Traffic cones for parking lots, crews and events

How many cones per linear foot of closure

MUTCD guidance spaces channelizing devices no farther apart, in feet, than 1 times the speed limit in mph along a taper and 2 times the speed limit along the straight (tangent) section. At a 10 mph lot speed that is a cone every 10 feet in the taper and every 20 feet along the closure; at 25 mph it is every 25 and 50 feet.

So a 200-foot aisle closure at 10 mph, with a 50-foot taper, takes 11 cones along the closure and 6 in the taper, about 17 cones. Add a few spares for crews and for the cones that walk away.

Cone heights and weights

18-inch cones suit low-speed, short-term marking inside a lot and are easy to stack in a truck. 28-inch cones are the standard for road work and anything with traffic moving faster, and they are easier to see over car hoods. 36-inch cones add visibility on busy roads.

Weight decides whether a cone stays put. Heavier bases stand up to wind and passing trucks; lighter ones are easier to carry. Each product page lists the height, base weight and collar.

Using cones and reflective collars

For night use on roads, the MUTCD calls for retroreflective bands on cones. Collars slip over cones that don't have bands built in. In wind, a cone weight ring or a second cone stacked on the first keeps the line in place. Set cones from the upstream end and pick them up in reverse, so the crew is always behind the line.

Asphalt versus concrete

Cones sit on any surface and need no hardware. On smooth concrete, a heavier base resists sliding; on rough or sloped asphalt, check that each cone stands upright before traffic reaches it.

Pallet counts and freight basics for cones

Cones nest, so a pallet holds a lot of them, but the pallet is bulky for its weight, which puts it in a higher freight class than dense items. Our cones are Gypsum yard stock; the product page shows pack size, pallet quantity and shipping class.

LTL (less-than-truckload) carriers price a pallet by its weight, its size and its freight class. Freight class runs from 50 to 500 and is set mostly by density, in pounds per cubic foot: dense, heavy pallets ship at a lower class than light, bulky ones. Your delivery address matters too. A liftgate, a residential or limited-access address, or a call-ahead appointment each add a carrier charge. Our store quotes it live at checkout from the carriers, with those options priced in.

Common cone mistakes

What goes wrong most often:

• Using short cones where traffic moves faster than walking pace.
• Spacing cones so far apart that drivers read the gaps as lanes.
• No reflective collars on cones left out after dark.
• Light cones in wind, which end up in the next aisle.

When cones are required

Work zones on public roads follow the MUTCD and your state's version of it, plus any permit conditions from the city. In a private lot, cones are how you close an area while paint cures, a crew works or an event loads in. Your insurer or your contract may also require them.