The four families
Almost everything on the market is a variation of four ideas. A tripod turnstile drops a three-arm rotor to waist height. A full-height turnstile extends the same rotor from floor to head height inside a cage. A speedstile (optical lane or speedgate) replaces the rotor with glass wings and a sensor array that watches the lane. A revolving door or security booth encloses one person completely and cycles them through.
The differences that matter on site are security level, sustained throughput, footprint, and what happens when the power fails.
| Type | Security | Planning throughput | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tripod / waist-height | Deters, does not prevent — can be climbed or vaulted | ~25 people/min/lane | Offices, gyms, staff entrances, ticketed venues |
| Full-height | Prevents — cannot be climbed or reached over | ~18 people/min/lane | Mines, perimeters, substations, unmanned entrances |
| Speedstile / optical lane | Detects — sensors flag tailgating, wings resist it | ~35 people/min/lane | Corporate lobbies, high-flow reception |
| Revolving door / booth | Prevents and isolates — one person per cycle | Slowest of the four | Banks, data centres, cash centres, high-value rooms |
Throughput figures are conservative planning bands for sustained peak flow, not laboratory maximums. Real rates depend on how familiar users are with the lane, how fast the credential reads, and whether tailgating is being enforced.
Security: what each type actually stops
A tripod turnstile is a courtesy barrier. It makes unauthorised entry obvious and awkward, and in a staffed lobby that is often enough. It will not stop somebody determined, because the space above the arms is open.
A full-height turnstile is a physical barrier in the true sense — the cage closes the gap a tripod leaves, so the lane cannot be climbed, vaulted or reached over. This is why unmanned perimeters, mine personnel gates and substations use them almost exclusively.
A speedstile works on a different axis. Its wings are not primarily the obstacle; its sensor array is. A good optical lane counts bodies through the lane and raises an alarm on a second one, which is what makes it right for a lobby where the visual has to stay open and a reception desk is watching.
A booth or revolving door is the only family that truly isolates one person at a time, and the only one that can practically be paired with weight or volumetric checks.
- Tailgating — two people through on one credential. Speedstiles detect it; full-height turnstiles make it physically impossible; tripods do neither.
- Anti-passback — one credential cannot enter twice without an exit in between. This is a function of the access-control system, not the turnstile, but it only holds if the lane physically enforces one person per authorisation.
- Overcoming the lane — climbing, crawling under, reaching over to trigger the exit sensor. Ask any supplier how their lane behaves against each, and ask to be shown rather than told.
Footprint and civils
A tripod turnstile is the smallest of the four and the easiest to retrofit. A full-height turnstile is the largest and heaviest, and needs a level, load-bearing slab plus headroom — check the ceiling height before anything else in an indoor installation.
A speedstile lane is long rather than wide: the sensor array needs lane length to tell one body from two, so a short pair of pedestals is not the same product. Allow for cable routing into the pedestals from below.
Whatever the type, allow a separate accessible lane. A wheelchair user, a delivery trolley and a stretcher all need a wide gate — and it is far cheaper to put one in at construction than to cut one in afterwards. See gates and wide lanes.
Power, failure and escape
Ask what the lane does in a power failure, and be specific about which direction. A lane that fails locked is a security decision; a lane that fails open is a life-safety one, and on an escape route the fire requirement wins. Confirm the escape strategy with the fire consultant or local authority for that building before the lane is specified — it dictates fail-safe or fail-secure, and it is not a preference.
Mechanical drop-arms, battery backup and a manual release are the usual answers. In South Africa, add load-shedding to the list of things the lane must survive: a battery or inverter on the controller is not a luxury here.
Where iMAT fits
iMAT manufactures all four families locally and has done since 1998 — tripod and full-height turnstiles, speedstiles, security booths and the gates that go beside them. Because the units are built here rather than imported, lane widths, finishes and mounting can be changed to suit the opening instead of the opening being changed to suit the unit.
If you already know your peak flow, the lane calculator will size the entrance in a few seconds. If you would rather talk it through, send us the site details.
Common questions
What is the difference between a turnstile and a speedstile?
A turnstile uses a mechanical rotor — arms that turn to let one person through. A speedstile (or optical lane) uses glass wings and an optical sensor array that watches the lane and detects a second body. Turnstiles are the stronger physical barrier; speedstiles are faster and visually open, which is why lobbies use them.
Can a full-height turnstile be used indoors?
Yes, provided the ceiling height allows it — a full-height unit is roughly two metres tall plus clearance. It is most common outdoors or on a perimeter because it needs no supervision, but indoor plant rooms, mine change-houses and warehouses use them too.
How many people per minute can one turnstile handle?
As a conservative planning figure, about 25 people per minute through a tripod lane, 18 through a full-height lane and 35 through a speedstile lane. Use the lower end of each band where users are unfamiliar with the site or the credential read is slow.
Which turnstile is best for a mine?
Full-height turnstiles, almost always paired with biometrics and anti-passback, because a mine must be able to account for every person on site and an unmanned lane must not be climbable.