Plastic barricades are the lightweight, repositionable cousin of metal and concrete — they go up fast, they handle weather, and they are the right answer for most short-duration work zones, parking-lot closures, and event perimeters. There are five families that all get called "plastic barricades": Type I, Type II, and Type III channelizing barricades (per MUTCD §6F.63), A-frame folding barricades, and water-filled longitudinal barriers. Each one fits a specific job. Below is the buyer guide that tells you which to buy and what each costs.
The MUTCD §6F.63 spec table — what makes a barricade a Type I, II, or III
The MUTCD classifies channelizing barricades by panel count, not material. A Type I has one rail, Type II has two, Type III has three. The plastic versions follow the same rule — a "plastic Type II" is just a Type II with plastic rails instead of wood or metal.
| Type | Rails | Min. height | Use case | Plastic price (each) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type I | 1 rail | 36 in | Short-duration daytime, low speed | $30–$60 |
| Type II | 2 rails | 36 in | Intermediate-term daytime/nighttime | $50–$95 |
| Type III | 3 rails | 60 in | Road closures, long-duration high-visibility | $120–$220 |
| A-frame | Folding panels | 36 in | Pedestrian / sidewalk / event | $25–$70 |
| Water-filled | Solid wall | 24–42 in | Vehicle channelization, low-speed perimeter | $120–$280 |
Rail width on Type I/II/III is 8 inches minimum, with alternating 6-inch orange/white reflective stripes. Rails come in 6-ft and 8-ft lengths; 8-ft is the contractor default because it covers a wider span with fewer units.
Family 1 — Type I plastic barricades (the daytime workhorse)
Type I is the cheapest channelizing barricade you can buy and the most-deployed unit on contractor trucks. Single horizontal rail at ~36 inches, mounted on a plastic A-frame or saddle base, often water-or-sand ballasted. Use them for daytime utility work, short-term sidewalk closures, parking-lot work, and any job where the closure is up for less than two days.
When NOT to use a Type I: nighttime work above 35 mph (Type II minimum), full road closure (Type III required), or any work zone over a week long (the rail UV-fades and the plastic body cracks at hinges).
Family 2 — Type II plastic barricades
Two rails — one at ~36 in, one at ~24 in. The lower rail catches taller pedestrian sightlines and gives drivers a stronger visual cue at speed. Type II is the spec inflection point for nighttime and 35–45 mph daytime work zones in most state DOT manuals (NJDOT, NYSDOT, PennDOT all spec Type II minimum on intermediate-term work). The plastic version is typically a single-piece molded panel with two integrated reflective bands or a frame with two snap-in rails.
Family 3 — Type III plastic barricades (road closure)
Three rails, 60-inch minimum height. Type III is what you put across a closed road or at the upstream end of a full-lane diversion. The plastic version uses three separate 8-ft rails clipped into a frame; the frame itself is plastic (lightweight) but engineered to take a pickup-truck wind-blast at 45 mph without flipping.
Type III is also the place to spec lights — most jurisdictions require a steady-burn or flashing Type A/B light at the top of every Type III used for nighttime or 24-hour closures. We cover the head-to-head Type I/II/III decision in detail in our Type III vs Type I and II comparison.
Family 4 — A-frame plastic barricades (events, valet, sidewalks)
A-frame plastic barricades fold flat, weigh 8–18 lb, and stack. They are the right call for events, parking-lot directional control, valet, retail crowd control, and indoor warehouse routing. They are NOT MUTCD-rated for road work — the panel height is below 36 inches on most folding designs, and the wind-load tolerance is too low. Treat A-frames as event gear, not work-zone gear.
For a deeper dive on A-frame designs, weights, and storage, see our A-frame barricades guide.
Family 5 — Water-filled plastic barriers
Water-filled plastic Jerseys are the heaviest plastic-class option. Empty they weigh 90–180 lb (one person can move them); filled they weigh 1,400–1,900 lb depending on length. They ship empty (a 53-ft trailer carries 80–100 units), then fill on site from a hydrant or tank truck.
Crash rating depends on model: most carry MASH TL-1 or TL-2 (low-speed redirective), and a handful of longer models (12-ft sections with steel-pin connections) carry TL-3. They are the right choice for parking-lot perimeters, event vehicle-control, low-speed work zones up to ~45 mph, and any job where freight cost would otherwise dominate. Our water-filled barriers buying guide covers the fill, freeze, and drain logistics in detail.
Plastic vs. metal vs. concrete — the simple decision tree
- Crowd control or pedestrian channeling? Steel bike-rack barricades or A-frame plastics. Both legitimate.
- Vehicle redirection at < 45 mph? Plastic Type II/III or water-filled. Plastic wins on weight and freight.
- Vehicle redirection at > 45 mph? Concrete or steel. Plastic Type III is for visual channelization only at that speed; you need MASH TL-3 mass for redirection.
- Permanent perimeter (>6 months)? Concrete or steel. Plastic UV-fades and the rails embrittle outdoors after 18–36 months.
- Repositioning during the job? Plastic. Two people move a plastic Type III; you need a forklift for concrete.
Where plastic barricades fail (so you can avoid the recall)
- UV degradation. Orange fluorescence drops below MUTCD thresholds in 18–24 months of full sun. Inspectors flag faded barricades as a TCP violation. Replace rails before the body.
- Hinge cracks on A-frames. The plastic hinge on cheap A-frames cracks after ~50 fold cycles. Buy A-frames with metal-pin hinges if you fold them daily.
- Wind-flip on under-ballasted Type I. Empty saddle bases blow over at 25 mph wind gusts. Always fill the saddle with sand or water for any work above 25 mph posted speed.
- Broken Type III rail clips. The rail-to-frame clips on cheap plastic Type IIIs are the failure point. Inspect on every set-down; replace clips, not whole barricades.
- Reflective sheeting peel. Engineer-grade sheeting peels at the corners after one winter. Buy diamond-grade if the unit is going to live outside year-round.
How many plastic barricades do you actually need?
Spacing depends on application. For a Type I/II line along a lane closure, MUTCD §6F.63 puts barricades at the same spacing as channelizing devices (cones/drums) — typically equal to the speed limit in feet on the taper, double that on the tangent. For a Type III at a road closure, you usually need two units (one each side of the closed lane) plus advance Type III warning signage. For pedestrian A-frame work, the working standard is one barricade every 8–10 ft along the channelized path.
Our lane-closure cone-count guide walks the same math for cones and applies cleanly to barricades. For a quick spec on a specific job, our work-zone planner generates a layout you can hand to a foreman.
What to buy — by job type
- Sidewalk / utility / pothole work, daytime, < 25 mph: 6× Type I + 2× A-frame.
- Lane closure, 35–45 mph, daytime + nighttime: 8× Type II + 25–30 cones + 2× advance warning signs.
- Road closure or major detour: 4× Type III with Type A flashing lights + signage package.
- Parking-lot perimeter, event: 20× water-filled barriers (filled on site) + 4× Type III at access points.
- Pedestrian event channeling: 30–60× A-frames or steel bike-rack barricades; A-frames win on storage, steel wins on durability.
Where to buy plastic barricades in NJ
For Central NJ contractors, browse our barricades catalog — we stock plastic Type I, Type II, Type III, A-frame, and water-filled units with same-day delivery to Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, Union, and Hunterdon counties. For a job-specific spec (which type, how many, what lights), request a quote with the road class, duration, and posted speed and we will spec the right plastic family for you.