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Markers That Write on Glass, Ranked by How Long It Stays

Almost every marker will write on glass. Glass is non-porous, so any ink sits on the surface rather than soaking in, and the real question is never whether it marks but how hard it is to get off again. Seven chemistries in this matrix mark glass and they form a ladder, from ink that wipes off dry to ink that needs a solvent and a blade.

Glass is the most permissive surface in this entire matrix. It has no pores, no grain and no nap, so ink cannot soak in, feather or bleed. Every chemistry on this site marks it. What separates them is removal, and that is the only question worth asking. Which one belongs on your pane is settled at which markers for glass work on which surface; this page puts the whole column in one ladder.

The phrasing splits several ways: markers to write on glass at 150 searches a month, markers that write on glass and wipe off at 100, markers that write on glass at 90, what kind of markers write on glass at 60, best markers to write on glass at 40, and markers that write on glass permanently at 30. Read those together and the demand is not asking what marks glass. It is asking what happens next.

The Permanence Ladder

Ink Glass verdict Searches How it comes off
Dry erase Works 4,280 Dry eraser or cloth
Paint, water-based Works 3,870 Damp cloth
Liquid chalk Works 3,430 Damp cloth
Washable Works 1,480 Water
Permanent Conditional 560 Blade or solvent
Acrylic Works 460 Alcohol
Wet erase Works 10 Damp cloth
Alcohol Conditional 90 Alcohol, and it beads going on
Paint, oil-based Works in the 3,870 It does not

Two of those rows deserve reading twice. Paint appears at both ends because the category holds two chemistries under one name: water-based ranges wipe off, oil-based ranges stay. That single distinction settles most of the confusion in this whole column, and the label on the barrel is the only place it is stated.

Permanent marker sits in the middle as the odd one out, and its verdict is conditional rather than works precisely because it satisfies nobody. It sits on top of glass instead of bonding, so it scratches off with a blade and is not weatherproof, which makes it neither reliably removable nor reliably durable.

