Width limitBelgium
Traffic rules
Belgium
37. Width limit
A width limit prohibits vehicles or vehicle combinations whose total width exceeds the value shown from entering or passing a road section, bridge, tunnel, gateway or other narrow passage. The width includes the vehicle’s load and any equipment or objects extending from its sides.
Drivers must know the maximum travelling width of their vehicle and load, observe advance warnings and use an alternative route when necessary. They should never enter when sufficient lateral clearance is uncertain.
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Which Belgian sign indicates a width limit?
Traffic sign C27 prohibits access for drivers of vehicles whose width, including their load, exceeds the width displayed on the sign.
Vehicles wider than indicated prohibited.
Signal routier C27 • Accès interdit aux conducteurs de véhicules ayant, chargement compris, une largeur supérieure à celle indiquée.
Verkeersbord C27 • Verboden toegang voor bestuurders van voertuigen waarvan de breedte, lading inbegrepen, groter is dan de aangeduide.
How can you recognise Belgian sign C27?
C27 is a circular prohibition sign showing the maximum permitted width between two horizontal arrowheads.
Does C27 include the vehicle’s load?
Yes. The vehicle and everything carried by it must remain within the displayed width.
Do objects extending from the sides count?
Yes. Loads, equipment, securing devices and other projecting parts that increase the travelling width must be taken into account.
May a vehicle wider than the C27 value continue?
No. The driver must choose another route and may not pass the sign.
May a vehicle exactly as wide as the displayed value pass?
C27 prohibits vehicles whose width is greater than the displayed value. A driver should nevertheless maintain sufficient practical clearance and should not continue when safe passage is uncertain.
Does C27 show the exact physical width of the road?
No. It displays the maximum legally permitted vehicle width. Drivers must not interpret the number as a guarantee that no additional obstacles or narrow points exist.
What is the general maximum width of a loaded vehicle in Belgium?
For a motor vehicle, horse-drawn vehicle or trailer, the general maximum width is 2.55 metres, or 2.60 metres when the vehicle is legally constructed with that width under the technical regulations.
Can certain agricultural loads be wider?
Yes. Specific loose loads such as grain, flax, straw or animal feed may reach 2.75 metres. Under prescribed local-distance conditions, they may reach 3 metres.
Does an agricultural exception allow the driver to ignore C27?
No. A load may comply with a general dimensional exception and still be too wide for a road restricted by C27.
What is the maximum loaded width of a bicycle or two-wheeled moped?
The bicycle, two-wheeled moped or its trailer may have a maximum loaded width of 1 metre.
What is the maximum width of an ordinary bicycle itself?
Under the current Belgian Highway Code, the maximum width of an ordinary bicycle is 0.75 metres.
What is the maximum loaded width of a motorcycle without a sidecar?
The maximum loaded width of a motorcycle without a sidecar, or its trailer, is 1.25 metres.
Which rule applies when C27 shows a lower value?
The lower C27 restriction must be respected, even when the vehicle complies with the general maximum dimensions.
Does C27 apply only to trucks?
No. It applies to every vehicle exceeding the displayed width, including buses, agricultural vehicles, motorhomes, vans, cars with wide loads and trailers.
Can C27 apply to only one lane?
Yes. When the sign is placed above or clearly associated with a particular lane, it applies only to that lane or indicated part of the public road.
Can a C27 restriction apply throughout a zone?
Yes. Under the current Belgian rules, C27 may be given zonal validity. The restriction then applies throughout the signed zone until the corresponding end-zone sign.
Must C27 be placed where another route is available?
Yes. Belgian placement rules require C27 to be installed where affected drivers can still choose an alternative route.
What if no alternative route remains at the restriction itself?
A similar advance C27 sign with a supplementary distance panel must be placed earlier at a location where the driver can still choose another route.
Can roadworks introduce a temporary C27 restriction?
Yes. Temporary barriers or narrowed lanes may require a lower width limit. The temporary sign is legally binding.
Does C27 impose a speed limit?
No. The applicable regional, zonal, posted and vehicle-specific speed limits remain in force.
Does C27 change priority?
No. Drivers must continue to obey traffic lights, priority signs and the ordinary priority rules.
What should you do when you reach C27 with an oversized vehicle?
Do not pass the sign. Stop where safe and follow the indicated diversion. Contact the police or road authority when turning or reversing cannot be completed safely.
May you reverse away from the restriction?
Reversing is a manoeuvre, so the driver must give way to every other road user. Use assistance when necessary, especially with a long or wide vehicle combination.
May you partly use another lane to fit through?
Only where the road markings, signs and traffic conditions legally permit it. C27 does not authorise driving in a closed lane, crossing a continuous line or obstructing oncoming traffic.
Should folding or removable equipment be retracted?
Yes. Movable or easily removable outer parts should be folded or removed where required to reduce the vehicle’s width during travel.
What should you do after striking a Belgian bridge, barrier or tunnel wall?
Stop safely, activate the hazard warning lights and call the emergency services on 112 when the collision creates danger or may have damaged the structure.
What changes on 1 June 2027?
The new Belgian Code of the Public Road retains traffic sign C27 and expressly prohibits access for vehicles or vehicle combinations whose width, including the load, exceeds the displayed value.
Will the existing C27 sign remain recognisable?
Yes. C27 retains its essential symbol and meaning under the new Code of the Public Road.
