The impact and pileup mechanisms of unsteady granular flows impacting a rigid barrier are governed by the Froude conditions (Fr). Velocity and depth vary along the length of the flow. There is currently no widely accepted approach for characterizing Fr for impact and runup problems. In this study, a discrete element method (DEM) model was calibrated against a physical flume test. Eighty-six simulations were performed using the DEM model to investigate the equivalent Fr governing pileup height and impact pressure for unsteady single-surge dry granular flows against a rigid barrier. Fr and the grain diameter were varied. Results reveal that Fr within the frontmost 5% of a flow governs both pileup height and impact pressure. Thus, taking frontal velocity and maximum flow depth within the frontmost region is crucial for properly characterizing the runup height and impact load. Consistent characterization of Fr is possible near the longitudinal centre of a flow; the frontmost Fr can then be extrapolated from calibration curves. Results imply that existing studies that predict impact pressure based on nonfrontal Fr values may underestimate impact pressure by a factor of up to 2.