Road Marking Calculation & Estimation: A JKR-Based Guide

A comprehensive table of JKR road marking “Types” (1 to 11)

JKR Type	Description	Width (W)	Stroke (S) / Gap (G)	Common Application
Type 1	Continuity Line	150mm	1.0m / 1.0m	Intersections / Lane changes
Type 2	Give-Way Line	200mm	0.6m / 0.3m	Minor road entering major road
Type 3	Center / Lane Line	100mm	1.0m / 2.0m	Urban Area (Housing/City)
Type 4	Center / Lane Line	100mm	3.0m / 3.0m	Sub-urban collector roads
Type 5	Center / Lane Line	100mm	4.5m / 7.5m	Rural Area (Main Federal Roads)
Type 6	Edge / Channelising	150mm	Continuous (Solid)	Main Road Edges (Red Arrows)
Type 7	Stop Line	300mm	Continuous (Solid)	Junctions (with Pedestrians)
Type 8	Stop Line	300mm	Continuous (Solid)	Signalized Junctions
Type 9	Pedestrian (Zebra)	600mm	2.5m – 4.0m Length	Pedestrian Crossings
Type 10	Double Line	100mm (x2)	Continuous (Solid)	No Passing Zones
Type 11	Climbing Lane	150mm	0.9m / 0.9m	Steep hills (Uphill sections)

1. The “Palm” Width (100mm)

Types 3, 4, and 5 use the 100mm width. Even though the width stays the same (approx. 4 inches), the rhythm changes. On Federal roads (Type 5), the gap is much longer (7.5m) to account for higher driving speeds.

2. The “Main Road” Edge (150mm)

As you noted with the red arrows in your image, the edge line is almost always Type 6. Because it is solid and wider (150mm/6 inches), it consumes the most material. In a 1km stretch of Federal road, the edge lines will often account for 80% of your total thermoplastic claim.

3. The “Heavyweight” (300mm)

Types 7 and 8 are the Stop Lines. These are effectively double the width of an edge line. If your friend’s team paints a stop line, they are laying down a lot of “money” (paint) in just a few meters.

When you see a line that looks like a “dash,” the Stroke/Gap ratio tells you exactly what kind of road you are on and what the speed limit likely is. JKR uses this to communicate with drivers without using words.

Feature	Stroke (S)	Gap (G)	Total Cycle	Why use this?
Urban Dash (Type 3)	1,000mm (1m)	2,000mm (2m)	3m	High-density areas. Keeps drivers alert.
Rural Dash (Type 5)	4,500mm (4.5m)	7,500mm (7.5m)	12m	Federal Roads. Designed for 80–90km/h visibility.
Continuity Line (Type 1)	1,000mm (1m)	1,000mm (1m)	2m	“Fast” dashes used at intersections/junctions.

If you are estimating costs for a 1km (1,000m) stretch of JKR Federal road center lines (Type 5):

1. The Ratio: The paint (S) is 4.5m out of every 12m (S + G).
2. The Percentage: Only 37.5% of that 1km is actually covered in paint.
3. The Result: You only calculate the cost for 375 linear meters of paint, not the full 1,000m.

This is the “secret” to professional road marking estimation—if you don’t account for the “Gap,” your material estimation will be nearly 3x higher than it should be!

Example, For a Type 1 Continuity Line, the 1.0m / 1.0m specification means you paint for 1 meter, leave a 1-meter gap, and then repeat.

This creates a very “fast” visual rhythm compared to the long stretches you see on the highway. In the industry, this a 1:1 ratio.

How it looks on the road:

If you were to walk along a Type 1 line:

1. Step 1-2: Walking on white paint (1 meter).
2. Step 3-4: Walking on black asphalt (1 meter gap).
3. Step 5-6: Back on white paint (1 meter).

Let’s see how it goes. If a contractor is asked to draw 100 meters of Type 1 Continuity Line:

• Total Distance: 100 meters.
• Actual Paint Laid: Since it’s a 1:1 ratio (50% paint, 50% gap), the machine only pours for 50 meters.
• Claim Area (meter square): * Linear Paint: 50m
  • Standard Width: 0.15m (Type 1 is usually 150mm wide at intersections)
  • Total Claim: $50 x 0.15 = 7.5 meter square

Tip: In a 100-meter stretch of Rural Center Line (Type 5), you only lay about 37.5 meters of paint. But for this Continuity Line (Type 1), you lay 50 meters. Even though the road distance is the same, Type 1 uses 33% more paint because the dashes are more frequent!

