Turnstiles - An Introduction

Turnstiles come in painted or stainless steel and are used in numerous locations to provide access control, revenue generation and health and safety solutions.

Turnstiles typically come in 4 basic styles. The first type is the standard tripod turnstile that would be used in smaller sports grounds and for health and safety reporting.

The second type is a half-height turnstile and a variant where the turnstile has a gate instead of a central spindle. These variants would be used in urban transit applications.

The third type is an optical turnstile which has no spindle or gate at all. An optical turnstile has a series of infra-red beams which detect if a person has passed through the turnstile without presenting an access badge. These systems are used in buildings where the information recorded that someone is on the premises is much more important that controlling physical access. For example, a building entrance where there is a permanent manned guard may only need an optical turnstile.

The final type is the full height turnstile. These turnstiles are installed in locations where physical access to the facility must be strictly controlled. These would include airports, staff carparks and high security office locations. These full height turnstiles also come in a number of variants. External variants usually have a spindle made from solid horizontal bars but internal variants have glass panels for better aesthetics.