Standards guide

Bollard and wheel stop standards in Australia: what applies

Short answer: There is no single bollard standard in Australia. Which document applies depends on what the bollard is for: car park layout and wheel stops (AS/NZS 2890.1), accessible parking (AS 2890.6), access widths (AS 1428.1), council guidance on paths, or hostile-vehicle ratings (PAS 68, IWA 14, ASTM F2656). SafeWise makes no compliance claim against any of them and our bollards are not crash-rated. Check the current edition with your designer, certifier or council.

Figures: SafeWise product data. Standards are quoted as commonly cited guidance, so check the current edition. How we check

Who sets what, the figures people usually quote, and what to ask a supplier before you rely on a claim.

Updated 28 October 2026

On this page: Which standard · Wheel stops · Accessible bays · Council guidance · Crash ratings · Claims to watch for · Yellow · Our position · FAQs

140mm fixed surface-mount safety bollard, 1300mm tall

What applies

Which standard applies to what

Australia has no single bollard standard. Each document below answers a different question, and most of them are written for designers and certifiers, not for the person buying a post. The figures are the ones commonly quoted, not the text of the standards.

Standards and guidance that bear on bollards and wheel stops: what each covers, what it means for a buyer and where SafeWise stands
Standard What it covers What it means for a buyer SafeWise position
AS/NZS 2890.1 (car park layout; check the current edition). Standards Australia listing. Off-street car parks: bay layout and, in the figures usually quoted, wheel stop height and setbacks. Commonly cited: 100mm maximum wheel stop height; 620mm (front-in) or 900mm (rear-in) from a kerb up to 150mm; 820mm or 1100mm from a higher kerb or wall. Our wheel stop is 100mm high, the commonly cited maximum. No compliance claim.
AS 2890.6 (accessible parking). Standards Australia listing. Off-street parking for people with disabilities. Commonly summarised as calling for a bollard in the shared area beside an accessible space, at about 1300mm installed height with a reflective or contrasting band. Our 140mm fixed bollard is 1300mm tall with a red reflective band. Band and position are yours to check. No compliance claim.
AS 1428.1 (access and mobility), as summarised in the Victorian Government Design for Everyone guide. Standards Australia listing; check the current edition. Design for access: how much clear width a person needs to move through a path. Widths commonly quoted: 1000mm for an ambulant person, 1200mm for a wheelchair, 1500mm for two people passing, 1800mm for a wheelchair to turn 180°. For bollards, these are clear gaps. Use them to set gaps: see the bollard spacing guide. No compliance claim.
Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 6A, as quoted in council guidance (Sunshine Coast Council is one example). Paths for walking and cycling, picked up by councils in their own bollard guidance. A bollard at least 500mm off the edge of a path is the figure councils commonly quote. Each council sets its own rules, so ask the one that owns the land. Guidance from the council, not from us. See council approval.
PAS 68, IWA 14 and ASTM F2656 (vehicle impact tests). Hostile-vehicle mitigation: a test vehicle is driven into a bollard on a stated foundation and the result is rated. Specified by a security engineer, with engineered foundations. IWA 14-1 is now listed as withdrawn and revised by ISO 22343-1:2023. We do not sell these. SafeWise bollards are not crash-rated. See safety vs crash-rated bollards.

Standards are paid documents. The links go to their listings, so you can see the current edition and status.

Wheel stops

Wheel stops and AS/NZS 2890.1

The wheel stop figures in car park guides are usually taken from AS/NZS 2890.1:2004. They are a maximum height of 100mm, a setback of 620mm (front-in parking) or 900mm (rear-in) from a kerb up to 150mm high, and 820mm or 1100mm from a higher kerb or wall. The standard has been under review, so check the current edition with your designer or certifier before you set out a bay.

Our 1650mm rubber wheel stop is 100mm high. That matches the maximum height commonly cited, but we don't claim the product complies with the standard, because layout is the designer's call. For how to position one, see wheel stop setbacks, and for the choice between the two products, wheel stops vs bollards.

Accessible parking and paths

Accessible bays and path widths

The bay bollard: AS 2890.6

AS 2890.6 is the part about parking for people with disabilities. It is commonly summarised as calling for a bollard in the shared area beside an accessible space, about 1300mm tall with a reflective or contrasting band. Many suppliers still cite the older AS/NZS 2890.6:2009, so check which edition your certifier uses. Our accessible parking bay bollard guide covers height, band and position.

The path width: AS 1428.1

AS 1428.1 sits behind the path widths in the Victorian Government Design for Everyone guide: 1000, 1200, 1500 and 1800mm. When bollards stand along a path, those widths become the gaps between them. The bollard spacing guide shows how to convert a clear gap to centres. Our bollard height guide explains 900mm against 1300mm.

