The forged-steel rigid brace is the most common brace for industrial switches. The brace plate is designed to fit a particular style brace and is often called a "combination plate", "Riser plate", or "slide plate". The riser of this plate can be formed in several ways. A pressed riser is formed by pushing up the steel under the riser area. A welded riser utilizes an additional steel shim which is welded to the plate. A milled riser is formed when a "pocket" or "seat" for the rail is milled out of the plate.

Adjustable rail braces are used for heavy-duty and main line switches. They allow the brace to be installed and later adjusted without disturbing the stock rail or plate. Adjustable braces come in several different designs. Shown at the right is an A.R.E.A. type design.

This type of plate is used behind the heel of a switch in heavy-duty applications where it is preferred over twin tie plates. These plates are designed to fit a specific rail section, switch length, tie spacing, and turnout alignment. These plates can be milled right-hand, left-hand, or no-hand. The no-hand plates can be used in either a right or left-hand turnout, but the right and left-hand plates are not interchangeable.

Flat turnout plates similar to these but without the milled pockets are specified by some railroads. These flat turnout plates are also non-adjustable, but they can be used for right or left-hand by flipping them over one way or the other.