Standard cross-reference table
EN 12899-3, GOST R 50970, MUTCD and ASTM D4956 address different requirements for delineator posts and retroreflective materials. The table compares the scope of these documents.
There is no one-to-one equivalence
Writing “GOST C2 ≙ EN class X” in a specification is technically wrong. GOST prescribes the shape and dimensions of the post; EN 12899-3 gives no dimensional or colour requirement and instead defines performance classes.
The two work on different planes: one answers “what shall it look like”, the other “how much shall it withstand”.
The correct route is to establish which standard the tender is based on and describe the product in that standard’s language.
| Standard | Region | What it governs | Class structure | Where it is silent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 12899-3:2007official record (BSI Knowledge) ↗ | Europe | New delineator posts and retroreflectors, separately or combined as one product. | Performance classes for static and dynamic loading, colorimetric and retroreflective properties (CIE based), and durability levels after natural weathering. | Gives no requirements for colours, dimensions or tolerances. |
| GOST R 50970-2011official record (Rosstandart) ↗ | Russia | Road signal posts — shape and dimensions are prescribed in figures. | Type С1 (road categories IV–V) · С2 (II–V) · С3 (all categories). For С2 and С3, residual deformation 24 h after testing may not exceed 5% of post height. | Defers retroreflector requirements to GOST R 50971. |
| BS EN 12899-3official record (BSI Knowledge) ↗ | United Kingdom | The British adoption of EN 12899-3 — the same technical text, published by BSI as BS EN. | The class structure is identical to the EN. | Introduces no separate technical difference; UK work cites the document as BS EN, verified against the BSI record. |
| MUTCD Part 3official record (FHWA) ↗ | United States | Where delineators go and at what spacing — an application rule. | Colour and placement rules; product performance is left to separate material standards. | Does not describe the mechanical strength of the product. |
| ASTM D4956official record (ASTM) ↗ | US and international | The retroreflective sheeting material itself. | Retroreflection classes separated by type numbers. | Says nothing about the post body. |
Test method standards
A product standard and a test method standard are not the same thing: a method standard says how a value is measured, not which class a product falls in.
A method name is not a declaration of conformity; which product carries which report is shown with documents at quotation stage.
| Standard | Which value it measures |
|---|---|
| EN ISO 62official record (ISO) ↗ | The method behind the water absorption row — a 50 × 50 mm specimen, 24 h in water, weight difference. |
| EN ISO 175official record (ISO) ↗ | The method behind the chemical resistance row — 7 days in acid, petrol and salt solution. |
| EN ISO 178official record (ISO) ↗ | The method behind the flexural tensile strength row — three-point bending. |
| ASTM E313official record (ASTM) ↗ | The method behind the yellowness index row — CIE Lab measurement with a spectrophotometer. |
| ASTM E97 | The method behind the daylight reflectance row — 45°/0° geometry. |
What to do in practice
- Identify the tender’s governing standard, edition and destination country; check whether a standard from another jurisdiction is accepted.
- Write the specification in that standard’s own terms; do not equate two standards in one sentence.
- Do not forget the separate retroreflector standard: GOST R 50971 on one side, ASTM D4956 on the other.
- Ask the manufacturer in writing which standard the product is made to; documents are shared at quotation stage.
Our products
Our roadside delineator posts are manufactured to EN 12899-3 requirements; the retroreflective sheeting is sourced to the sheeting standard cited in the order specification (on the US side that is ASTM D4956).
Conformity documents are shared at quotation stage.
GRP roadside flexible delineator post