Placement guide
Roller door and loading dock bollards: where to put them
Short answer: Put a fixed bollard on each side of the opening, just outside the door guides or frame, so a vehicle reaches the bollard before the door. Add bollards at the building corner and in front of switchboards and fire equipment. The 140mm fixed (1300mm tall) suits door jambs, the 90mm suits lighter areas, and the full opening must stay clear. They are not crash-rated, and your designer sets the exact setback.
Figures: SafeWise product data. Standards are quoted as commonly cited guidance, so check the current edition. How we check.
Roller doors and dock doors get clipped by reversing trucks, forklifts and tight turns. Here is where loading dock bollards go, which size suits and how many one door needs.
Updated 28 October 2026
On this page: Why doors get hit · Where to put them · Setback · 90mm or 140mm · Removable bollards · Forklifts and pedestrians · Slab checks · Limits · How many · FAQs
The problem
Why roller doors and dock doors get hit
Most door damage is a low-speed knock in a tight space. Four causes come up again and again.
- Reversing trucks. A driver backing towards a dock has limited sight along the truck's sides, and a small misjudgement puts a corner into the door frame.
- Forklifts. A loaded forklift often blocks the view ahead, the forks reach beyond the body, and the operator watches the load, not the door guide.
- Tight turning. Yards and aisles are often narrow, so vehicles cut corners close to the opening and the wall beside it.
- Exposed door parts. Door guides, tracks and frames stand proud of the wall at vehicle height, and a bent guide can stop the door closing.
A bollard marks the line and deters a low-speed knock before it reaches the door. Put one between the vehicle and the part that is costly to fix.
Placement
Where to put bollards at a roller door or loading dock
Start with what you want to mark off, then put a bollard between it and the vehicle's path. Loading dock bollards follow the same logic as bollards for roller doors, and a row of dock doors is a row of openings, so count each one.
| Position | What it marks off | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Each side of the opening | Door guides, frame and tracks | Just outside the guides, clear of the opening. |
| Building corner beside the door | The corner, downpipes and wall | Where vehicles swing wide to line up with the door. |
| In front of a switchboard or meter box | Electrical equipment | Leave room to open the board and for access. |
| In front of fire equipment | Hydrants, hose reels and extinguisher points | Don't block or hide it. Check with your fire safety adviser. |
| Beside a pedestrian door at the dock | People coming through the door | Keeps the exit out of the vehicle's line. |
Pricing a roller door job? Fixed bollards start from $80 (90mm) and $110 (140mm) per unit, ex GST and freight, as at October 2026, and are pre-order for the next container.
Setback
Keep the opening clear and set bollards back from the door
Keep the full opening width clear
Bollards go beside the opening, not in it. Measure the widest vehicle or load that uses the door, mirrors and overhang included, and leave that width plus your operators' margin. If the bollards sit just outside the door guides, the clear opening is the door's own width.
Set back so the vehicle reaches the bollard first
The bollard has to be hit before the door guide is. Place it out from the wall as well as beside the opening, so a bumper, trailer corner or forklift's forks meet it first. Too close and the vehicle still touches the door. Too far out and it can block the door's travel, a trailer or a walkway.
The right distance depends on the vehicle (overhang, forks and turning path), the slab and how far a bollard can lean when hit. We can't give one figure: get it from your designer or site safety adviser. Our bollard spacing guide covers setbacks from doors, and the same logic applies to a driveway or garage door.
Test it with the real vehicle
Mark the proposed positions with cones or chalk and run the actual truck or forklift through the manoeuvre before anyone drills.
Sizes
Fixed 140mm or 90mm bollards at a roller door
For warehouse bollards at a door jamb, the fixed 140mm bollard is the usual pick. It stands 1300mm above ground (more in bollard height in Australia), so it sits higher in a driver's line of sight, on a Ø250×8mm base plate. Use it at the sides of the opening and at corners where hits are likely.
The fixed 90mm bollard stands 900mm tall on a Ø225×8mm base plate and weighs about 9.5kg. It suits lighter areas: a pedestrian door, the edge of a walkway or a staging area.
Both are 3mm wall carbon steel, powder-coated safety yellow with a red reflective band, and neither is impact-rated. See 90mm vs 140mm bollards for the full comparison.
| Spec | Fixed 90mm (SW-FB90) | Fixed 140mm (SW-FB140) |
|---|---|---|
| Height above ground | 900mm | 1300mm |
| Base plate | Ø225×8mm | Ø250×8mm |
| Weight | About 9.5kg | About 17.5kg |
| Price ex GST (inc GST) | From $80 ($88) | From $110 ($121) |
Pricing a job like this? Send sizes, quantities and your postcode.
Request a quoteDelivery lanes
A removable bollard where a lane opens for deliveries
Some sites keep a lane closed and open it for deliveries. Put a key-lock removable bollard in that lane and fix the rest. Lift it out for the delivery and refit it afterwards. Park it in a bolt-down storage holder beside the lane so it isn't left lying where a vehicle can run over it.
A removable bollard stands in its own in-ground socket set flush in concrete, so plan it for a new pour or a core-drilled existing slab. The 140mm removable is 900mm above ground, not 1300mm like the fixed 140. If a door's edge marking depends on one, make refitting it someone's job. See how to install removable bollards.
Removable 140mm from $140 ex GST ($154 inc). Storage holder 140mm $35 ex GST ($38.50 inc).
