Warehouse Guard Rail
Floor-mounted steel guard rail keeps forklifts away from what they must not hit: racking, machinery, walkways, in-plant offices and the people in them. It is specified by rated impact capacity, and the range here runs from 5,000 lb lite-duty rail sized for pallet trucks and stackers up to 13,000 lb rail for main drive aisles where a loaded counterbalance truck can reach the barrier at speed. Every rating is the manufacturer’s own, quoted at 4 or 5 mph, and none cites a test standard. Alongside the rail are matching forklift and pedestrian gates, a guide rail that keeps trucks and AGVs on line, and a made-to-order guard for push-cart picking aisles.
Which guard rail rating do I need?
Each rating is the manufacturer’s own, and they are quoted at different speeds: a figure at 5 mph and one at 4 mph are not the same test. Compare tiers within one make, and tell us the traffic if you are choosing between makes.
| Rail | Rated impact (maker’s figure) | Post or column | Rail fixing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite Duty Guardrail → | 5,000 lb at 5 mph | 4″ × 4″, 42″ high | Drop-in, lift-out |
| Standard Duty Guardrail → | 10,000 lb at 5 mph | 4″ × 4″, 18″ / 26″ / 42″ | Drop-in, lift-out |
| Structural Heavy-Duty Guardrail → | 10,000 lb at 4 mph | 18″ single-rail · 44″ double-rail | Bolted through twin 12.5″ × 3″ plates |
| Wilgard MT → | 10,000 lb at 4 mph | 4″ × 4″ tube, 18″ / 44″ | Bolted; lift-out option |
| Heavy Duty Guardrail → | 12,000 lb at 5 mph | 5″ square, 18″ / 42″ | Drop-in, lift-out |
| Steel Guard Rail → | 12,000 lb at 4 mph | 4-3/4″ × 4-3/4″, 18″ / 42″ | Bolted |
| Wilgard XT → | 13,000 lb at 4 mph | 5″ × 5″ tube, 18″ / 44″ | Bolted; lift-out option |
A bolted steel industrial guard rail that protects machinery, walkways, in-plant offices, personnel and inventory from forklift damage. Four-way posts are punched on all sides to build any barrier shape, and the system is powder coated safety yellow for maximum visibility.
- Post: 4-3/4″ × 4-3/4″ × 3/16″-thick, 42″ or 18″ high
- Footplate: 10″ × 10″ × 1/2″-thick with (4) 7/8″-dia. anchor holes
- Rail: 12″ high × 1/8″-thick, double-ribbed; 2′–10′ on post centers
- Impact rating: 12,000 lbs. at 4 mph
Heavy structural-steel angle rail that bolts flat to the floor to keep forklifts and AGVs on line down aisles and guide them safely into dock approaches, past walls, and along equipment runs. All-welded gussets and radiused entry curves deflect wheel contact and shield rack ends and structural legs from over-steer. Surface-mounted on regular anchor centers with no concrete work · powder-coated safety yellow.
- Rail: 5″-tall structural steel angle (also 3″×4″ / 4″×4″)
- Material: 5/16″-thick steel · ~8.4 lb/ft
- Standard lengths: 9.5 ft and 10 ft sections, coupled for continuous runs
- Install: Floor-anchored, holes on ~24″ centers; entry guide curves
A low barrier that mounts flush to the floor and stands 12″ tall, so forks and pushed product cannot slide under or through it. Use it as a wall guard, around conveyors and machinery, or as a pallet stop where a full-height guard rail is more than the job needs.
- Height: 12″
- Mounting: Flush to the floor
- Use as: Wall guard · conveyor and machine guard · pallet stop
The lightest tier of the drop-in guardrail range, rated by the manufacturer at 5,000 lbs at 5 mph. Built from 14-gauge steel on 4″ × 4″ posts with 8″ × 8″ × 1/2″ base plates, it is sized for electric pallet trucks, powered stackers, manual jacks and push carts rather than counterbalance forklifts. Rails drop into welded post sleeves and lift out again, so a damaged section is swapped without loose hardware.
