Types of Guardrails - A Buying Guide

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Guardrails are used for safety and barrier purposes and are an integral part of various industrial structures. These assemblies are typically installed at platform ends and are incorporated within mezzanine structures in industrial sites, such as warehouses. They are used on highways as a protection barrier against vehicle impact, to prevent falls, and in production areas. Standard guardrail fabrication materials include variations of Stainless Steel, a material recommended because of its durability. Wooden guardrails are another common barrier material. There are numerous variations of standard guardrails, which must comply with OSHA standards. Both single and double railing systems are a standard guardrail installation option.

Guardrail Types and Styles

The most common types of guardrails include:

W-beam

Curved

Bolt-on

Drop-in

Video on the Types of Guardrails

W-beams

W-beams are the standard traffic and highway safety rails and are constructed in high gauge steel. To protect against environmental conditions, this type of beam is fabricated with zinc coatings and weather (resistant) coated materials.

Curved

Curved guardrails feature a convex or concave-shaped rail and are used to provide protection on roadways and highways that have a bend radius to them. These units are usually prefabricated to fit the required dimensions of the site where they will be installed. Concave rails are those in which the rail curves in towards the vehicle, while convex rails are those that curve away from the vehicle.

Drop-in rails

Drop-in rails feature brackets that allow post sections to slide into the structure upon installation. This type of railing is easily accessible. 

Bolt-on rails

Bolt-on rails involve specific installation with hand tools and drills, though the hardware for this type of railing is typically included by the manufacturer. Single, double, or triple rails may be selected for an application.

Standard Guardrail Applications

Pedestrian walkway protection  

Workstation and transformer area barrier

Protect equipment from forklift damages

Protect building from damage (ie, walls and doors)

Installed along roadways to prevent and minimize accidents

Guardrail Components

A standard guardrail system is mounted to the floor by base plates, which are fastened with anchor bolts. Each guardrail system also includes columns that are commonly fabricated from steel. Such columns, or posts, are often pre-drilled by the manufacturer and include the hardware for installation. Standard galvanized steel systems (specifically 12-gauge) provide durability and are often fabricated in curved, 90-degree variations, for traffic areas. Other variations include cylindrical steel beams and flatter beams, featuring ribbing. For indoor and outdoor areas, railings are typically painted OSHA yellow. The type and amount of beam railing vary according to the application requirements. For instance, the railing can consist of one to three beams and the beams may be coated with UV resistant polyurethane sleeves.

Box Beam Guardrail- Best Choice for Beautiful Surroundings

Box beam guardrail, a kind of highway barrier, is not as common as traditional w beam or thrie beam guardrails, but it caters the need of appreciation of the beauty and is widely used not only on highways, but also in parks, picturesque bridges, etc.

The same as W-beam guardrails, it is made of high quality steel and plated with superior zinc coating or coated with PVC coating. Thereby, it is anti-rust and durable enough to endure the impact force. Additionally, there is no need of paying much money on the maintenance of the box beam guardrail, which makes it cost effectively in the long run.

Box beam guardrails can be used on bridges.

Advantages:

Anti-rust

Corrosion-resistant

Durable and well-constructed

Designed to have a long service life

Can be used with or without blocks

Easy to install and repair

No need of maintenance

The box beam guardrails we supply:

According to the shape of the box beam guardrail, we can divide them into two types: square and rectangular. Meanwhile, we can also provide open box beam guardrail depends on your requirements.

Square box beam guardrails

Rectangular box beam guardrails

W Beam Guard Rails for Highway Collision Safety

W Metal Beam Guard Rails for Highway and Bridges

w-beam guardrail has a section or profile of W shape, it is also named as two wave beam guardrail. This is the major type of beam barriers for highways safety with symmetrical designs on each side of the beam. We supply two kinds of finishes for w beam guardrail panels: hot dipped zinc coating or plastic coating. According to the fabricated shapes, our W-beam guardrails can be divided into two types: the straight line w-beam,or the curved beams.

How to choose straight W beam or Curved Beam used for your uses?
The straight W-beam guardrail can be lined up for transitioning smoothly and is suitable to the curves with a radius greater than 45m. For the radius less than 45m, the pre-curved W-beam guardrail product exploits its advantages to a full.

W beam guard railings can be used in expressway and highways to absorb maximum energy of the impact force when collision occures and reduce harms to cars and people. It can also protect the vehicles against skidding off roads, especially mountain roads and bridges and prevent the pedestrians from the danger of walking across highways.

General Technical Information of W Beam / Two Wave Guardrail Barriers:

Base Metal Material: steel: Q235 (S235JR / ASTM A283M) or Q345 (S355JR / ASTM A529M )

Standard specification: 380*85*2.75/3/4*/mm or 306*80*2.75/3/4*mm

Surface finishing: Hot dipped galvanized finish or powder coated.

