What do coloured traffic cones mean on UK sites? Blue, yellow and green explained

The orange cone tells a driver or operative that something is happening ahead. It does not tell them what. On a single-service street works job, that is fine. One team, one service, one hazard. But on a multi-utility corridor where gas, water, electricity, and telecoms are all being worked on within a few metres of each other, an orange cone on its own communicates nothing about which service is being excavated, which trench is live, or which area carries the highest risk.

Colour-coded cones solve this. They extend the language of site safety beyond a generic hazard signal into a specific communication system. When an operative sees a blue cone, they know they are near water infrastructure. A yellow cone means electrical risk. A green cone marks a protected or low-risk zone. No sign required. No briefing needed. The cone does the communicating.

Before covering coloured variants, it is worth being clear about the baseline. Orange is the statutory Chapter 8 colour for road traffic cones used in temporary traffic management on UK public highways. The Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8, the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, and BS EN 13422 all reference the orange cone as the standard. If you are running a lane closure on an A-road, managing a street works scheme, or deploying cones on any public highway, orange is what Chapter 8 requires.

Coloured cones are used on construction sites, utility works, industrial facilities, and events where colour coding serves an additional purpose beyond standard highway traffic management. They are not substitutes for orange on public roads.

Select any colour card below to see a summary of its applications and a direct link to the product.

All three coloured variants are the same cone. Same construction, same certification, same sleeve. The colour is the only variable. Toggle between all rows and differences only to focus on what changes between variants.

All three are Chapter 8 compliant at 750mm for single carriageway roads up to 50mph and dual carriageways up to 40mph. None are Chapter 8 standard highway colours. Their primary function is zone identification on construction, utility, and industrial sites rather than highway traffic management.

Most coloured cones sold in the UK are not BSI Kitemarked. They are listed as conforming to BS EN 13422 but that conformance is self-declared by the manufacturer. No independent body has tested or certified them.

For contractors working on local authority frameworks, Highways England schemes, or large principal contractor supply chains where BSI Kitemark certification is a contractual requirement, this matters. A cone that cannot prove independent certification may not pass a site audit or procurement check.

All three coloured variants carry the same Kitemark as the standard orange Starlite. The certification does not change with the colour.

The answer depends entirely on what you are marking. If you are excavating a water main or working on potable water infrastructure, blue is the correct and recognised choice. If you are working near electrical cables, high-voltage equipment, or setting up hazard zones in a warehouse or industrial facility, yellow is the standard. If you are marking a TPO boundary, an ecological buffer, a welfare area, or any low-risk perimeter on a construction or environmental site, green is the right cone.

On sites running multiple service types, the most effective approach is to use all three in combination with standard orange. The result is a site where any operative can read the zone layout by cone colour alone, without needing a site plan or a verbal briefing.

Blue, yellow, and green are three variants in a wider cone range that includes the standard orange Starlite in 750mm and 1m, the Mastercone 450mm, specialist cones with overhead cables warning sleeves, no-waiting cones, and a full accessories range including reflective sleeves, flashing beacons, and demarcation poles.

Blue Traffic Cone 750mm

£19.99 exc. VAT · RS2RC750BLU

Yellow Traffic Cone 750mm

£19.99 exc. VAT · RS2RC750YEL

Green Traffic Cone 750mm

£19.99 exc. VAT · RS2RC750GRN