- Impact rating: 5,000 lbs at 5 mph (manufacturer-stated)
- Rail: 14-gauge ribbed steel, 4 ft–10 ft in 1 ft increments
- Post: 4″ × 4″, 42″ high
- Base plate: 8″ × 8″ × 1/2″
The workhorse tier, rated by the manufacturer at 10,000 lbs at 5 mph, in 10-gauge steel on 4″ × 4″ posts with 10″ × 10″ × 1/2″ base plates. Post heights of 18″, 26″ and 42″ cover everything from low equipment guarding to a full-height barrier at OSHA rail height. All-welded drop-in sleeves mean no brackets or bolts between rail and post.
- Impact rating: 10,000 lbs at 5 mph (manufacturer-stated)
- Rail: 10-gauge ribbed steel, 2 ft–10 ft in 1 ft increments
- Post: 4″ × 4″, 18″ / 26″ / 42″ high
- Base plate: 10″ × 10″ × 1/2″
The heaviest tier, rated by the manufacturer at 12,000 lbs at 5 mph, stepping up to 5″ square posts on 10″ × 10″ × 5/8″ base plates. Specified where a loaded counterbalance truck could reach the barrier at speed — main drive aisles, switchgear and transformer rooms, and the approach to occupied in-plant offices. Rails remain 10-gauge and interchange with the standard tier.
- Impact rating: 12,000 lbs at 5 mph (manufacturer-stated)
- Rail: 10-gauge ribbed steel, 2 ft–10 ft in 1 ft increments
- Post: 5″ square, 18″ or 42″ high
- Base plate: 10″ × 10″ × 5/8″
A bolted structural guardrail in 13-gauge roll-formed steel to ASTM A1011 Grade 45, rated by the manufacturer at 10,000 lbs at 4 mph when properly installed. Unlike the drop-in systems it bolts rail to post through twin 12.5″ × 3″ mounting plates, which makes the joint itself load-bearing rather than relying on a sleeve. Rails span 12″ to 108″ centre-to-centre; double-rail columns are 44″ high on 10″ × 10″ × 1/2″ base plates.
- Impact rating: 10,000 lbs at 4 mph (manufacturer-stated)
- Steel: 13-gauge roll-formed, ASTM A1011 Grade 45
- Rail: 12″ high; 12″–108″ (1 ft–9 ft) centre-to-centre spans
- Column: Double-rail 44″ H · single-rail 18″ H
The mid-tier Wilgard bolted steel guard rail for warehouse and DC aisles, rated by its maker at 10,000 lbs at 4 mph on a 10 ft rail. A 4″ × 4″ tube column on a 10″ × 10″ × 5/8″ base plate carries 12″ corrugated 12-gauge rails in single, double or triple runs, and every rail and column ships with its own hardware and wedge anchors. Lift-out rails use the same column, so a section can come out for equipment access.
- Impact rating: 10,000 lbs at 4 mph, 10 ft rail on 1/2″ × 5″ anchors (manufacturer-stated)
- Columns: 4″ × 4″ × 3/16″ tube · 18″ single, 44″ double or triple rail
- Base plate: 10″ × 10″ × 5/8″ steel · (4) 1/2″ × 5″ wedge bolts included
- Rails: 12″-high corrugated 12-ga steel, hemmed edges · 2–10 ft
The heaviest Wilgard guard rail, rated by its maker at 13,000 lbs at 4 mph on a 10 ft rail, with a 10″ safe zone behind it. Compared with MT it steps up to 5″ × 5″ columns, 12″ × 12″ × 3/4″ base plates and 11-gauge rails. Single, double or triple runs, bolted or lift-out, with hardware and anchors included.
- Impact rating: 13,000 lbs at 4 mph, 10 ft rail on 1/2″ × 5″ anchors (manufacturer-stated)
- Safe zone: 10″ behind the rail (manufacturer-stated)
- Columns: 5″ × 5″ × 3/16″ tube · 18″ single, 44″ double or triple · zinc-plated snap-on cap
- Base plate: 12″ × 12″ × 3/4″ steel · (4) 1/2″ × 5″ wedge bolts included
A pass-through gate built from Wilgard MT guard rail, giving a run of rail a forklift or walk-through access point that matches the rest of it, on a new run or an existing MT system. The gate rides on a spring-loaded caster and latches shut when not in use. The maker says the gate has been tested to its 10,000 lb "industry standard" impact rating.