Zinc coating thickness (double sides): 550 g/m2 (40µ) / g/m2 (80µ) / g/m2 (85µ)

Relevant parts required for guard rails: post, spacer (C, U and Sigma types etc) and fasteners

Profile: W-beam / two wave.

Plate Thickness:2.5mm-4mm

Thickness Tolerance: +/-0.015mm

Popular Specification of W Beam Guardrails:
Wave width: 310mm
Wave height: 85mm
Plate thickness: 2.5mm - 4mm
Beam length: mm

Scise Most Popular W Beam Guardrail System ( beams and necessories parts for installing ) for Export is composed as following:

Guardrail W-Beam Galvanized including bolts, nuts and washers;
Guardrail Steel Post, Box Beam;
Guardrail End Units;
Guardrail Terminal Units;
Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Guardrail W Beam;
Hot dipped galvanized terminal section;
Hot dipped galvanized round steel post;
Hot dipped galvanized post cap;
Hot dipped galvanized black spacer;
Hot dipped galvanized flat plate washer;
Hot dipped galvanized bolts.

Are you interested in learning more about guardrail accessories? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Packing 1.)25 pieces metal beam road guardrails per bundle, and then fasten the bundle with wire straps or hemp ropes.
2.)One 20 feet GP will hold about 510 pieces.
3.) Customers' requirements are available, too

Popular Specifications:

Normal W Beam Specification ×310 × 85 × 2.5(2.67/2.7/3.0 )   × 310 × 85 × 2.5(2.67/2.7/3.0)   × 310 × 85 × 2.5(2.67/2.7/3.0) Profile A Specification × 306 × 80 × 2.5(2.67/2.7/3.0) Profile B Specification × 310 × 75 × 2.5(2.67/2.7/3.0) Zinc Coating 550g/m²(40u)   g/ m² (80u) g/ m² (85u)   Standard   JT/T 281- AASHTO-M180   RAL RG620

Wave Size Applied to W Beam Guardrails:

W-beam Length -mm Wave width 300-600mm Wave height 50-100mm Thickness 2-6mm Notes: Custom length, width, height and thickness are available as your requirements.

Curved W Wave Guardrail Radius Details:

Radius (Feet) H/ Rise (Inches) Radius (Feet) H/ Rise (Inches) 5 (1.5m) 41 55 (16.8m) 4 1/4 6 (1.8m) 36 60 (18.3m) 4 8 (2.4m) 28 65 (19.8m) 3 5/8 9 (2.7m) 26 70 (21.3m) 3 3/8 10 (3.1m) 22 75 (22.9m) 3 1/4 12 (3.7m) 20 80 (24.4m) 3 13 (4m) 18 85 (25.9m) 2 3/4 15 (4.6m) 16 90 (27.4m) 2 5/8 16 (4.9m) 14 95 (29m) 2 1/2 20 (6.1m) 11 5/8 100 (30.5m) 2 3/8 25 (7.6m) 9 1/2 110 (33.5m) 2 1/8 30 (9.1m) 7 3/4 120 (36.6m) 2 35 (10.7m) 6 3/4 130 (39.6m) 1 3/4 40 (12.2m) 6 140 (42.7m) 1 5/8 45 (13.7m) 5 1/4 150 (45.7m) 4 1/2 50 (15.2m) 4 5/8    

W Beam & Pedestrian Barrier Project in Australia

Post and rail barrier for office block area and other sites.

Guardrail Fence:

Optional: W beam guard rail system 900 mm high
These system are going on a concrete floor.
The posts have base plates.
Delivery to Melbourne port.

12 Gauge W Beam Highway Guard Rails

We supply w wave corrugated metal beam 12 GAUGE(2.7P MIN.) for high way guard rails & bridge rails, AASHTO M 180 standard specifications and other international qualities. The system contains W-beam rail element, backup plates, and terminal sections, the 12 gage steel formed into a beam minimum 12 inches ( 300 mm) wide and 3 inches (75 mm) deep. The 6 inch channel rail and splice plate are manufactured in conformance with AASHTO M 183. AASHTO is simplified term of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Quality meeting Division 12 -- for metal beam guard rail of Kuwait and other other international qualities are also supplied.

Physical properties of the materials is as follows:

Tensile Strength: 483 MPa (min)
Yield Strength 345 MPa (min)
Elongation 12% (min).
Guard rails is supplied with Mill Test certificates of the materials.

12 Gauge Beam Guardrails: Elements and Parts

Steel Quality as per Grade Fe 410 or equivalent for W Beam.
Hot Dip Galvanizing as per AASHTO M180, 550 gm/m2.
Metal beam corrugating type: W beam

Details as below attached for reference:

1. Guard rails straight-3.0mm C/C class 'A' type

Material quality: AASHTO
3 mm thick Guard rails, W beam, in black finish.
Also Bridge Railing post only in aluminium mill finish.

