PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of physical characteristics of emulsion asphalt and aggregate on performance of chip seal pavements. METHODS : In order to evaluate the performance of chip seal materials, the sweep tests and Vialit Plate Shock tests were conducted on the mixtures with five emulsion asphalt binders and three aggregate types. The sweep tests was intended to investigate the change of bonding properties between emulsion asphalt and aggregate with curing time. The Vialit Plate Shock test was used to evaluate the bonding properties of chip seal materials at low temperatures. RESULTS : Results from sweep tests showed that polymer modified emulsion asphalt can reduce the curing time by 1.5 hour comparing with typical emulsion asphalt. It is also found that the Flakiness Index of aggregates and absorption rate of binder are the major factors affecting the bonding properties of chip seal materials. The Vialit Plate Shock test results showed that the average aggregate loss of CRS-2 is ten times higher than CRS-2P No.2 indicating that the use of polymer additives in emulsion asphalt can improve the performance of chip seal materials in low temperature region. CONCLUSIONS : The use of polymer in emulsion asphalt can decrease the curing time of chip seal materials and increase the bonding properties between aggregates and asphalt binder. It is also concluded that the lower Flakiness Index and absorption rate of aggregates can improve the performance of chip seal pavement.