- Impact rating: 10,000 lb "industry standard" rating (manufacturer-stated; no speed or test method given)
- Columns: 4″ × 4″ × 3/16″ tube, 44″ double-rail; 10″ × 10″ × 5/8″ base plate
- Rails: 12 ga corrugated steel, 12″ high, 2 ft–10 ft
- Gate hardware: Spring-loaded caster with shock (125 lb, 3″ wheel); spring latch
The pass-through gate for the heavy-duty Wilgard XT guard rail, built from the same 11-gauge rail and 5″ columns so the access point matches the run. The gate rolls on a spring-loaded caster and latches shut when not in use. It fits a new XT run or an existing one.
- Columns: 5″ × 5″ × 3/16″ tube, 44″ double-rail; 12″ × 12″ × 3/4″ base plate
- Rails: 11 ga corrugated steel, 12″ high, 2 ft–10 ft
- Gate hardware: Spring-loaded caster with shock (125 lb, 3″ wheel); spring latch
- Anchors: 1/2″ × 5″ wedge bolts, included
A self-closing walk-through gate that replaces one 4 ft section of Wilgard guard rail, bolting to the existing 44″ columns with no changes and leaving a 34-5/8″ clear opening for people or carts. It opens out into the aisle, swings shut on its own and has a safety latch, so pedestrian cross traffic is channelled to one place.
- Fits: Wilgard 44″ double- or triple-rail guard rail (XT, MT, LT)
- Clear opening: 34-5/8″ (replaces one 4 ft centre-to-centre section)
- Gate height: Top approx. 42″ from floor
- Hinges: Self-closing spring hinges, tested to over 100,000 cycles (manufacturer-stated)
A welded steel guard built to the size of your shelving, that keeps push carts off the shelving in picking operations. Each one is made to match the shelf, so there is no stock size. Send us the shelf width and the cart traffic and we'll get it drawn up.
- Sizing: Made to match your shelving (no stock sizes)
- Frame: 2-1/2″ × 2-1/2″ × 1/8″ steel tube posts and rails, plastic caps
- Base: 4″ × 4″ × 1/4″ steel angle
- Use: Push-cart picking aisles · small footprint
Which one do I need?
The traffic decides most of this: what can reach the rail, and how fast.
What can reach the barrier?
Size the rail to the heaviest truck that can get to it, at the speed it travels. Lite duty is rated for electric pallet trucks, stackers, manual jacks and push carts, not counterbalance forklifts. The 10,000 lb rails suit mixed traffic. Where a loaded counterbalance truck can reach the barrier at speed (main drive aisles, switchgear and transformer rooms, the approach to occupied offices) step up to 12,000 or 13,000 lb.
Drop-in rail, or bolted?
Drop-in rails sit in welded post sleeves and lift straight out, so a damaged section is swapped without loose hardware. Bolted systems fix rail to post: the structural rail bolts through twin plates, which makes the joint itself load-bearing, and Wilgard ships every rail and column with its own hardware and wedge anchors, with lift-out rails on the same columns where a section has to come out for equipment access.
Do trucks or people need to get through?
A Wilgard gate puts a forklift or walk-through opening in a run of MT or XT rail that matches the rest of it, riding on a spring-loaded caster and latching shut. For people and carts only, SaferGate replaces one 4 ft section of Wilgard rail with a self-closing gate and a 34-5/8″ clear opening, so pedestrian cross traffic is channelled to one place.
Steering traffic rather than stopping it?
Guide rail is structural steel angle bolted flat to the floor that keeps forklifts and AGVs on line down aisles and into dock approaches, with radiused entry curves to deflect wheel contact. In push-cart picking aisles, a welded guard made to the size of your shelving keeps carts off the shelves.