Standards explained
Safety bollards vs crash-rated bollards: what the ratings mean
Short answer: Crash-rated bollards are tested to vehicle impact standards such as PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 and installed on an engineered foundation. Safety bollards, including every SafeWise bollard, are not. They mark, delineate and deter at parking speed. SafeWise does not sell crash-rated products and will say so up front.
Figures: SafeWise product data. Standards are quoted as commonly cited guidance, so check the current edition. How we check
A bollard is crash-rated because a specific product was tested on a specific foundation, not because it is thick or heavy.
Updated 28 October 2026
On this page: What the ratings are · The difference · Who needs crash-rated · Reading a quote · Our position · FAQs
The ratings
What PAS 68, IWA 14 and ASTM F2656 are
Three vehicle impact test standards for hostile-vehicle mitigation: PAS 68 (a British specification), IWA 14 (an International Workshop Agreement) and ASTM F2656 (a US test method).
The idea is the same in each. A test vehicle of a stated mass is driven into the product at a stated speed. The product is installed on an engineered foundation, and the test measures how far the vehicle gets past it. The standards define the vehicle masses, speeds and rating classes. We don't repeat them here: read the standard, or ask an engineer.
A rating belongs to the tested system
A rating is specific to the product as tested and the foundation it was tested on. Change the bollard, the depth, the concrete or the ground and you have a different system. That is why a rating comes with a foundation specification, and why a similar-looking steel tube bolted to a slab is a different product.
Where to read the standards
These are primary sources, and 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 The BSI listing for PAS 68 shows the 2010 edition as withdrawn. The ISO listing for IWA 14-1 shows it as withdrawn and revised by ISO 22343-1:2023, so a quote that still cites “IWA 14” or “PAS 68” is worth a question about which edition was tested. ASTM publishes F2656/F2656M through its standards store; check which edition applies. For how these sit alongside the car park and accessibility standards, see our bollard standards guide.
The difference
Why a 3mm-wall safety bollard is a different product
| Factor | Safety bollard (what SafeWise sells) | Crash-rated bollard (what we don't sell) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Mark, delineate and deter at parking speed | Stop a hostile or deliberate vehicle |
| Testing | Not impact-tested or certified | Crash-tested to PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 |
| What the rating covers | Nothing: no rating exists | The tested product on its tested foundation |
| Typical build | 3mm-wall carbon steel on an 8mm base plate or in a socket | Engineered product and foundation, as tested |
| Who specifies it | The owner, builder or installer | A security engineer |
| From SafeWise? | Yes | No |
Safety and delineation bollards: not impact-tested or certified to hostile-vehicle standards such as PAS 68 or IWA 14. SafeWise bollards are powder-coated safety yellow with a red reflective band, carbon steel with a 3mm wall, made to the same manufacturing drawings each order. Fixed bollards bolt to a base plate with M10 concrete anchors; removable bollards lift out of an in-ground socket with a key. That suits a car park, driveway or shopfront edge, where the risk is a slow, mistaken car. See the bollard height guide and 90mm vs 140mm for sizes.
Bigger does not mean rated. The 140mm bollard is a larger, more visible post than the 90mm, and both keep the same 3mm wall and no test result.
Who needs crash-rated
When you need crash-rated bollards
Crash-rated products are for stopping a vehicle that is driven at speed or with intent.
- Sites with a security assessment. If an assessment has named vehicle attack as a risk, the assessor's recommendations set the rating.
- Critical infrastructure. Their security advisers commonly specify tested products on engineered foundations.
- Crowded places. Where many people gather near a road or vehicle access, the question is hostile-vehicle mitigation, not delineation.
- Anywhere a security engineer advises it. The engineer assesses approach paths, speeds and what you are protecting, then specifies the rating, positions, spacing and foundation.
A shop worried about ram raids is in the same position: see the shopfront bollards guide. If you can picture a vehicle being driven at the building on purpose, start with the engineer, not the bollard catalogue.
Reading a quote
How to tell which one you are being sold
Words like heavy duty, commercial grade or impact resistant are not ratings. Ask for paper.
