Installation guide

How deep should a bollard be set?

Short answer: No single depth applies. It depends on the product and on what it has to resist. Bolt-down bollards have no embed depth, socket-type removable bollards follow the socket length, and impact-rated bollards need a footing designed by an engineer. We found no single Australian rule for bollard depth.

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

Searches for bollard foundation depth return 300mm, 600mm and 1 metre. Those numbers belong to different products. Here is how to work out which case you are in.

Updated 28 October 2026

fixed safety bollard installed on concrete

Three cases

What sets the depth depends on the type of bollard

Start by working out which of these you are dealing with.

Bollard type, what sets its depth and who decides
Bollard type	What sets the depth	Who decides
Bolt-down (surface-mount)	No embed depth. Anchors go into a sound slab: M10 anchors, typically 100–150mm long. Anchors are not included.	The anchor datasheet and an installer
Socket-type removable	The socket length. SW-RB90 is about 225mm deep. SW-RB140: confirm with us before you drill.	The product page, plus our confirmation for the 140mm
Cast-in or concrete-filled post	The maker’s drawing for that post. Not a SafeWise product.	The manufacturer, or an engineer
Impact-rated bollard	An engineered foundation for that tested system.	A security or structural engineer

Bolt-down bollards

A bolt-down bollard such as the SafeWise fixed range has no depth to set. Its base plate sits on the slab and the anchors do the work, so the question becomes how thick and how sound the slab is. The anchor datasheet gives hole depth, edge distance and torque. See how to install fixed bollards.

Socket-type removable bollards

A removable bollard stands in its own socket, so the depth follows the socket. The 90mm socket (SW-RB90) is about 225mm deep, and the core hole takes that length plus a gravel layer. For the 140mm socket (SW-RB140), confirm the depth with us before you drill. Sizes are in the core drill size guide.

Cast-in or concrete-filled posts

Some bollards are tubes set in the ground and filled with concrete. Their foundation comes from the maker’s drawing, which is specific to that post. SafeWise does not supply that type, so we cannot give you a figure for it.

The numbers

Why you see 300mm, 600mm and 1m quoted

Search for bollard foundation depth and you will see 300mm, 600mm and 1 metre. They come from different places: one maker’s drawing for one post, a standard detail for one site, a tested system that was proven on a particular foundation. A figure from one does not carry over to another bollard or another ground.

We found no single Australian rule that gives one depth for bollards. If someone tells you a number is the rule, ask which product it is for, which ground it assumes and which document it comes from.

The site

What the slab and ground change

Slab thickness and condition. Thin or old slabs need an installer to assess them before you drill or fix to them.
Reinforcement and services in or under the slab. These limit where a hole or anchor can go.
Edge distance. Too near an edge or joint and the concrete can break out. Work to the anchor datasheet.
The surface. Asphalt, pavers, gravel and soil do not hold concrete anchors, so they need a footing. See installing bollards on asphalt, pavers and soil.
What the bollard is there to resist. A delineation bollard and an impact-rated one are different jobs.

Not sure which bollard suits your slab? Send the surface, quantity and postcode.

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Services

Check for services before you dig

Whatever the depth, locate services first. Lodge a Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry and scan the slab or ground. Power, water, gas, communications and reinforcing steel can all sit in or under a slab, and a footing excavation can hit them just as a core drill can.

Engineers

When to call an engineer

Call an engineer for any job where the bollard has to resist a vehicle impact. Hostile-vehicle schemes use bollards tested to standards such as PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656, on foundations specified by a security engineer for that product and that site. Call one too where the foundation sits near a retaining wall, a basement or other structure, or the slab is in doubt. The foundation is theirs to design. SafeWise supplies the product only.

Not crash-rated

SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards. They are not crash-rated and not impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14. A deeper hole does not make one a barrier. See safety vs crash-rated bollards.

Fixing choice

Surface-mount or in-ground?

Choosing between a bolted plate and a socket changes what the slab has to provide. The surface-mount vs in-ground bollards guide compares the two, and the product range shows which SafeWise bollards use each.