Road safety · Hong Kong road signs
STMHK has specialized in reflective products for over forty years: highway and estate road signs, wholesale reflective materials, and reflective markings for government and engineering vehicles — made at our Yuen Long workshop. STMHK products help keep you safe.
Road-sign preview
Pick common Hong KongBackground、Border、Shapeand millimetre size，Enter Chinese/English copy for live preview，Type sizeFreely adjustable。Downloaded images include「路佳安全」Watermark（For reference only，Final product subject to quotation confirmation）。
Preview scale follows millimetre dimensions；Triangle、Circle、DiamondBased on the shorter side。Download as PNG，Semi-transparent watermark in the centre：路佳安全 · STMHK。
Road safety products
Private estate road signs
Speed limit, no stopping, give way, no obstruction and other private-road signs, aligned with the Private Roads Code.
Go to private estate signs →
Special vehicles
Reflective body/rear notices and signs for works vehicles, fire appliances, police vehicles and more.
Go to special vehicles →
Reflective materials
3M Engineer Grade, High Intensity and Diamond Grade reflective sheeting for signs, plates and vehicle bodies.
Go to reflective materials →How to order signs
- Confirm the useTemporary works, private estates, highways or road-works vehicles.
- Choose materialsReflective grade (advertising / engineer / high intensity / diamond) and substrate (aluminium / plastic). Hover or focus a material card for reference lifespan.
- Design & manufactureArtwork to TD or international practice; our team manufactures after confirmation.
Short-term promo and light wayfinding; lower cost.
Common road / private-road signs; most widely used.
Higher reflectivity and longer-life projects.
High-spec reflective; longer life available.
Aluminium substrate; posts, frames and backplates available.
Lifespan figures are typical references; actual life depends on site, install method and the quote. Common sheeting includes 3M and Nikkalite.
How modern signs are made
Drag the slider for three steps: print or screen onto reflective sheeting, mount on aluminium, then assemble and deliver.
③ Mount on aluminium · assemble
Mount the reflective face on aluminium, check alignment and edges, then assemble brackets / ship. (Workshop photo)
Old hand process (about 1970–1997)
Older signs were often hand-cut from white reflective sheeting and stuck letter by letter onto blue or red aluminium. Simplified below.
Product photos
A short history of Hong Kong road signs
From early T-shaped street nameplates to hand-cut “prison type”, then British-style symbol signs and digital fonts — first two sections show by default; expand for the full timeline.
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About 1890s–1960s
T-shaped street nameplates
In the colonial era, T-shaped nameplates were common: English above Chinese, fixed to walls. Cast-iron types appear about the 1930s–60s; rectangular plates later replaced most of them.
Sources: Road Research Society; HK Commercial Daily / Wen Wei Po on T-plates; Commons photos of surviving plates
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Before 1973
Older (pre-Worboys) traffic signs
Early Hong Kong signs followed pre-reform British graphic tradition (red rings, inverted “Halt” triangles, etc.), clearly different from later British-style symbols — that system did not appear overnight.
Sources: Wikipedia “Road signs in Hong Kong” (Prior to 1973, pre-Worboys); Commons Cantonese illustrative signs
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About 1970–1997
“Prison type”: the hand-cut era
From about 1970 the Prisons Department (now CSD) was commissioned to make Kowloon/HK Island signs. Inmates hand-cut Chinese characters from reflective sheeting — later called “prison type”. English often used Transport. Computerisation grew through the mid-1990s and largely replaced hand lettering by about 1997.
Sources: Road Research Society; Wikipedia “prison type”
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From about 1973 · shaped by 1984
British-style symbols · metric speed limits
From about 1973 Hong Kong traffic signs moved toward British (Worboys) symbols. In 1984 TD issued the first TPDM; speed limits went metric (km/h) the same year, arrows moved closer to British practice, and Chinese was added.
Sources: Wikipedia “Road signs in Hong Kong”; TD / Road Research Society notes on TPDM 1984
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After about 1997
QuanZhen Bold · Transport English
After computerisation, new Chinese lettering often uses neat digital faces such as QuanZhen Bold; English stays mainly British highway Transport (Medium on dark grounds, Heavy on light). Hand-cut “prison type” plates fade as signs are renewed.
Sources: Road Research Society; HK Commercial Daily (digital replacing hand work); Wikipedia (Transport typeface)
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From 2005 · today
Aluminium street plates · reflective signs
HyD replaced many street nameplates with aluminium and added house-number ranges. Today directional and regulatory signs are mostly reflective aluminium; private estates and sites can order suitable grades too.
Sources: public reports (2005 nameplate replacement); TD Road Users’ Code
FAQ
Can private estates order custom signs?
Yes. Speed limit, one-way, no-stopping and other private-road signs can follow estate design. See the Private estate signs page, or WhatsApp site photos.
Which reflective grade?
Short-term promo can use advertising grade; private roads often use engineer grade; high-visibility needs may use high intensity / diamond. Final grades follow the quote.
Which colours for signs?
Direction/info signs often use blue with white text; slow, entrance and no-obstruction notices often use red with white text; expressway direction signs use green. We advise to TD practice.
Ready to start a sign project?
WhatsApp 9122 1697 · Email sales@stmhk.com
Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00 (Hong Kong time) · Yuen Long shop / workshop