2. Guard rail reflector
Quality: AASHTO

3. Railing Post, M16 x 32 bolt, Nut & Washer

Bulk Head
Finish: Galvanized
Quality: AASHTO

Guard Rails with Steel Post Blocks

GUARD RAIL TERMINATION DETAILS

4. M16 x 45 mm,Bolt, Nut & Washer

Bulk head
Finish: Galvanized
Material quality: AASHTO

Since W Beam Crash Barrier,Thrie Beam Guardrail,Galvanized Crush Barriers,Mental Beam Crush Barriers establishment, the company has always adhered to the"terminal demand as the root, Customer satisfaction first" business philosophy, attaches great importance to product quality.

Are you in the market for a new stair railing (guardrail)? If so, you are in the right place. This complete guide will cover how to buy the right stair railing. Whether you need a railing for stairs, decks, porches, patios, balconies, you name it, we're here to help you Nail Your Rail project.

Please Note: This guide is focused on helping you buy the right assembled stair railing (guardrail).

• If you are interested in buying a wall-mounted handrail, please read our guide on How to Buy a Wall-Mounted Handrail.
• If you are interested in how to buy a ground-mounted handrail for steps, please read our guide onHow to Buy a Ground-mounted Handrail.
• If you do not know the difference, please read ourguide on the 3 main types of handrails and railings.

Before You Start:

• Know Your Handrail & Railing Code Requirements
• You should be aware of the code requirements and the benefits of code compliant railings and handrails, and whether or not you will be required to meet building code.
• All of our Assembled Stair Railings meet code compliance standards.
• For more information on this topic, please read our Guide to Code Requirements for Handrails and Railings.

What this Guide Covers:

• The different types/styles of assembled railings (guardrails)
• Why pre-assembled railings are a great choice
• How to measure and order an assembled railing

Determine What Style of Railing (Guardrail) Is Right for You

There are different styles of railings to choose from. The main styles you will come across are:

• Horizontal Railings
• Vertical Railings
• Cable Railings
• Angled Stair Railings
• Angled stair railings can be any type of railing (horizontal, vertical, or cable) that is angled to run the slope of the stairs like a handrail
• If you would like your railing customized to run the slope of your stairs, please submit a custom railing order form or call us

We will cover an example for each type of railing below.

Horizontal Railings

Horizontal railings are named after the direction in which the balusters run (horizontally across the guardrail).

Vertical Railings

Vertical railings are also named after the direction in which the balusters run (vertically up and down across the guardrail). As you can see in the above image, railings can have unique designs incorporated into the balusters, so you are not stuck with balusters that run straight horizontally or vertically.

Cable Railings

Cable railings typically have wire "cables" that are made of steel and that run across the guardrail horizontally. The cables are tightened into place and give a different appeal compared to standard horizontal railings.

Angled Stair Railings (Guardrails):

Angled Stair Railings can be a great design element and work very well in areas that do not have a wall. We can customize your railing to run the slope of your stairs such as in the example image above and below.

Consider If You Value The Convenience of a Pre-assembled Railing or Customization

Now that you know the 3 main styles of railings/guardrails, the next step is to determine how much you value convenience vs customization. 

For example, our Assembled Stair Railings (Guardrails) are pre-assembled, meaning you do not have to put them together when they arrive. We sell pre-assembled railings because it saves our customers a ton of time, frustration, and it greatly simplifies the buying process.

We currently sell about 10 styles of pre-assembled railings on our site and we do a lot of custom railing orders for our clients.

We can do a ton of creative work with these designs, but if you desire more options than what we offer, there are websites that sell all the parts separately so you can essentially build your own railing from scratch.

Measure & Order Your Railing (Guardrail)

Now that you understand the styles and convenience of assembled railings / guardrails, next you need to know how to measure, order, and install your assembled stair railing.

Let's go over how to measure and order your railing.

Tools needed for this step:

• Just a tape measurer

Measurements you need to take/know:

• Railing Height
• You need to know the height at which you want to order your railing
• We offer heights of 36" and 42" on our website (if you need a different height contact us)
• 36" or higher is normally code compliant for residential properties (unless it's a 2nd floor as noted in our video, then a 42" height is normally required) while 42" or higher is typically code compliant for commercial properties
• For more information on code compliance for railings and handrails, please reference our guide on Railing and Handrail Code Requirements
• Railing Width (also referred to as railing length)
• You need to measure the total width of the surface you will be installing the railing on
• Subtract a total of 2 inches off of the total width (1 inch off for each side) so that your railing is not too close to the edges of the stairs or whatever surface you are installing the railing on
• This helps by 1) giving the railing a better look and 2) helps further reduce the risk of splitting wood if your installing the railing on a wooden surface
• Please Note:
• When you order a specific "width" with us for your railing, that width will include the total width from end-to-end
• For our railings, the widest point of the railings is the ends of the base plates, so if you order a 45" wide railing, your railing width end-to-end will be 45" (please reference the video above if this is unclear)

Up Next: How to Install Your Railing (Guardrail)

To help you with the next steps, check out our guide below:

If you want to learn more, please visit our website bridge guardrails.