Every Chemistry Against Every Surface

●Works— the intended surface. Use it.
◐If…— works only when the stated condition is met.
○No— do not. A named alternative is given.
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Which marker works on which surface. 11 marker types × 13 surfaces = 143 verdicts, 86 of them backed by measured search demand.
Marker type PaperWhiteboardChalkboardGlassWoodMetalPlasticCeramic / mugRock / stoneFabricSkinCar windowCardboard
Permanent Solvent dye ink. Bonds to porous surfaces, sits on top of non-porous. If… 250/mo Bleeds through anything under 100 gsm. 24,394 buyer reports mention bleed resistance, 51% of them negative. No 30/mo Bonds to the board. Needs a dry-erase marker over the top or solvent to lift. No 10/mo Permanent on a porous chalkboard. It will not come off. If… 560/mo Sits on top and scratches off with a blade. Not weatherproof. If… 30/mo Feathers along the grain on bare wood. Seal it first. Works 1,000/mo The classic use. Bonds well and survives handling. If… 200/mo Adheres, but rubs off under friction on smooth polypropylene. If… 80/mo Sits on the glaze. Wipes off with alcohol; not dishwasher safe. If… no measured demand Absorbs into porous stone and dulls. Paint markers are the honest choice. If… 4,360/mo Permanent, but stiffens the weave and bleeds on thin cotton. No 160/mo Solvent ink. Not formulated for skin contact. No no measured demand Will not come off tempered glass without solvent. Works 30/mo The labelling default. Bleeds through single-wall, which rarely matters.
Dry erase Oily release agent keeps pigment from bonding. Wipes dry off non-porous only. No 300/mo No release surface. It smears and never dries. Works 10,880/mo The intended surface. 33% of 18,792 erasability reports are still negative — ghosting is real on older boards. No 430/mo Porous board ghosts permanently. Use a liquid chalk marker. Works 4,280/mo Glass boards erase cleaner than melamine. Streaks more with cheap ink. No no measured demand Absorbs into the grain and stains. Use a paint marker. If… 90/mo Works on a painted steel board, not on raw metal. If… 10/mo Only on a gloss laminate. Matte plastic holds the pigment. If… no measured demand Works on glazed tile. Wipes with a dry cloth. No no measured demand Porous stone stains. Use an acrylic or paint marker. No 510/mo Stains. 510 searches a month ask this; the answer is no. No 130/mo Not formulated for skin. Use a body marker. If… 40/mo Erases dry but runs in rain. Use a chalk or washable marker. No 250/mo Absorbs and never dries. Use a permanent marker.
Wet erase Water-soluble paste. Stays put until wiped with a damp cloth. No 40/mo Water-soluble paste never dries on paper. Use a permanent or fine-tip marker. Works 120/mo Stays put under a sleeve or a hand. Needs a damp cloth. If… no measured demand Works on a sealed chalkboard, ghosts on a porous one. Works 10/mo The menu-board standard. Damp wipe removes it cleanly. No no measured demand Bare wood drinks the paste. Seal it, or use a paint marker. If… no measured demand Only on a sealed or painted surface. Works no measured demand Excellent on laminated overlays and sleeve protectors. Works no measured demand Wipes off glaze with water. No no measured demand Porous stone absorbs it. Use an acrylic or paint marker. No no measured demand Runs in the wash. Use a fabric marker. No no measured demand Not formulated for skin. Use a body marker. If… no measured demand Rain removes it, which may be the point. No no measured demand Soaks into the board and never dries. Use a permanent marker.
Alcohol Alcohol-carried dye. Blends, but soaks and feathers on absorbent stock. If… 1,820/mo Feathers and bleeds on anything but marker paper. 1,820 searches a month are people looking for the right stock. No 10/mo Stains melamine permanently. Use a dry erase marker. No no measured demand Porous board absorbs the dye and stains. Use a liquid chalk marker. If… 90/mo Beads on glass and wipes off with alcohol. Not a glass marker. If… 170/mo Absorbs into bare wood like a stain. Some people want that. No 60/mo Beads and rubs off. Use an oil-based paint marker. If… 270/mo Streaks on gloss. Works on primed styrene for models. No no measured demand Beads on the glaze. Use a paint or acrylic marker. No 10/mo Soaks in and dulls. Use an acrylic marker. If… 900/mo Bleeds into the weave and is not wash-fast. No 900/mo Alcohol dye, not cosmetic grade. Use a body marker. No no measured demand Wipes straight off tempered glass. Use a chalk or washable marker. If… 10/mo Bleeds heavily unless the board is coated.
Acrylic Water-based pigment with binder. Opaque, dries to a film. Works 570/mo Opaque on black card, which is what 570 searches a month are asking about. No 100/mo Dries to a permanent film. Use a dry erase marker. Works 370/mo Opaque on black. Needs alcohol to remove. Works 460/mo Dries to a durable film. Bake ceramic-safe ranges to set. Works 90/mo Sits on the surface without feathering. Works 250/mo Adheres and stays put. Works 410/mo The standard choice for 3D prints and models. If… no measured demand Needs baking to survive washing. Check the range. Works 90/mo The rock-painting default. If… 1,690/mo Stiffens the weave. Heat set and expect a hand feel. No 310/mo Not cosmetic grade. Use a body marker. If… no measured demand Permanent on paint. Only on glass, and only with care. Works 10/mo Opaque and does not bleed.
