Two Types of Reflective Powder (click to shop)

Reflective powder comes in two types, standard clear (white appearance) powder beads, and metalized powder beads (silver appearance). Both are considered a powder in that they are very small, at about .04 millimeters per bead. So in quantity, they become powder.

Standard non metalized beads (powder) have a white appearance, even though they are clear. Light passes into the bead, is bent, bounced, and returned to the source. Since these beads are clear all the way through, some light escapes and is not reflected. When mixed with clear, or sprinkled on to wet paint, these beads take on a white appearance. When reflecting they make a surface a bright white color.

Silver metalized beads (powder) are coated on one side with a silver mirror finish. This coating acts as a mirror and greatly increases the ability of the bead to reflect light with much less lost in the process. If you look closely at the silver garment trim that road workers wear, you can see that it has a silver appearance. This is because of the metalized beads. You will also note that the garment trim is incredibly bright when reflecting. Much brighter than standard beads. The reflectivity is white like the standard beads, only much more intense. They also can be mixed with a clear medium, or sprinkled on wet paint.

In the picture below, we show three types of beads, white (clear), silver (metalized) and airport beads (for comparison) As you can see, the silver colored metalized beads are brighter when reflecting, even though they appear darker in regular light.