FRP modular handrail

What it is

An FRP modular handrail is a guardrail and handrail system built from pultruded fibreglass tubes – round or square posts, top rails and knee rails – joined by moulded FRP connectors that are bonded and bolted. A kick plate (toe board) of FRP channel or plate closes the bottom. Because it does not conduct electricity and does not rust, it is chosen for electrical substations and switch rooms, rail corridors, water and wastewater plants, chemical plants, marine structures and cooling towers.

World Steel does not manufacture FRP. We supply FRP handrail systems from specialist FRP manufacturers together with the platforms and walkways, stairs and support steel we fabricate. The handrail layout is detailed in the same Tekla model as the steel, the base fixings are built into our steelwork, and the handrail kit is checked and packed with the platform it belongs to. Where a metal system is acceptable, compare it with our galvanised WS modular guardrail.

Types and options

• Profiles: round or square pultruded tube, typically around 50 mm, from the manufacturer's range.
• Mounting: base-mounted on the deck or side-mounted to the platform edge, using FRP or stainless steel brackets.
• Resin and colour: UV-stabilised polyester or vinyl ester, typically safety yellow with a surface veil for weathering.

Design and compliance

Heights and rail spacing follow the governing code exactly as for steel: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.29(b) requires a top rail 42 in ± 3 in above the walking surface resisting 200 lbf and mid-rails resisting 150 lbf; AS 1657-2018 sets a top rail of 900–1100 mm with a mid-rail and a toe board of at least 100 mm where required; EN ISO 14122-3 requires at least 1100 mm, a knee-rail, gaps of no more than 500 mm and a 100 mm toe-plate.

The strength of an FRP handrail comes from the system as a whole – the tube, the connectors, the adhesive and the base fixing. Post spacing and load capacity must therefore come from the manufacturer's tested system data for the specific configuration, checked against the barrier loads of ASCE 7, AS/NZS 1170.1 or EN 1991-1-1. World Steel works to that data and the engineer's design; we do not test or certify FRP handrail and pass on the manufacturer's evidence. Fire behaviour is also product-specific.

Supply and installation with World Steel platforms

Platform steel is fabricated in our plant and hot-dip galvanised, with base plates or edge cleats for the handrail posts positioned from the model. The FRP components are ordered to the handrail layout, pre-cut where practical, and packed by run with connectors, adhesive, stainless fasteners and installation instructions for export shipping.

• Assemble dry first, then bond and bolt the connectors following the manufacturer's curing times and temperatures.
• Seal all cut ends and fit end caps.
• Allow for thermal movement at long runs and at expansion joints in the steel.
• Fit the kick plate continuously, with no gap above the deck larger than the code allows.

Selecting and specifying

Tell us the governing code, the runs and levels, mounting type, number of rails, kick plate, gates and the exposure (chemical, coastal, electrical). Matching items are FRP grating and FRP stair treads. If the reason for FRP is corrosion only, not electrical isolation, we can also price a galvanised or stainless steel alternative so the two options can be compared on life-cycle cost, weight and installation time.