Paint Pigment paint, water or oil based. Opaque on dark and non-porous. Works 250/mo Opaque, no bleed. No 30/mo Dries to a permanent film. Use a dry erase or wet erase marker. Works 390/mo Opaque on black. Water-based ranges wipe with a damp cloth. Works 3,870/mo 3,870 searches a month. Water-based wipes off, oil-based stays. Works 270/mo No feathering, full opacity. Works 990/mo Oil-based is the industrial standard. Works 610/mo Adheres to most plastics without primer. If… 120/mo Not dishwasher safe unless the range is bake-set. Works 290/mo Weatherproof once sealed. If… 3,160/mo Stiff and only semi wash-fast. No 1,000/mo Not cosmetic grade, despite 1,000 searches a month asking. If… 2,350/mo 2,350 searches a month. Water-based only, on glass only, never on paint. Works 10/mo Opaque and clean.
Liquid chalk Water-based pigment. Wipes off non-porous, stains porous. No 130/mo Soaks and buckles the sheet. Use a paint or acrylic marker. If… 1,060/mo 1,060 searches a month. It works but needs a damp wipe, not a dry eraser. If… 2,370/mo 2,370 searches a month. It stays put and needs a damp cloth plus scrubbing on porous board. Works 3,430/mo 3,430 searches a month. The intended surface. Damp wipe removes it. No 30/mo Stains bare wood. Seal it, or use a paint marker. If… 160/mo Only on sealed or painted metal. If… 10/mo Only on gloss. Works no measured demand Wipes off glaze. No no measured demand Stains porous stone. Use an acrylic or paint marker. No 160/mo Stains the weave. Use a fabric marker. No 10/mo Not formulated for skin. Use a body marker. Works 1,170/mo 1,170 searches a month. The car-window standard. Washes off with soapy water. No no measured demand Soaks into the board. Use a permanent or paint marker.
Fabric Textile dye or pigment, heat-settable. If… 100/mo Works but bleeds; the ink is made for fibre. No no measured demand Stains melamine permanently. Use a dry erase marker. No no measured demand Stains porous board. Use a liquid chalk marker. No no measured demand Beads off glass. Use a paint or chalk marker. If… 10/mo Absorbs unevenly along the grain. Seal it first. No 20/mo Will not adhere. Use an oil-based paint marker. No no measured demand Rubs off under friction. Use an acrylic marker. No 120/mo Beads off the glaze. Use a paint marker. No no measured demand Absorbs and dulls. Use an acrylic or paint marker. Works 24,430/mo 24,430 searches a month, the largest single cell in the matrix. Heat set it or it fades in the wash. No no measured demand Textile dye, not cosmetic grade. Use a body marker. No no measured demand Textile dye beads off tempered glass. Use a chalk or washable marker. If… no measured demand Absorbs into the flute and spreads. Fine for a label, not for artwork.
Body Cosmetic-grade ink formulated for skin contact. If… no measured demand Works, but it is an expensive way to draw on paper. No no measured demand Stains melamine. Use a dry erase marker. No no measured demand Stains porous board. Use a liquid chalk marker. No no measured demand Beads off. Use a paint or chalk marker. No no measured demand Absorbs into the grain. Use a paint marker. No no measured demand Beads off. Use an oil-based paint marker. No no measured demand Rubs off. Use an acrylic marker. No no measured demand Beads off the glaze. Use a paint marker. No no measured demand Soaks into the stone. Use an acrylic marker. If… no measured demand Will mark clothing and is not wash-fast. Use a fabric marker and heat set it. Works 4,290/mo 4,290 searches a month. Cosmetic-grade ink, the only type formulated for it. Durability is the weak point: 378 reports, 170 negative (45%). No 10/mo Textile dye beads off tempered glass. Use a chalk or washable marker. If… no measured demand Absorbs into the flute and spreads. Fine for a label, not for artwork.
Washable Water-soluble dye designed to release from skin and fabric. Works 40/mo The kids-and-coloring default. If… 500/mo 500 searches a month. Works on the board, needs a damp wipe. No no measured demand Stains porous board. Use a liquid chalk marker. Works 1,480/mo 1,480 searches a month. Washes off with water, which is the whole point. No no measured demand Absorbs and stains the grain. Use a paint marker. If… 260/mo Rubs off with handling unless the surface is sealed. If… 80/mo Wipes off gloss, but stains matte plastic. Works no measured demand Rinses off glaze. No no measured demand Soaks into porous stone and dulls. Use an acrylic marker. If… 1,360/mo 1,360 searches a month. Washes out of most cotton, not out of everything. Works 750/mo 750 searches a month. Designed to come off skin with soap. Works 500/mo 500 searches a month. Rinses off with a hose. If… 410/mo Absorbs into the flute unless the stroke is light.
Dot / dauber Water-based dye in a sponge applicator. Works no measured demand The intended surface for toddlers. No no measured demand Pools and smears on a non-absorbent board. Use a dry erase marker. No no measured demand Stains porous board. Use a liquid chalk marker. No no measured demand Pools and runs off. Use a chalk or washable marker. If… no measured demand Absorbs into bare wood and blooms. Seal it first. No no measured demand Pools and never dries. Use a paint marker. No no measured demand Pools on the surface. Use an acrylic marker. No no measured demand Pools on the glaze. Use a paint marker. If… no measured demand Absorbs unevenly unless the stone is sealed. If… 10/mo Not wash-fast. If… no measured demand Washable formulas only; check the label. No 10/mo Pools and runs off tempered glass. Use a chalk or washable marker. Works no measured demand Absorbs cleanly.

