Delineators
Tubular Markers vs Delineators: When to Use Which
Cojo
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6 min read
A tubular marker is a temporary work-zone channelizing device under MUTCD Part 6 (temporary traffic control); a delineator is a permanent roadside or parking-lot device under MUTCD Section 3F.04. Tubular markers are smaller (typically 18 to 28 inches), lighter, and designed to be repositioned daily. Delineators are taller (36 to 48 inches), engineered for thousands of vehicle strikes over 5-plus years, and anchored permanently. Use tubular markers for active work zones and short-term channelization; use delineators for permanent parking-lot lane edges, drive-thru queues, and pickup-zone dividers.
A tubular marker is a flexible polymer cylinder, typically 18 to 28 inches tall, with a weighted rubber base that holds it upright via gravity rather than anchor. They appear under MUTCD Section 6F.65 for temporary traffic control. Color is white or orange depending on application; sheeting is ASTM D4956 Type IV or higher.
Common tubular markers:
The defining feature is portability. A 2-person crew can deploy 200 tubular markers in a morning, take them down at end of shift, and redeploy them on a different work zone the next day.
A delineator is a permanent roadside or parking-lot channelization device under MUTCD Section 3F.04. Standard heights run 36 to 48 inches. Posts are typically engineered urethane or standard urethane on a surface-mount spring base, an in-ground sleeve, or an adhesive base.
Common delineators:
The defining feature is permanence and impact-recovery engineering. A delineator on a drive-thru sees 1 to 4 vehicle strikes per year and must recover automatically without crew intervention. The polymer chemistry, base spring, and anchor spec all serve that recovery profile.
| Spec | Tubular Marker | Delineator |
|---|---|---|
| MUTCD Chapter | Part 6 (temporary) | Section 3F.04 (permanent) |
| Height | 18 to 28 inches | 36 to 48 inches |
| Anchoring | Gravity (weighted base) | Surface-mount, in-ground, or adhesive |
| Weight | 8 to 12 lb total | 4 to 8 lb post + 6 to 18 lb base |
| Service Life | 6 months to 2 years (work-zone use) | 5 to 10 years |
| Strike Recovery | Topples; manual reset | Auto-recovery via spring + polymer memory |
| Per-Unit Cost | $25 to $60 | $35 to $90 (post) + $25 to $80 (base) |
| Typical Use | Active construction, lane shifts, crosswalk work zones | Parking-lot channels, drive-thrus, pickup zones, roadway shoulders |
Tubular markers are the right pick when the channelization is temporary and the device must be deployable and removable on the same day.
A delineator anchored permanently in a temporary work zone takes 30 to 50 minutes per post to install and as long to remove with pavement patching. Tubular markers deploy at 2 to 4 minutes each and require no patching. The cost differential becomes massive on a 50-marker job that runs 3 weeks.
Delineators are the right pick when the channelization is permanent and the device must absorb repeat vehicle strikes without crew intervention.
A tubular marker on a drive-thru topples at first vehicle strike and requires a crew member to reset it. At 1 to 4 strikes per post per year, manual reset is operationally impractical. Tubular markers also lack the height to remain visible above passenger-vehicle hoods at 50 to 100-foot approach distance.
Some projects mix the two. Cojo installed a permanent 38-post drive-thru loop at a Tanasbourne QSR in March 2026 and used 14 tubular markers on the same site to channelize customer traffic around the crew during the 3-day install. The tubular markers came down at end of shift each day; the delineators went in permanently. The hybrid approach kept the lot operating during install rather than closing it.
This is the standard pattern for any lot reconfiguration: tubular markers handle the construction phase, delineators handle the permanent channelization.
For a 22-post job:
| Cost Element | Tubular Markers (rented for 14-day work zone) | Permanent Delineators |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | $25-$60 each x 22 = $550-$1,320 | $35-$90 + $25-$80 each x 22 = $1,320-$3,740 |
| Install labor | $150-$300 | $1,400-$2,400 |
| Removal/patch | $0 (no patch) | $770-$2,640 (if removed later) |
| 5-year total cost | $700-$1,620 (rebuy at year 1-2) | $1,400-$2,400 (one-time) |
Both follow MUTCD Section 3F.04 for permanent applications and MUTCD Part 6 for temporary:
Sheeting type per ASTM D4956. Type IV high-intensity prismatic is the parking-lot default; Type IX or XI on highway-speed applications.
Tubular markers and delineators are not interchangeable. Tubular markers are for temporary work zones; delineators are for permanent channelization. Picking the wrong one wastes labor on the install side or wastes hardware on the durability side. Cojo installs both across the I-5 corridor and matches the device to the duration. Contact Cojo for a parking-lot delineator quote or work-zone tubular-marker rental.
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