Council guidance

Council and road authority guidance

For bollards on a footpath, nature strip or road reserve, the owner of the land sets the rules, and councils often write them into their own guidelines. Sunshine Coast Council, for example, quotes the Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 6A for a bollard at least 500mm off the edge of a path, and some councils specify a maximum spacing between bollard centres. Both are council guidance, not a national standard, and they vary. Ask your own council for its current document.

Whoever owns the ground also decides if you need a permit. Our council approval guide explains who to ask, including a section on Victoria.

Impact standards

Hostile-vehicle standards: PAS 68, IWA 14 and ASTM F2656

These three test how far a vehicle gets past a barrier. The product is tested on a stated foundation, so the rating belongs to the whole system, not just the post. The standards themselves are paid documents. The BSI listing for PAS 68 shows the 2010 edition as withdrawn. The ISO listing for IWA 14-1 shows it as withdrawn and revised by ISO 22343-1:2023. ASTM publishes F2656/F2656M through its store (ASTM store listing for F2656/F2656M; check which edition applies). A quote that still cites “PAS 68” or “IWA 14” is worth a question about which edition was tested.

SafeWise does not sell any of this. Our bollards are safety and delineation bollards, not tested to these standards: safety vs crash-rated bollards explains the difference.

Buying

Claims to watch for

Product pages often say a bollard “complies with AS…” or is “tested”. A product page is not a test report.

  • “Complies with an Australian Standard.” Ask which standard, which edition and which clause. Ask for the document. Many of the standards above set out how a car park is designed, not how a bollard is made.
  • “Crash-rated” or “impact-tested”. Ask for the test report, the foundation it was tested on and the edition of the standard. A rating applies to a tested system on its tested foundation.
  • An old edition. Check whether the quote cites AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 or a withdrawn PAS 68 or IWA 14. It may still be how people describe a product, but ask what was actually tested.
  • No document, no claim. If a supplier can't produce the report or certificate, treat the claim as marketing.

Colour

Do bollards have to be yellow?

We found no Australian standard that requires a bollard to be yellow. Yellow is a convention: a bright colour is easy to see against paving and a vehicle bonnet, which is the point of a safety bollard. For accessible bays, a contrasting reflective band is what is commonly cited, rather than a colour. If a council, certifier or designer specifies a colour for your site, theirs wins.

SafeWise bollards are safety yellow with a red reflective band. We don't offer other colours. If you need one, tell us on the quote form and we'll say what is possible.

Our position

What SafeWise does and does not claim

  • No compliance claim. We don't say any SafeWise product complies with, or is certified to, any standard in this guide.
  • Not crash-rated. Our bollards are 3mm-wall carbon steel safety bollards. They mark boundaries and deter low-speed nudges. They are not impact-tested and are not a barrier against a ram raid or a vehicle at speed.
  • Plain specs. We give the dimensions: 900mm or 1300mm tall, Ø90mm or Ø140mm, red reflective band. Your designer or certifier decides whether that fits the standard on your site.
  • Supply only. We supply, you or your installer fit. Ask us for the specifications and spec sheets to attach to an application.

FAQs

Bollard standards questions

Do bollards need to comply with an Australian Standard?

There is no single Australian bollard standard. Which document applies depends on the job: car park layout (AS/NZS 2890.1), accessible parking (AS 2890.6, 2022 edition, which replaced AS/NZS 2890.6:2009; check the edition your certifier uses), access widths (AS 1428.1), council guidance for paths, or impact ratings such as PAS 68 and ASTM F2656 for hostile vehicles. A council, certifier or designer says what applies on your site. SafeWise makes no compliance claim, so ask us for the dimensions and check them against the current edition.

Are bollards required to be yellow?

We found no Australian standard that requires a bollard to be yellow. Yellow is a convention for visibility. For accessible parking bays a contrasting reflective band is what is commonly cited. SafeWise bollards are safety yellow with a red reflective band, and your council or certifier has the final say on any colour.

Do wheel stops have to be 100mm high?

100mm is the maximum wheel stop height commonly cited from AS/NZS 2890.1, not a size you must hit. Check the current edition with your designer. Our rubber wheel stop is 100mm high, and we don't claim it complies with the standard.

What standard covers accessible parking bay bollards?

AS 2890.6 covers off-street parking for people with disabilities. It is commonly summarised as calling for a bollard in the shared area beside an accessible space at about 1300mm installed height with a reflective or contrasting band. Check the edition your certifier uses and the band and position on your site. Our 140mm fixed bollard is 1300mm tall, but we make no compliance claim.

Are SafeWise bollards crash-rated?

No. SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards, not impact-tested or certified to PAS 68, IWA 14, ASTM F2656 or any other hostile-vehicle standard. For ram-raid or hostile-vehicle protection, talk to a security engineer.

Related products

Bollards for the job

Bollards are pre-order on the next container: factory production typically takes 15–20 days, plus sea freight and customs. Storage holders are in stock now.

Need specs to check against a standard?

Tell us the bollard or wheel stop, the quantity and your postcode. We'll send a written quote and the spec sheet. We aim to reply within one business day.

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