Railroad crossing signs
Crossbuck sign
Marks the railroad crossing itself. Yield to any train and never stop on the tracks.
- Crossbuck
- White
- MUTCD R15-1
Shape and background first
Federal designation R15-1 in the MUTCD, the national standard every state signs to.
What the MUTCD specifies
Designation: R15-1
MUTCD Section 8B.03
Conventional road size: 48 x 9 in
Standard: Place at least one Crossbuck on each highway approach to every highway-rail grade crossing.
Source: Federal Highway Administration, MUTCD 11th Edition (December 2023), Part 8, Table 8B-1; Section 8B.03, verified 2026-09-26.
What the test wants you to know
The mistake people make
The crossbuck has the legal force of a yield sign. A great many test takers get this wrong by treating it as a decoration rather than a control device.
The sign people confuse it with
Crossbuck gets mixed up with Railroad Crossing Ahead more than any other pairing in this category. Put them side by side and the difference is obvious, which is exactly why it is worth doing once rather than meeting them cold in the exam.
Crossbuck
Marks the railroad crossing itself.
Railroad Crossing Ahead
A railroad crossing is ahead.