Visualising the Calculation

If you have a 1km (1,000m) road with Type 5 (Rural) center lines:

Line Location	Line Type	Length of Paint	Width	Total Area (m2)
Left Side	Solid (Type 6)	1,000m	0.15m	150 meter square
Right Side	Solid (Type 6)	1,000m	0.15m	150 meter square
Middle	Dash (Type 5)	375m*	0.10m	37.5 meter square
GRAND TOTAL				337.5 meter square

*For Type 5, paint is only 37.5% of the total distance (4.5m stroke / 12m cycle).

In your kirasemua.com post, you can highlight this as “The Gap Trap.” > “New contractors often make the mistake of measuring the middle line as 1,000 meters. If you do that, you will buy 625 meters of extra paint that you don’t need! Always calculate based on the Stroke length only to keep your margins healthy.”

Final Checklist for the Calculation:

1. Solid Lines: Length X Width
2. Dashed Lines: (Number of Strokes X Stroke Length X Width
3. Total: Sum of all areas.

Calculating the Charge (Unit Rates)

The estimated JKR-based rates for 2026. Note that “Double Arrows” are typically 30% to 50% more expensive than Single Arrows because of the extra paint and stencil work.

Arrow Type	Description	Estimated Rate (Kuching Base)	Estimated Rate (Bau +5%)
Single Arrow	Straight, Left, or Right	RM 35.00	RM 36.75
Double Arrow	Straight + Turn, or Left + Right	RM 55.00	RM 57.75
Triple Arrow	Straight + Left + Right	RM 75.00	RM 78.75

Note on Specifications

• Standard Length: Most JKR arrows on Federal/State roads are 5 meters long. If the arrow is the smaller “Urban” version (approx. 3 meters), the rate may be slightly lower.
• Material: These must be Reflectorised Thermoplastic. If regular paint is used, the JKR inspector will likely reject the claim.
• Stencil Fee: Professional contractors often add a small “Setup Fee” if they are only painting a few arrows, as transporting the stencils is a logistical cost.

Standard JKR Arrow Rates (2026)

The rates below are the “Supply and Lay” prices for Reflectorised Thermoplastic. These are Kuching-base rates; remember to apply the + Percentage factor for locations outside kuching

Item Type	JKR Unit	Kuching Base (RM)	Bau Price (+5%)
Single Head Arrow (Straight / Turn)	Nos	RM 35.00	RM 36.75
Double Head Arrow (Straight + Turn)	Nos	RM 55.00	RM 57.75
Triple Head Arrow	Nos	RM 75.00	RM 78.75
“STOP” / “PERLAHAN” Text	Word	RM 65.00	RM 68.25
OKU / Disabled Symbol	Nos	RM 120.00	RM 126.00

The Location Factor (The “District Selector”)

JKR Sarawak adds a percentage to the base rate depending on the district.

District / Area	JKR Location Factor	Formula (Base x Factor)
Kuching City	0%	Rate x 1.00
Siburan / Santubong	+3%	Rate x 1.03
Bau / Serian / Samarahan	+5%	Rate x 1.05
Tebedu / Tebakang / Lundu	+8%	Rate x 1.08
Sematan / Asajaya	+10%	Rate x 1.10

In road marking, the measurement is the most critical part of the claim because if you assume a 1,000-meter line is simply “1,000 meters” on the bill, you might be under-claiming by a significant margin.

For professional JKR claims in Sarawak, you must think in three different dimensions:

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1. Longitudinal Lines (The Long Lines)

These are not just “meters.” JKR measures them by Surface Area (m2).

The formula is: Length of Paint × Width of Line = Payable Area.

• The Edge Line (Solid): If the red arrows in your image point to a solid edge line, it is likely a Type 6 marking (150mm width).
  • Claim: 1,000m×0.15m=150m2.
• The Middle Line (Dashed/Broken): This is where people make mistakes. You only claim for the paint, not the gaps.
  • Rural Standard: Usually a 4.5m stroke with a 7.5m gap.
  • Urban/Housing Standard: Usually a 3.0m stroke with a 3.0m gap.
  • The Math: If the road is 1,000m long but the dash/gap is equal (3m/3m), you only claim for 500m of paint.
  • Claim: 500m×0.10m=50m2.

