1,500+ lines. BS EN ISO 1461 galvanised. Dispatched from the West Midlands.
1,500+
Products in stock
48hr
UK delivery
BS EN ISO 1461
Certified
12
Protection ranges
— Industry Coverage
Warehousing
Aisle Armco, racking & column protection
Car Parks
Perimeter barriers, wheel stops & bollards
Manufacturing
Plant guarding & walkway segregation
Construction
Heras, cones & temporary Armco
Retail
Shopfront bollards & queue management
Local Authorities
Anti-ram & public realm protection
UK Dispatch
Stocked & shipped from the West Midlands
Technical Support
Speak to specifiers, not a call centre
Trade & Public
Same pricing, no account required
Built for Britain
Galvanised, BS-compliant systems
— The Catalogue / 12 Ranges
— The BarriersUK Difference
No hidden carriage charges. Every order ships free across mainland UK, dispatched from the West Midlands.
Order online in minutes — no trade account, no credit application, no minimum spend. Public and trade welcome.
Talk directly to people who spec these products every day. Honest advice, not a call-centre script.
One transparent price list. Buy one bollard or a hundred — you pay the same per-unit rate as a national contractor.
— By Site Type / 8 Industries
From a single column wrap to a multi-hundred-metre Armco run — the same catalogue serves contractors, facilities teams and end users across eight core sectors of UK industry.
8
Sectors served
20+
Years on UK sites
Aisle Armco, racking end protectors, column guards, bollards at goods-in and pedestrian segregation handrail.
Perimeter crash barriers, wheel stops, height restrictors, speed bumps and bolt-down bollards on tarmac or slab.
Dock bumpers, container kerb ramps, Armco runs and high-visibility corner protection at every reveal.
Cast-in bollards, anti-ram protection, retractable belt stanchions for events, and convex traffic mirrors.
Heavy-duty Armco around plant, machinery guarding, walkway handrail and column protection in high-traffic zones.
Cast-in bollards at pumps, perimeter Armco, spill control kits and high-vis hazard demarcation throughout.
Heras fencing, Chapter 8 cones, temporary Armco, traffic management signage and PPE — kitted from one supplier.
Cycle stands, anti-ram bollards at entrances, pedestrian handrail and convex mirrors for blind corners.
Not sure which products you need for your site? Our team will spec a full scheme — no charge, no obligation.
Get a free site spec— Specifier's Edge
The two crash barrier profiles you'll actually consider on a UK site — side by side, no marketing fluff.
| Specification | Armco (W-Beam) | Open Box Beam |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | Corrugated W-beam | Rectangular hollow section |
| Deflection on impact | Higher — absorbs energy by flexing | Lower — stiffer, less rearward movement |
| Typical use | Warehouses, car parks, general site | Tight clearances, higher containment |
| Post centres | 1.9m standard | 1.9m standard |
| Finish | Galvanised steel | Galvanised steel |
| Cost | £ — most economical | ££ — premium |
— Trusted by UK Sites
4.9 / 5
Based on 1,400+ reviews
“Ordered Monday, delivered Tuesday. Exactly the spec we needed for our loading bay. Will use again.”
J. Morrison
Facilities Manager, West Yorkshire
“Best priced Armco I've found online. Technical team knew exactly what we needed for our car park.”
D. Clarke
Property Manager, Birmingham
“Fast, reliable, galvanised to spec. Our go-to supplier for all site protection.”
M. Patel
Site Safety Officer, Manchester
— Knowledge Centre
Plain-English guides to specifying, installing and maintaining the products we supply. Written by our team for UK contractors, facilities managers and site engineers.
A crash barrier is a steel safety barrier installed to protect people, buildings and equipment from accidental vehicle impact. In the UK the most common profiles are Armco (corrugated W-beam) and Open Box Beam, both supplied as galvanised rails bolted to driven, cast-in or baseplated posts. Crash barriers are used on roads, car parks, warehouses, loading bays and industrial estates wherever traffic and pedestrians meet.
A crash barrier absorbs and redirects impact energy. The steel rail flexes against rigid posts, spreading the force of a vehicle strike across several posts so the vehicle is slowed and pushed back into its lane rather than stopped dead or allowed through. Galvanising protects against corrosion, and post spacing and gauge are chosen to suit the expected impact severity.
Crash barriers are installed by fixing posts at a set centre (typically 1.9m for Armco) using one of three methods: cast-in posts set into fresh concrete, baseplated posts bolted onto an existing slab, or spring posts where some deflection is required. Rails are then bolted to the posts with the matching M16 fixings, and corners and end-pieces are added to close out the run.
Armco is the original name for the W-shaped corrugated steel crash barrier profile, now used generically across the UK industrial sector. Armco barriers combine high strength with the ability to deflect on impact, which is why they remain the default choice for vehicle protection in warehouses, car parks, depots and along site perimeters.
Both profiles do the same job but in different ways. Armco (W-beam) is the lighter, more economical option and is typically used for general site and car park protection. Open Box Beam is a rectangular hollow section that is stiffer, deflects less on impact and is specified where space behind the barrier is tight or where a higher containment level is required.
Choose bollards on three factors: the threat (low-speed parking nudge vs high-energy ram-raid), the installation surface (concrete slab, tarmac, paving) and the fixing method (surface mounted, bolt-down or cast-in). For warehouse pedestrian protection a 90mm or 114mm bolt-down bollard is usually sufficient; for perimeter and asset protection larger diameter cast-in bollards are used.
A warehouse protection scheme normally combines several products: Armco or polymer barriers along aisles and walkways, column protectors at the base of every upright, corner protection on racking ends and at door reveals, and bollards at high-risk points such as goods-in doors and battery charging areas. Pedestrian segregation handrail completes the layout.
Column protection guards structural columns, racking uprights and door frames against forklift and pallet truck strikes. Options range from heavy-duty steel guards bolted into the floor to lightweight plastic wraparound protectors that absorb low-speed impact. Bright yellow finishes also serve as a visual warning to drivers.
— Got Questions?
— UK Coverage
BarriersUK is the online catalogue of Express Matting Services Ltd, based at Unit 1B, The Summit, Manchester Road, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 5HG. We supply crash barriers, Armco barriers, Open Box Beam, bollards, handrail systems, column & corner protection and traffic control products to trade contractors, facilities managers and the public across the United Kingdom.
From our West Midlands base we dispatch nationwide — from Glasgow and Edinburgh down through Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and the Black Country, across to London, Bristol, Cardiff and the South Coast. Local trade customers across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Warwickshire are welcome to collect from site.
— Ready When You Are
Order online, or speak to our team for help specifying a full scheme. Trade and public welcome — UK-wide dispatch from the West Midlands.