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1. Ask for the test certificate
It should name the standard, the rating and the exact product tested, and it should match the product on the quote. No certificate means no rating, whatever the brochure says.
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2. Ask for the foundation drawing
A rating applies only on the tested foundation. The drawing shows what must be built for the rating to apply, and it is typically more than a base plate and surface anchors.
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3. Check the wording
Wall thickness, diameter or weight quoted as proof of strength is a warning sign. So are photos of a crash without a certificate behind them.
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4. Tell your insurer and landlord what was specified
Describe an unrated bollard as what it is. Calling it ram-raid protection to an insurer or landlord puts you in a worse position later.
Pricing a job like this? Send sizes, quantities and your postcode.
Request a quoteSafeWise's position
We don't sell crash-rated products
SafeWise Australia is an Australian-owned importer of safety bollards, bollard storage holders and rubber wheel stops, supply only. Our bollards are not crash-rated and we won't suggest otherwise.
If a safety bollard fits the job, it is a low-cost way to mark a line and deter a low-speed knock: fixed bollards from $80 and removable bollards from $120, per unit, ex GST and freight, as at October 2026. Bollards are pre-order for the next container, with the landing date on the quote. Quotes are in writing and nothing is committed until you confirm.
If your risk is vehicle attack, engage a security engineer. Safety bollards can sit alongside rated ones for delineation, if nobody mistakes them for the protection.
FAQs
Safety vs crash-rated bollards: common questions
What is the difference between a safety bollard and a crash-rated bollard?
A safety bollard, like the SafeWise range, marks and delineates a space and keeps cars at parking speed out of it. A crash-rated bollard has been impact-tested to a standard such as PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 on an engineered foundation. SafeWise bollards are not tested or certified to those standards.
What do PAS 68, IWA 14 and ASTM F2656 mean?
They are vehicle impact test standards for hostile-vehicle mitigation. Each defines how a test vehicle is driven into a product on a stated foundation and how penetration is measured and rated. SafeWise does not sell products tested to any of them, so ask a security engineer which rating a site needs.
Are SafeWise bollards crash-rated?
No. SafeWise safety and delineation bollards are not impact-tested or certified to hostile-vehicle standards such as PAS 68 or IWA 14. They are 3mm-wall carbon steel posts that mark, delineate and deter at parking speed, and they are not ram-raid or forklift barriers.
Does a thicker or wider bollard count as crash-rated?
No. Diameter and wall thickness do not make a bollard crash-rated, because a rating comes from a test of the whole product on its foundation. The SafeWise 140mm bollards are wider than the 90mm bollards but still have a 3mm wall and are not impact-tested.
How can I tell if a quote is for a crash-rated bollard?
Ask the supplier for the test certificate and the foundation drawing. A genuine crash-rated quote names the standard and rating, the exact product tested and the foundation it was tested on. SafeWise quotes say plainly that its bollards are not crash-rated, so no certificate exists.
Who needs crash-rated bollards instead of SafeWise bollards?
Sites with a security assessment, critical infrastructure and crowded places generally need crash-rated products, as advised by a security engineer. SafeWise does not sell them and will say so. If your concern is a ram raid or hostile vehicle, engage an engineer before you buy any bollard.
Related products
Safety 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 safety bollards for a site?
Send us the products, quantities and your delivery postcode. We aim to reply within one business day. If your risk is a hostile vehicle, you need a security engineer first.
Related guides
Keep reading
- Bollard standards in AustraliaWhich standard applies to what
- Shopfront bollardsWhat they stop, and what they don't
- Bollard height in Australia900mm vs 1300mm
- 90mm vs 140mm bollardsWhich size suits the job
- Removable vs fixed bollardsLift-out or permanent
- Driveway bollardsKeeping a driveway or space clear
- Bollard cost in AustraliaSupply and install price ranges
- Wheel stops vs bollardsWhich to use, and when you need both
- Trade & bulk supplyVolume quotes, pallet and container pricing, freight
- Car park bollardsWhere safety bollards do and don't fit
- Council approvalWhat to tell the approver about the product