The entry line, honestly scoped
Shipping Specification changing StatusEdgeLine ships today, and its post specification is changing. The post in current production is 40 × 40 × 1.2 mm, which does not reach a safety factor of 1.0 at either height on our own calculation. The specification below — 1.5 mm wall in Q355D steel — is what we are moving to. We are publishing both rather than quietly swapping one for the other.
| Post, outer size | 40 × 40 mm (1.57 × 1.57 in) |
|---|---|
| Post wall | 1.5 mm (0.059 in) |
| Material | Galvanised carbon steel |
| Grade | Q355D (GB/T 1591) |
| Finish | 5-stage powder coat, matte black |
| Post weight | 1.81 kg/m |
| Guard heights | 36 in only |
| Guard rail top rail | 50 × 50 mm square |
| Cable top rail | no cable line |
| Base plate | 115 × 115 × 10 mm, 4 × Ø11 mm holes at 3.25 in centres, 5/8 in edge distance |
| Height | Safety factor | Load case |
|---|---|---|
| 36 in | 1.14 × | 200 lb concentrated, any direction (IRC R301.5) |
| 42 in | not sold at 42 in | 50 lb/ft uniform = 300 lb per post at 6 ft spacing (IBC 1607.9.1) |
We hold no ICC-ES evaluation report and no Intertek CCRR. Every figure here is our own engineering against published code requirements and published material minimums. It is not a third-party rating. The full working, with a live calculator, is on our Engineering & Code Compliance page.
Q355 carries a 355 MPa minimum yield against Q235’s 235 — 51% more, for one line on the purchase order. To clear a safety factor of 1.0 at 36 in on Q235 we would need a 45 × 45 × 2.0 post at 2.70 kg/m. On Q355 the same job is done by 40 × 40 × 1.5 at 1.81 kg/m — 33% less steel. Better steel is cheaper than more steel.
The letter is the impact-toughness class, not the strength — B, C, D and E are all 355 MPa. They differ in the temperature at which the Charpy impact test is run: B at +20°C, D at −20°C. A guard takes impact loads and stands outdoors all winter, and we ship to cold states.
Our factory has described the current steel as Q235 while our own documents said 317 MPa. Where an input is uncertain we restrict the application rather than hope. EdgeLine is a 36 in ground-level guard, and we would rather say so than sell you one for a balcony.