Road reflective glass bead is a kind of fine glass bead which is made of glass sand (waste glass) and melted at high temperature. It is spherical, colorless and transparent under the microscope. Its refractive index is between 1.50-1.64, and its diameter is generally between 75 microns and 1400 microns. It is also called reflective glass bead. At present, the most important technology of reflective glass beads for domestic consumption is flame floating method and electrothermal melting method.

As the reflective material in the road marking (paint), the reflective glass bead can improve the reflective function of the road marking paint and the safety of driving at night, which has been given certain by the traffic departments of various countries. When the car is trudging at night, the light of the car lights on the road symbolic line with glass beads, which can make the light of the car lights reflect back in parallel, so that the driver can see the direction of the trudging and advance the safety of driving at night. Now, reflective glass beads used to be an irreplaceable reflective material in road safety goods

Reflective glass beads are mainly used in normal temperature and hot-melt road marking. One kind of glass beads is used as premixed material to ensure long-term reflection of the marking within the service life; the other kind of glass beads is spread on the surface during marking construction, which can play a role of instant reflection.