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2. Transverse Lines (The “Across” Lines)

These are measured differently because they use more material per meter.

• Yellow Rumble Strips: These are often billed by the number of sets or by a higher m2 rate because they are thicker (usually 5mm compared to 1.5mm for normal lines).
• Stop Lines: A solid line across the road at a junction. These are usually 300mm wide (double the width of an edge line).
  • Claim: 6m×0.30m=1.8m2.

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3. Symbols and Arrows (The “Unit” Items)

You should note that these are rarely measured by area. They are “Per Number” (Nos) items.

• Directional Arrows: A single arrow is one unit. A double-headed arrow (Straight + Turn) is a more expensive unit.
• Lettering: Words like “STOP” or “BUS” are billed per letter.

Comparison of Measurement Assumed vs Reality

Item	Your Assumption (Linear)	JKR Measurement (Surface/Unit)
Edge Line (Garisan Tepi)	1,000m	150 meter square (Length x 0.15m width)
Dashed Line	1,000m	50 meter square (Only the paint strokes x 0.10m)
Yellow Box	1 box	Total Area meter square of the grid boundary)
Turn Arrow	5m of paint	1 Unit (Nos)

The “high-value” items are those that cover more surface area or require more precision than simple lines.

Here is how these specific markings are classified and calculated based on JKR standards:

Hatched & Chevron Markings

The diagonal lines in the image are high-visibility safety zones.

• Hatched Markings (Type 15A): These are the diagonal lines used where traffic moves in the same direction (e.g., at a ramp exit).
• Chevron Markings (Type 15B): These “V-shaped” lines are used where traffic merges or diverges.
• The Calculation: These are usually charged by the Square Meter
  • Tip: To calculate this for a claim, you measure the entire triangular area of the safety island. You don’t just measure the paint; the rate usually accounts for the “Ghost Island” as a whole.

The Zebra Crossing (Type 9)

The crossing with pedestrians is the classic Zebra Crossing.

• Standard Dimensions: Each white block is typically 600mm wide.
• Length: Usually ranges from 1,800mm to 3,600mm depending on the road width.
• The Calculation: Like hatched areas, these are strictly meter square
  • The Insight: These require a higher volume of thermoplastic because they must be very durable. JKR often specifies a thickness of 3mm to 5mm for these blocks to withstand constant braking and accelerating by cars.

Directional Arrows & Symbols

As we discussed with your other arrow images:

• Straight Arrow : Standard 5m length. Billed Per Number (Nos).
• Bifurcated Arrow : A “Turn Left and Right” arrow. Also billed Per Number (Nos).

A “Speciality Markings” section with these pre-set JKR 2026 rates (example area rate +5% adjusted):

Item Type	Unit	Kuching Base	Example – Area Price (+5%)
Zebra Crossing Blocks	meter square	RM 38.00	RM 39.90
Hatched / Chevron Area	meter square	RM 32.00	RM 33.60
Bifurcated (Double) Arrow	Nos	RM 55.00	RM 57.75
Stop Line (300mm wide)	meter square	RM 15.00	RM 15.75

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Data Sources & Methodology

• Primary Source: Calculations are based on the JKR Sarawak Schedule of Rates (2026) and the JKR Standard Specification for Road Works (Section 6: Road Furniture).
• Standards: Technical widths and “Stroke/Gap” rhythms follow Arahan Teknik (Jalan) ATJ 2D/85 specifications for Federal and State roads.
• Location Factors: Adjustments for districts (e.g., Bau +5%, Lundu +8%) are derived from standard JKR Sarawak regional loading factors for the First Division.

AI-Assisted Research Transparency

This calculator and the accompanying technical guide were developed by The Author with the assistance of Gemini AI. The collaboration involved synthesizing JKR engineering standards into a functional JavaScript model to ensure mathematical accuracy and local contextual relevance for the Sarawak road construction industry.

Disclaimer

Note to Contractors: This tool is intended for estimation purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the JKR-based logic, actual project costs may vary based on site conditions, material price fluctuations, and specific contract variations. The Author and kirasemua.com shall not be held liable for any financial discrepancies or project losses arising from the use of this calculator. Always verify your final Bill of Quantities (BQ) with an official JKR representative or a certified Quantity Surveyor.

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