labor (operator + helper)	$0.65 to $1.20	30 to 40 percent
Mobilization and trip charge (amortized)	$0.20 to $0.45	9 to 15 percent
Overhead, insurance, profit	$0.30 to $0.65	12 to 20 percent

The takeaway: material is less than half of installed cost. A $0.10 per LF resin price increase moves installed cost ~$0.10. A 15-percent labor rate increase moves installed cost ~$0.15. Labor and crew availability are bigger cost-movers than the material itself.

What factors move the per-LF price up or down?

Up

Yellow or high-vis color -- pigment cost is 25-35 percent higher than white
Cold-window install -- November or early-spring jobs run 12-18 percent higher
Small job size -- under 800 LF, the mobilization charge dominates and per-LF goes up
High-traffic site requiring overnight or weekend work -- shift differentials add 25-40 percent
Bend, Redmond, La Grande high-desert -- mobilization distance adds 5-12 percent
Concrete substrate requiring primer -- adds $0.20-$0.35 per LF for primer pass
State-DOT-funded project -- documentation and substrate-temperature monitoring add 5-10 percent

Down

Large continuous job over 2,500 LF -- mobilization amortizes, per-LF drops 8-15 percent
White color only -- standard pricing
Peak summer install (June-September) -- crew availability is high, scheduling is flexible
I-5 corridor location (Portland to Eugene) -- shortest mobilization
Existing thermoplastic pavement (no primer needed) -- saves the primer pass cost

How does Cojo build a thermoplastic quote?

A real Cojo project quote from a 22,000-square-foot Eugene retail center (1,840 LF of stalls + 6 ADA aisles + 4 directional arrows) striped August 2025:

Line Item	Quantity	Unit	Subtotal
Hot-applied extruded white 4-inch line, 125 mil, AASHTO M249	1,840 LF	$2.10 / LF	$3,864
Hot-applied sprayed blue 4-inch ADA aisle hatching	240 LF	$1.55 / LF	$372
Preformed ADA International Symbol of Accessibility, 36 inch x 36 inch	6 ea	$135 / ea	$810
Preformed directional arrow, 9 ft x 4 ft	4 ea	$165 / ea	$660
Mobilization (one-time)	1	$450	$450
Substrate prep (broom, blow, primer where needed)	1	$385	$385
Total	$6,541

Per-LF on the line work alone (1,840 + 240 LF = 2,080 LF): $4,236 / 2,080 = $2.04 per LF blended. Per-LF including symbols and mobilization: $6,541 / 2,080 = $3.14 per LF all-in.

This is why "what does thermoplastic cost per LF" is hard to answer without a project scope. The line-only number and the project-total number are both valid and they tell different stories.

How does thermoplastic compare to traffic paint over time?

A 6-year TCO comparison on the same 22,000-square-foot Eugene lot:

Year	Thermoplastic	Traffic Paint (waterborne acrylic)
0 (initial install)	$6,541	$2,180
1	--	--
2 (paint repaint)	--	$2,180
3	--	--
4 (paint repaint)	--	$2,180
5	--	--
6 (paint repaint)	--	$2,180
6-year cumulative	$6,541	$8,720

Thermoplastic wins by $2,179 over 6 years on this lot at moderate ADT. At higher traffic counts (above 5,000 ADT), the traffic-paint repaint cycle accelerates to 18 months instead of 24 and the gap widens further.

For light-traffic HOA lots under 1,500 ADT where paint can hold for 30+ months, traffic paint TCO wins. See our thermoplastic vs paint decision by ADT writeup for the full break-even math by traffic count. For service-side striping pricing context, our existing line striping cost guide covers the labor-side pricing.

What about preformed thermoplastic cost?

Preformed thermoplastic is priced per square foot of finished symbol, not per linear foot. Industry baseline range $9 to $24 per square foot for AASHTO M250 preformed sheet, installed. A 36-inch x 36-inch ADA stencil at 9 square feet of finished area runs roughly $80 to $215 installed depending on brand and substrate prep. For full preformed pricing detail see our preformed thermoplastic cost per square foot writeup.

How should buyers compare quotes?

When you receive multiple thermoplastic quotes, compare:

Material brand and SKU (Ennis-Flint, Crown, SealMaster, Pervo)
AASHTO M249 compliance documentation
Build thickness (90 mil sprayed vs 125 mil extruded)
Glass-bead drop rate (8-12 lb per 100 sq-ft per AASHTO M247)
Color (white vs yellow vs high-vis)
Mobilization charge separate vs amortized
Substrate prep included or extra

A quote that lists only "thermoplastic striping $X" with no SKU, no build, and no bead rate is incomplete. Push back for a line-itemed scope.

Get a Per-LF Thermoplastic Quote for Your Lot

Cojo provides line-itemed thermoplastic quotes with manufacturer SKU, AASHTO compliance reference, build thickness, and bead rate on every project. Contact Cojo for a per-linear-foot thermoplastic quote on your specific scope. For Eugene-area service availability, see our thermoplastic installation Eugene Oregon page.

Thermoplastic Pavement Marking Cost Per Linear Foot: 2026 Pricing Guide