There are roughly 40 SKUs labeled "road construction cone" on most distributor sites. Picking the wrong one means buying twice. This guide skips the marketing and walks you through five questions; at the end you have an exact spec to order. Each branch also includes a "budget alternate" if the recommended SKU is over your line-item limit.
Q1. What is the posted speed limit on the road?
This is the question that drives everything else. MUTCD minimum cone height is set by speed.
- ≤ 25 mph: 18-inch cones are legal during daylight. 28-inch is the safer default.
- 26–45 mph: 28-inch cones. This is most NJ surface streets.
- 46–55 mph: 28-inch day, 36-inch night.
- > 55 mph: 36-inch cones, period. Day or night.
If you own one fleet and work across speed bands, default to 28-inch with a smaller stock of 36-inch for highway work. The 18-inch cones are not worth stocking unless you have a specific recurring low-speed contract.
Q2. Day work or night work?
Night work pushes you one size up and forces double-collar reflectivity.
- Daylight only: single 6-inch ASTM Type IV collar is fine.
- Any nighttime work: double collar (4-inch + 6-inch) required, and bump the cone one size larger than the speed-band default.
- Mixed: spec for the harder case (night). The daytime job will still be compliant.
Q3. What is the wind exposure?
Wind is what knocks cones over and creates the most replacement cost. Three exposure tiers:
- Sheltered (downtown, residential, parking-lot): 7-lb base is fine.
- Open road (suburban, arterials): 10-lb base recommended.
- Highway, bridge deck, exposed corridor: 12-lb base or use drums instead of cones on the windward side.
A cone that blows over is worse than no cone — drivers see the missing channelization and may merge across what they think is empty space. Bias toward heavier bases for any work near live highway lanes.
Q4. How long is the job?
Job duration drives the material decision (PVC vs TPE rubber) and whether to even use cones for the whole zone:
| Duration | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Mobile / short-duration (<1 day) | PVC cones with crew on-site |
| Short-term (1–3 days) | TPE rubber cones, 10-lb bases |
| Intermediate (4–14 days) | TPE rubber cones + Type I/II barricades |
| Long-term (>2 weeks) | Drums and barriers, cones only for taper |
Q5. How many cones do you need?
A rough sizing guide for the most common lane-closure scenarios on a 2-lane surface road:
- 25 mph residential: 15–20 cones (short taper, short tangent).
- 35 mph arterial: 25–35 cones.
- 45 mph divided road: 40–55 cones plus 2 barricades.
- 55+ mph highway: 60+ cones plus drums and a Type III barricade with legend board.
For exact counts based on your specific lane geometry and posted speed, use our SiteMapPlanner. It generates the MUTCD-spec taper length and cone interval for you.
Putting it together: three example specs
Example A — Suburban NJ paving, 35 mph, day work
- Size: 28-inch
- Collar: single 6-inch Type IV
- Base: 7–10 lb
- Material: virgin PVC (job is short)
- Quantity: 30 cones + 2 cone bars
- Estimated cost: $450–550 delivered
Budget alternate: recycled-PVC cones drop the per-unit price ~$3 but crack in winter; only use if the job is one-season.
Example B — Bridge deck repair, 55 mph, mixed day/night, 5 days
- Size: 36-inch
- Collar: double (4 + 6 in)
- Base: 12 lb
- Material: TPE rubber (will get clipped)
- Quantity: 60 cones, 8 cone-mount LEDs, 4 drums
- Estimated cost: $2,800–3,400 delivered
Budget alternate: virgin PVC instead of TPE saves ~$10/cone but expect to replace 6–10 cones over the 5 days.
Example C — Residential utility cut, 25 mph, 4 hours
- Size: 18-inch (or 28-inch if you already own them)
- Collar: single 4-inch Type IV
- Base: 7 lb
- Material: PVC
- Quantity: 12 cones
- Estimated cost: $180–230 delivered
Budget alternate: pull cones from your existing 28-inch stock; do not buy 18-inch as a one-off.
When cones alone are NOT enough
Cones channelize but do not protect. If your job has any of the following, scale up to barriers:
- Workers on foot within 10 ft of live traffic.
- Closure expected to last more than 2 weeks.
- High-speed corridor with a previous crash history.
- Crew handling utilities, excavation, or open trenches.
Common scale-ups: water-filled barriers for medium-duration, concrete Jersey barriers for long-duration or crash-protected jobs.
Where to order in NJ
For Central NJ contractors we deliver all standard road construction cone configurations same-day for orders placed before noon. Submit a quote with your job address, posted speed, and duration and we will recommend the exact SKU mix. Or browse the full cone catalog if you already know what you want.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Buying 18-inch cones because they are cheaper, then failing inspection on a 35-mph road.
- Skipping double-collar reflectivity, then getting written up the first night the job runs late.
- Going with 4-lb event bases on roadway work — cones blow over in the first wind gust.
- Buying just enough cones for one job. You will need 15–20% more by the end of season one.
- Using cones for physical protection. They are channelization devices, not barriers.