What is a Fiberglass Column?

A fiberglass column is a composite column that is reinforced with either fiberglass chop strand, fiberglass mat, or fiberglass roving.
No fiberglass column is 100% fiberglass. A more accurate name for these composite columns is glass fiber reinforced polymer “GFRP” or fiberglass reinforced polymer columns “FRP”.
Fiberglass columns are superior in that they are low-maintenance, affordable, lightweight, load-bearing and decorative, and come with a lifetime warranty.
Fiberglass is pound for pound stronger than steel: This allows for thinner-walled, hollow columns that are very strong and outperform thicker materials that are without fiberglass.
Fiberglass increases the tensile strength of columns. Tensile strength is the resistance of a material from breaking under tension.
Typically, the more fiberglass a column has, the stronger the column. Therefore, superior strength can be achieved with less total material, resulting in thinner but stronger columns.
We manufacture 3 types of fiberglass columns. Our RoyalCast fiberglass columns use a variety of fillers, generally calcium carbonate “marble”, polyester resin, and fiberglass chop strand. Our RoyaLite fiberglass columns use no fillers, polyester resin (general purpose or Class A fire rated resin), fiberglass roving, gel coat, and sometimes a stone or granite aggregate for pre-finished products. Our RoyaLite Pultruded fiberglass columns use some filler, polyester resin, fiberglass roving, and a polyester surface mat.