18" Orange Sport Cone

Flip one of our cones over and the underside isn't smooth. It's molded with small ridges called cleats that do two jobs. First, they grip the road so the cone stays planted when a truck rolls past or the wind kicks up. Second, they keep cones from suction-sticking into a fused stack when you pack them away. Anyone who has pried apart a tower of cheap smooth-bottomed cones learns to love them fast.

Flip one of our cones over and the underside isn't smooth. It's molded with small ridges called cleats that do two jobs. First, they grip the road so the cone stays planted when a truck rolls past or the wind kicks up. Second, they keep cones from suction-sticking into a fused stack when you pack them away. Anyone who has pried apart a tower of cheap smooth-bottomed cones learns to love them fast.

Flip one of our cones over and the underside isn't smooth. It's molded with small ridges called cleats that do two jobs. First, they grip the road so the cone stays planted when a truck rolls past or the wind kicks up. Second, they keep cones from suction-sticking into a fused stack when you pack them away. Anyone who has pried apart a tower of cheap smooth-bottomed cones learns to love them fast.

Those little dots circling the base are ejector pin marks, left behind when a freshly molded cone is pushed out of its injection mold. Far from a defect, an even, precise pattern of dots is a good sign: it means the mold was built to tight tolerances and the cone came out to spec. Cheap imports often show irregular or missing marks.

DOT approved is shorthand for a cone that meets the federal MUTCD standard the Department of Transportation uses for roadway work. In practice that means the right height for the speed of traffic, a fluorescent orange body, and reflective collars for night visibility. It's the spec that matters when cones sit on a public road or work zone. For a driveway, lot, or event, you have more freedom.