Kitemark Road Product Testing

BSI (British Standards Institution) offers a comprehensive testing and certification service for manufacturers of road studs and line marking materials. The products are tested under real-life operating conditions, on the National Road Trials Material Test Site – a specially designated stretch of the M4 motorway in South Wales.

After the conclusion of extremely comprehensive tests, particularly for products that are designed for permanent installation, BSI assesses the results and produces appropriate documentation. Accepted by the Highways Authority, the Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities as evidence of performance, this documentation is an essential aid to getting products specified for major contracts.

The National Road Trials Material Test Site, which is operated in conjunction with and under the authority of the Welsh Assembly Government, was first brought into use in August 2007 and is now continuously available for long-term testing. In addition to exposing the products under test to actual traffic and weather conditions, the site also offers equipment to log the number of wheel passes, in line with the requirements of many applicable standards.

For users of the test site, BSI offers a complete service, including planning and, in the case of road studs, obtaining permission from the Secretary of State for Wales for the studs to be installed temporarily for the duration of the test. For road studs, BSI issues test reports at the end of the test period. For road markings, a summary certificate showing the durability class of the product is issued, as well as detailed test reports.

The new testing facility operated by BSI offers an exceptionally accurate way of evaluating the performance of road studs and line markings, and delivers results that are much more closely related to practical experience than the laboratory-based tests widely used in other parts of Europe.