Road Safety Products and Guardrail Suppliers in South Africa
Armco Superlite is not just one of the leading guardrail suppliers in South Africa. The firm is also a leading supplier of a wide range of related road safety products.
Apart from the guardrails, which are discussed in more detail below, we take a look at selected other products available from the company, why it makes sense to buy from barrier and road safety product suppliers in South Africa rather than importing the products, and what makes Armco Superlite stand out among suppliers in the country.
W-beam guardrails
South African motorists see the W-beam guardrails from Armco and other suppliers when they drive on highways, mountain passes, across bridges over rivers or pass over rail lines, as well as in urban areas. With the barriers being a familiar sight for the motorists, few stop to think of the importance of these road safety devices. Here follows a list of their functions: 
- Indicating the edge of the safe travel path.
- When installed in the median between two opposite flowing highways, the barriers have beams on both sides of the wooden posts and function to prevent motorists from making U-turns into the fast lane of the opposite direction highway, and to prevent accidents occurring on one highway from spilling over to the other.
- Preventing motorists from bypassing toll booths.
- Keeping motorists from dangerous actions at on- and off-ramps.
- Preventing vehicles from leaving the safe travel path.
- Redirecting straying vehicles back into the original travel path.
- Reducing the speed of a vehicle upon angle-impact, thereby helping the driver to regain control of the vehicle direction and speed.
- Preventing straying vehicles from colliding with unforgiving objects like trees, walls, and streetlights, etc.
- Keeping straying vehicles from driving into water resources, over cliffs and down steep slopes.
- Helping to increase driver confidence to keep to the left side as the road edge is clearly indicated during low light conditions through delineators. In turn, this helps to reduce median clustering and the risk of head-on collisions.
The installation of W-beam guardrails cannot guarantee the safety of motorists or that no fatalities will occur as the result of a collision with the guardrails, but these barriers can help to reduce the severity of the collision impact on the vehicle occupants. This is possible because the entire system works together to take the force of impact and distribute the kinetic impact energy across the length of the beam system.
The barriers, as available from Armco Superlite as one of the leading guardrail suppliers in South Africa, are often installed in urban areas as well to prevent motorists from driving into paths allocated for pedestrian use. In this way, the barriers also serve to improve pedestrian safety. In urban areas, these barriers are usually lower because the vehicles drive at lower speeds. On rural roads, they are higher to prevent vehicles with higher ground clearance and those driving at higher speeds from going over the barriers or breaking through.
The W-beam guardrails, as available from leading suppliers in South Africa, consist of the following components:
Posts
The galvanised or coated steel beams attach to wooden or steel posts. The timber posts come with beveled or domed tops and measure 1800mm by 150- to 175mm diameter. The posts, as available from South African suppliers, conform to the requirements of SANS 457. These posts come with pre-drilled holes to make installation easier and to ensure height consistency. The timber is also creosoted, which ensures the protection of the wood against pests and weather elements.
Steel posts are also available upon request, and according to client requirements. These are well-suited for installation in parking garage ramps that connect the different parking areas.
W-beam guardrails
The W-beam guardrail sections are available from suppliers in the standard lengths of 4 metres and 3.81 metres, although other lengths can be ordered. Each of the sections can be curved at a radius of up to 45 metres and are made in accordance with the requirements of SANS 1350. The steel panels come as hot-dip galvanised according to SANS 121 / ISO 1461 or uncoated, to be protected with a powder coating or paint.
Delineators or Reflectors
Reflectors are available for attachment to the steel panels. These come either as type D, according to the requirements of the Department of Transport or as type V, referring to the shape of the reflector. The delineators help to make the guardrails highly visible during low-light, rain and night-time driving conditions. These are made from Chromadek, which ensures durability with the retro-reflective material meeting the requirements of CKS 191. The colour coding is done in accordance with the client’s specifications. Each one comes with a slotted base, helping to ensure faster installation.
Guidelines for installation of the barriers according to the requirements specific to South Africa are available upon request.
Other road safety products available from Armco Superlite in South Africa
As mentioned earlier, the firm is one of the leading suppliers of a wide range of road safety products in South Africa, some of which are briefly discussed below.
Dura-Post® Delineators
These also act as road barriers in the sense that the posts are installed on roads where specific lanes must be demarcated for emergency vehicles, rapid transport services, cyclists or motorcycle users. With a small horizontal footprint, the posts take up little road space, making them suitable for use on roads where surface space may be limited.
The Dura-Post® delineators are made for high visibility and optimal durability. Each post can withstand up to 200 impacts as tested for vehicle impacts at speeds of up to 97km per hour. This is possible as the posts can return to their upright positions after impact. Installation is done by means of quick-set epoxy to fix the base to the road surface.
Posts are available in a bright yellow for optimal visibility with designs to allow for 360 degrees visibility. Made to be ultraviolet resistant, these posts are well-suited for the hot summers and harsh sunlight experienced in South Africa. The posts come with a patented tapered wall design that meets MUTCD. With no metal parts that protrude from the posts, the risk of injury related to metal penetration is zero. The post material can withstand extreme temperatures, which means the posts won’t bend or melt in high-temperature environments or crack in freezing cold environments. Installation is quick and easy.
Delineators
These are made for temporary conditions to guide motorists around hazards and come in the standard black and yellow designs, with which South African motorists are familiar. The yellow on black panels are highly visible in all weather and light conditions. Made to return to the upright position after impact, the delineators are a cost-effective means for indicating road works, and direct motorists into specific lanes.
Lightweight in design, the delineators can easily be transported and installed without the need for special machinery. With these being lightweight, the cost of transport is also lower. The blades are attached to bases which are kept in place on the road surface through sandbags.
Wire Rope Safety Fence
Also a type of road safety barrier, the wire rope fence consists of durable posts with steel cables extended between the posts. These barriers also boast a small horizontal footprint, making them suitable for use on highways where there is not enough space for the installation of W-beam guardrails. Learn more about the containment levels applicable with the revolutionary wire rope safety fence.
These are only a few of the road safety products offered by Armco Superlite in South Africa. Visit the products page for an overview of what’s available.
Why buy from South African guardrail suppliers?
Local purchases support the South African economy. Clients also benefit from the protection afforded by the Consumer Protection Act, in addition to faster product delivery and relevant guarantees. The products are made for South African road conditions.
Why buy from Armco Superlite as opposed to other guardrail suppliers in South Africa?
The firm has a long history of road product manufacturing and supply. With an international footprint, proven track record and compliance with strict manufacturing and quality standards, the firm ensures that every product is well-tested and applicable for South African road conditions. Apart from the W-beam guardrails for which the firm is best-known, clients can purchase a range of related road safety products such as the ones discussed herein. Reach out for more quotes and product catalogues.