Traffic Cone Standards in the UK: TSRGD, BS EN 13422 and TSM Chapter 8

Traffic cones sold in the UK must conform to BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009. That requirement is set in law by TSRGD 2016, Schedule 13, Part 8. TSM Chapter 8 then governs how cones are used on road works, and it is a code of practice, not legislation.

Buyers often treat those three documents as one thing. They are not. One is the legal instrument, one is the product standard the law points to, and one is a deployment guide with no statutory force. Mixing them up is how non-compliant cones end up on site.

What the law actually says

The legal requirement: TSRGD 2016 (SI 2016/362), Schedule 13, Part 8

This is the statutory instrument. It defines what a cone is and what it must comply with:

• A cone is a conical device whose base is of any single colour, and is a polygon with no more than eight sides.
• That base must be contained wholly within a circle whose diameter is three quarters of the cone height.
• The cone must comply with BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009 on the performance aspects listed in the table below.
• Any part coloured white must be white retroreflecting material; red parts may be red retroreflecting material.
• Manufacturing information (maximum 30 cm², characters maximum 5 mm) may appear on the white part, but must leave at least 90% of the remaining white area retroreflective.

The deployment guide: TSM Chapter 8

Traffic Safety Measures and Signs for Road Works and Temporary Situations is published by the Department for Transport in two parts. It sets out cone sizes, spacing, tapers and site procedures.

On legal status: Chapter 8 is a code of practice and has no statutory force in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland it can be deemed to have force by an authorised officer. In practice, highway authorities and main contractors make compliance a contractual requirement, so it is enforced commercially even where it is not enforced legally.

Requirement by requirement, and what proves each one

Note the pattern. The geometric requirements (rows 5 to 8) can be checked with a tape measure and a calculator. The four performance requirements cannot be checked by inspection at all. They can only be answered by a test report from the material supplier, and that report has to name the class.

The four mistakes buyers make

1. Assuming the phrase "BS EN 13422" on a datasheet is enough. The standard is cited by class. A datasheet that says "complies with BS EN 13422" without naming LB, R1B or R2B, WT1 and W3 tells you nothing about whether the cone is compliant.
2. Treating TSM Chapter 8 as law. It is guidance. A supplier who says a cone is "not legal without Chapter 8" has the wrong document. The legal instrument is TSRGD. Chapter 8 is enforced by contract and by the highway authority.
3. Buying on height alone. A 750 mm cone and a 900 mm cone can both be compliant, but the weight class decides how the cone behaves when it is struck. Under-classed cones are the most common reason cones fail a site inspection.
4. No wet retroreflection data. Wet performance (Class WT1) is a separate test from dry. Many datasheets quote only dry results, which is the condition that matters least in the UK.

Pre-purchase checklist for UK buyers

• Ask for the test report, not the datasheet, and confirm it names LB, R1B or R2B, WT1 and W3
• Check the report is against BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009, the version TSRGD references, not a superseded edition
• Measure the base: polygon sides not more than 8, and the base must sit inside a circle of 0.75 x the cone height
• Confirm the white areas are white retroreflecting material, not white paint or plain white PVC
• Confirm manufacturing marks cover no more than 30 cm² in characters of 5 mm or less
• Match cone size to the deployment, not only to the price list. Chapter 8 cone selection depends on road type, speed limit and works duration
• For Northern Ireland motorways and dual carriageways with hard shoulders, only 1 m cones are used

FAQ

Do UK traffic cones have to comply with BS EN 13422?

Yes. TSRGD 2016, Schedule 13, Part 8 requires a cone to conform to BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009. That is a legal requirement for cones used on the highway, not a voluntary standard.

Is TSM Chapter 8 a legal requirement?

No. It is a code of practice with no statutory force in England, Scotland and Wales, though it can be deemed to have force in Northern Ireland. It is normally made mandatory by contract and by highway authority requirements.

Which classes should the test report name?

Class LB for daylight chromaticity and luminance factor (Table 2); Class R1B or R2B for dry retroreflection (Table 4.B); Class WT1 for wet retroreflection (Table 6); Class W3 for height and minimum weight (Table 1).

What is the maximum number of sides on a cone base?

Eight. The base must be a polygon with not more than eight sides, and it must fit wholly inside a circle with a diameter of three quarters of the cone height.

Can a Dutch or German cone be used in the UK?

Only if it conforms to BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009. TSRGD also accepts a corresponding EEA standard for manufacturing information purposes, but the performance requirements are those of BS EN 13422.

Sources

• The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, SI 2016/362, Schedule 13 Part 8 — legislation.gov.uk
• Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 8, Part 1 (Department for Transport) — Part 1 PDF
• Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 8, Part 2 (Department for Transport) — Part 2 PDF
• BS EN 13422:2004+A1:2009 — cited by TSRGD; obtain the current text from BSI