Forklift aisles
Forklift aisles and pedestrian separation
Dock areas mix people and moving machines. Bollards help keep them apart: line a walkway beside a forklift aisle, mark a crossing point, or keep a pallet truck from drifting towards a pedestrian door. Don't aim a pedestrian exit straight onto a forklift route.
Gap sizing needs care. Commonly cited clear gaps for people are about 1000mm for an ambulant person and 1200mm for a wheelchair user, guidance based on AS 1428.1 (check the current edition). A gap that lets a wheelchair through can also let a narrow pallet truck through, so decide at each point whether to stop the machine or pass the person. Work from the machine's width, load included. The bollard spacing guide has the clear gap and centres maths.
Bollards are a physical cue, not a traffic plan. Your workplace safety adviser decides what separation the site needs, alongside markings, signs, speed limits and training.
Before you order
Slab and anchor checks
- Slab condition. Fixed bollards bolt to the surface with M10 concrete anchors, typically 100–150mm long depending on the slab. Thin, cracked or old slabs need an installer's assessment first.
- Each position, not the average. Dock aprons and door thresholds can carry joints, drains and repairs, so have each bollard position checked.
- Services. Locate underground services first with Before You Dig Australia (byda.com.au) and a scanner.
- Fixings. Anchors are not included, and SafeWise supplies only, so you need your own installer.
See how to install fixed bollards for set-out, anchors and slab checks.
Limits
What these bollards won't do
SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards: they mark boundaries, deter low-speed nudges and keep vehicles off an area. They are not crash-rated, impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14. See safety bollards vs crash-rated bollards and bollard standards in Australia.
If your concern is a deliberate ram raid at a shopfront rather than a door knock, read our guide to shopfront bollards.
They are also not a racking-protection or barrier system. Heavy or repeated forklift impact can damage a bollard, its anchors and the slab. If forklifts or trucks hit the same spot hard or often, ask an engineer to specify barriers or racking protection built for that load.
After any hit, check for a bent post, cracking around the base plate or loose anchors, and replace what is damaged. A bollard that keeps getting hit means the layout needs to change.
Quantities
How many bollards for one roller door?
A common layout is one bollard on each side of the opening. Add more where the site calls for them. Here is the maths for one door using fixed 140mm bollards.
| Layout | Bollards | Ex GST | Inc GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| One bollard each side of the door | 2 × $110 | $220 | $242 |
| Plus one at the building corner | 3 × $110 | $330 | $363 |
Fixed 140mm bollards at from $110 each ex GST ($121 inc GST). Starting prices before freight, anchors and installation. Pallet volumes price better, and your site may need more.
FAQs
Roller door bollard questions
Where should bollards go at a roller door?
On each side of the opening, just outside the door guides or frame. Add bollards at the nearest building corner and in front of switchboards, meter boxes and fire equipment. Keep the full opening clear. Your designer sets the exact positions.
What size bollard suits a roller door or loading dock?
The fixed 140mm bollard is 1300mm tall and suits door jambs and corners. The fixed 90mm is 900mm tall and suits lighter areas such as pedestrian doors and walkway edges. Neither is crash-rated.
How far from the roller door should a bollard be?
There is no single figure. The bollard should sit where a vehicle reaches it before it reaches the door guide, allowing for bumper or fork overhang, the turning path and how far the bollard can lean. Your designer or site safety adviser sets the distance.
Will bollards stop a forklift or truck hitting a roller door?
Not reliably. They mark the door and deter low-speed knocks, keeping vehicles off it, but they are not crash-rated, impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14. Heavy or repeated forklift impact may need engineered barriers specified by an engineer.
Can I use a removable bollard at a door or dock?
Yes, in a lane that opens for deliveries. Put a removable bollard in that lane, fix the others, and park the removed bollard in a bolt-down storage holder. Keep bollards out of the door opening, and make sure someone refits it after each delivery.
How many bollards does one roller door need?
A common layout is two, one on each side of the opening. Two fixed 140mm bollards at from $110 each is $220 ex GST ($242 inc GST). Add a corner bollard and three is $330 ex GST ($363 inc GST), before freight, anchors and installation.
Are these bollards racking protection or a vehicle barrier?
No. They are safety and delineation bollards, not racking guards, crash barriers or hostile-vehicle bollards. Where forklifts or trucks hit the same spot hard or often, an engineer should specify barriers or racking protection built for that load.
Related products
Bollards for the job
Removable bollards
90mm & 140mm, key lock
from $120 per unit, ex GST & freight
Bollard storage holders
Suits removable bollards
from $25 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.
Marking up a roller door or dock?
Send us the number of openings, the bollard size you're after and your delivery postcode. We aim to reply within one business day.
Related guides
Keep reading
- Shopfront bollardsWhat they stop at the kerb, and what they don't
- Bollard standards in AustraliaWhat people cite, and what they mean
- Bollard spacingClear gaps, centres and setbacks
- 90mm vs 140mm bollardsWhich size suits the job
- Removable vs fixed bollardsLift-out or permanent
- How to install fixed bollardsSet-out, anchors and slab checks
- Bollard height in AustraliaWhy 900mm and 1300mm come up
- Safety vs crash-rated bollardsWhat the ratings mean
- Surface-mount vs in-ground bollardsBolted on top, or set into the slab
- Car park bollardsColumns, ramps and entries as well as doors