W-Beam Guardrail

W-Beam Guide Rail comes in standard 12’ 6” or 25’ sections.

This is the most frequently used type of guide rail on our nation’s roadway system. It is a roll-formed product that is shaped out of steel coil into the shape of a “W,” and typically galvanized to prevent corrosion and increase the product’s life-cycle. W-Beam Guide Rail can be installed on steel strong posts or weak posts, using a variety of different post spacing options, depending on the specific situation (typically 6′ 3″ spacing). Some states also specify wood posts for installation.

W-Beam Guide Rail can be ordered with the traditional galvanized (gray) coating, Corten (rustic brown) style, or poly coated in a variety of colors to match your specific aesthetic criteria.

The W-Beam, consists of two “humps” and one”valley”. Humps are rises that face towards the traffic (convex surface) lane, while the valley (concave surface) points away from the traffic lane. The W-Beam guardrail measures 13’ 6.5” in length, 12.25” in height, and 3.25” in depth. The lay length of the 13’ 6.25” guardrail is 12’ 6”. This lay length represents the distance between the outermost post holes. Thus, a 12’6” panel has post holes centered at 6’3” apart. The thickness of the W-Beam Guardrail is 12 gauge or roughly 125” thick. The W-Beam Guardrail can be purchased for both straight and curved roads.