Read the glass column down the grid and the pattern is unusual: it is the only column with seven clean passes. Compare it with fabric, where one chemistry works and eight fail, or skin, where two work. Glass is easy, and that is why the search demand around it is about outcomes rather than compatibility.

The two flat fails in the column are the ones that need a fibre to hold onto. Fabric marker beads off glass because textile dye is formulated to bind to fibre. Dot and dauber ink pools and runs off for the same reason. Body marker beads. None of those failures is about permanence; they are about surface tension.

Choosing by the Job Rather Than the Ink

A glass whiteboard. Dry erase, and this is the largest glass cell in the grid at 4,280 searches a month. Glass boards erase cleaner than melamine because there is nothing for pigment to settle into, and they streak more with cheap ink for the same reason.

A window, a mirror or a shop front. Liquid chalk, at 3,430 searches. Far more opaque than dry erase, so it reads white against daylight, and it comes off with a damp cloth rather than a dry one.

A jar, a wine glass or anything that has to survive washing. Acrylic at 460 searches or an oil-based paint marker inside the 3,870. Acrylic dries to a pigment film and bake-set ranges survive a dishwasher; check the range, because most do not.

A child drawing on a patio door. Washable, at 1,480 searches, which rinses off with water and is the whole point of the formula.

A car window. Neither dry erase nor permanent. Liquid chalk holds that cell at a clean pass and 1,170 searches, and the rules change enough to need their own page at markers to write on cars.

What Goes Wrong on Glass, and Why

The failures buyers report on glass are almost never about adhesion. They are about streaking, about ink that will not prime, and about removal that turns out harder than expected on glass that has been baked in sun. Across the liquid chalk products in this catalogue, removability draws 3,113 reports with 1,394 negative, a 45% negative rate, and ink flow draws 464 reports with 360 negative, 78%. On dry erase, the visibility complaint dominates instead at 895 reports with 546 negative, 61%, because a translucent ink on a transparent surface has very little to read against until something dark is behind it.

That last point is worth stating plainly. Glass has no colour of its own, so legibility on a window is decided by what is behind the pane, not by the ink. A white liquid chalk line is brilliant against a dark shop interior and nearly invisible against a bright sky.

Where the Rest of the Glass Questions Live

The removal argument in full, counted across every marker type, is at erasability: what buyers reported with 18,792 reports at 33% negative. If the mark has to be permanent and weatherproof rather than merely durable, the case for oil-based ink is at paint markers. If the glass is a board rather than a pane, dry erase markers settles that version of the question instead.

Frequently Asked

What kind of marker writes on glass?

Dry erase, liquid chalk, paint, acrylic, washable and wet erase all mark glass, and permanent marker does too. They differ in removal, not in whether the ink takes. Choose by how long the mark must survive, then by how you intend to remove it.

Which markers write on glass and wipe off?

Dry erase wipes off dry and rates works at 4,280 searches a month. Liquid chalk and washable both need water and rate works at 3,430 and 1,480. Wet erase also passes, at 10 searches, and is the laminate and menu-board version of the same behaviour.

What marker writes on glass permanently?

An oil-based paint marker. Paint on glass rates works at 3,870 searches a month, with the note that water-based ranges wipe off and oil-based ranges stay. Acrylic also works, at 460, drying to a durable pigment film that alcohol will lift if you change your mind.

Does Sharpie work on glass?

It marks, and it is only rated conditional at 560 searches a month. Permanent ink sits on top of glass rather than bonding into it, so it scratches off with a blade and is not weatherproof. That makes it the least predictable option in the whole column.

Do alcohol markers work on glass?

Barely. Alcohol on glass is conditional at 90 searches a month: the ink beads on the surface instead of laying flat, and it wipes off with alcohol. An alcohol marker is a paper tool, and glass is the surface it has the least business on.

Which glass job needs which ink?

A glass whiteboard wants dry erase. A window display or a mirror wants liquid chalk. A wine glass or a jar meant to last wants acrylic or paint. A child's window drawing wants washable. Each of those is a different cell with its own measured demand.