Installation guide
Can you install bollards on asphalt, pavers or soil?
Short answer: Not directly. Concrete anchors don’t hold in asphalt, pavers, gravel or soil, so a bollard on those surfaces is normally fixed to a concrete footing or plinth, with the base plate anchored into it. An engineer or experienced installer sizes the footing for the site, and we give no dimensions. A removable bollard’s socket can be cast into a new footing.
Figures: SafeWise product data. Standards are quoted as commonly cited guidance, so check the current edition. How we check.
Most bollard questions assume a concrete slab. Car parks, driveways and paths often are not, and each surface changes the job.
Updated 28 October 2026
Surface by surface
What each surface needs
A bollard is only as secure as what it is fixed to. This is what is generally done on each surface, and who decides.
| Surface | What is generally done | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Sound concrete slab | Base plate bolted down with M10 anchors, typically 100–150mm long. A removable socket can be core drilled. | Installer. Engineer if the slab is in doubt. |
| Asphalt | Concrete anchors do not hold. A concrete footing or plinth is formed, and the base plate is anchored into that. | Engineer or experienced installer |
| Pavers | Pavers sit on loose bedding. The pavers are lifted where the bollard goes, a footing is formed, and the pavers are re-laid around it. | Engineer or experienced installer |
| Gravel or soil | A footing is formed in the ground. The ground condition drives its size. | Engineer or experienced installer |
| Timber deck | Not a fixing for concrete anchors. The fixing goes into the structure below, or a separate footing. | Builder or engineer |
Footing size depends on the ground, the bollard and what is likely to hit it. SafeWise publishes no footing dimensions.
Why anchors fail
Why plate anchors fail in asphalt
Concrete anchors don’t hold in asphalt, pavers, gravel or soil. Asphalt is a flexible wearing layer that can soften in hot weather. Pavers sit on bedding and can shift. Gravel and soil give an anchor nothing hard to grip. A base plate bolted into any of them relies on material that can move, crush or pull out, so the bolts are only as good as what surrounds them.
That is why a surface-mount bollard on these surfaces needs a concrete footing or plinth underneath, with the base plate anchored into that. The steps for fixing the plate to sound concrete are in how to install fixed bollards.
The footing
Who sizes the footing or plinth
An engineer or experienced installer sizes the footing for the site. It depends on the ground, the bollard and what is likely to hit it, so we give no dimensions and you should be wary of anyone who gives one without seeing the site. For why a depth figure rarely transfers between jobs, see how deep should a bollard be set.
Removable bollards
A removable socket cast into a new footing
If a footing is being poured anyway, a removable bollard can use it. The bollard’s own socket is cast into the wet concrete over a layer of gravel for drainage, set plumb, and left to cure fully before the bollard is fitted. The surface is then reinstated around the footing. The method is in how to install removable bollards, and the hole and socket sizes are in the core drill size guide.
Pricing a job like this? Send sizes, quantities and your postcode.
Request a quoteChoosing
Which SafeWise bollard suits a footing
- Fixed bollards (SW-FB90 and SW-FB140) suit positions that never open. The base plate is anchored into the concrete footing.
- Removable bollards (SW-RB90 and SW-RB140) suit gaps that need to open. The socket comes with the bollard and is cast into the footing.
- Storage holders (SW-SL90 and SW-SL140) bolt down to park a removed bollard. They are not sockets, and they need a sound concrete surface to bolt to.
Before you start
Services, approvals and cost
- Services. Car parks and driveways often have conduits, drains and lighting circuits under the surface. Lodge a Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry and scan before breaking out.
- Approvals. Strata common property needs approval, and work on a footpath, nature strip or road reserve generally needs council consent. See council approval for bollards.
- Cost. Cutting out asphalt or lifting pavers, forming a footing and reinstating the surface usually add to the installation price. See the bollard cost guide.
Getting a quote
What to send an installer
- The spec sheet for the bollard, from the product spec sheets.
- The fixing dimensions. Fixed bollards have a base plate of Ø225 × 8mm (90mm) or Ø250 × 8mm (140mm). Removable bollards have a socket of Ø102mm (90mm) or Ø152mm (140mm).
- The surface and its build-up, with photos, and the positions and number of bollards.
- Whether a bollard must lift out, which points to a removable bollard.
- Any service plans from the BYDA enquiry.
For driveways, see the driveway bollards guide. For the choice between a bolted plate and a socket, see surface-mount vs in-ground bollards.
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 bigger footing does not change that.
FAQs
Asphalt, pavers and soil questions
Can you install a bollard on asphalt?
Not directly. Concrete anchors don’t hold in asphalt, so a surface-mount bollard needs a concrete footing or plinth, with the base plate anchored into that. An engineer or experienced installer should size the footing.
Can you fix a bollard to pavers?
Not to the pavers themselves, because they sit on loose bedding. The usual approach is to lift the pavers where the bollard goes, form a concrete footing, and re-lay the pavers around it. An installer decides the detail.
Can I bolt a bollard to soil or gravel?
No. There is nothing hard for an anchor to grip. The bollard needs a concrete footing formed in the ground, sized by an engineer or experienced installer for the ground and the bollard.
Can a removable bollard go in asphalt?
Its socket needs concrete around it, so the usual route is to cast the socket into a new concrete footing and reinstate the asphalt around it. The footing is sized by an engineer or installer, and the socket sizes are in the core drill size guide.
How big does the footing need to be?
We don’t publish footing dimensions, because they depend on the ground, the bollard and what is likely to hit it. An engineer or experienced installer sizes it for the site.
Related products
Bollards for the job
Fixed bollard 140mm
Surface-mount · SW-FB140
from $110 per unit, ex GST & freight
Removable bollard 90mm
Key lock · SW-RB90
from $120 per unit, ex GST & freight
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 bollards for a job?
Tell us your quantities, surface and delivery postcode. We will send a written quote with freight and the expected landing date.
Keep reading
Related guides
- How to install fixed bollardsAnchors, drilling and setting out
- How to install removable bollardsCore drilling and wet-pour in-ground sockets
- Surface-mount vs in-ground bollardsBolted on top, or set into the slab
- How deep to set a bollardWhy there is no single depth
- Driveway bollardsPositioning, approvals and cost
- Bollard cost in AustraliaGeneral price ranges, supply and install