Shopfront guide

Shopfront bollards: what they stop, and what they don't

Short answer: SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards. They suit keeping cars off the footpath, out of outdoor dining and away from shopfront glass at parking speed. They will not stop a ram raid or a hostile vehicle: that needs bollards crash-tested to PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 on engineered foundations, specified by a security engineer. We don't sell those.

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

Shopfront bollards do one job well and one job not at all. Here is the difference, where to place them and what to get approved first.

Updated 28 October 2026

On this page: Two jobs · What they do · Placement · Deliveries · Cafes · 90mm or 140mm · Approvals · Ram raids · FAQs

90mm fixed surface-mount safety bollard in safety yellow with a bolted base plate

The two jobs

Two jobs, two different kinds of bollard

Shop owners want bollards for two different reasons. The right product for one is wrong for the other.

FactorSafety bollard (what SafeWise sells)Crash-rated bollard (what we don't sell)
The jobKeep cars off the footpath, out of outdoor dining and away from glassStop a deliberate ram raid or a hostile vehicle
The vehicleA car parking, reversing or nudging forwardA vehicle driven at speed or with intent
TestingNot crash-rated, impact-tested or certifiedCrash-tested to PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656
FoundationBolted to a suitable slab, or a socket set in concreteEngineered foundation designed for the site
Specified byThe owner, builder or installerA security engineer
From SafeWise?YesNo

Our bollards are 3mm wall carbon steel in safety yellow with a red reflective band. They mark a line and deter a low-speed bump. They are not crash-rated, impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14, whether 90mm or 140mm, fixed or removable.

A crash-rated bollard is tested with an engineered foundation. A painted steel tube bolted to a footpath can look similar, but it is a different product. Don't describe ours as ram-raid protection to your landlord, insurer or customers. See safety bollards vs crash-rated bollards for what the ratings mean, and bollard standards in Australia for the standards people cite.

Where they help

What safety bollards do well at a shopfront

Bollards for shops, also called shopfront or storefront bollards, earn their place when the vehicle is slow and the mistake accidental.

  • Footpath edge. Make the edge obvious and keep a parking or pulling-out car off the footpath.
  • Outdoor dining. Mark the area and keep a reversing car out of it.
  • Glass and doors. Keep a car creeping forward from a bay off the glass. A wheel stop stops it at the bay itself.
  • Boundaries and fittings. Show where your frontage ends and mark off meter boxes and signs.

Each of these assumes parking speed. After any hit, check the bollard, base plate and anchors. If you can picture a vehicle being driven at the shop on purpose, you need the other kind of bollard, covered below.

Pricing a shopfront job? Fixed bollards start from $80 (90mm) and removable bollards from $120 (90mm) per unit, ex GST and freight, as at October 2026, and are pre-order for the next container.

Placement

Where to place shopfront bollards

Leave room for people

Prams and wheelchairs must still get past. Guidance based on AS 1428.1 (check the current edition), as summarised in the Victorian Government's Design for Everyone, gives 1000mm for an ambulant person, 1200mm for a wheelchair user and 1500mm for two people passing. A clear gap of roughly 1000–1200mm is a common starting point. Most cars are about 1.7–1.9m wide, so stay under about 1500mm clear if the gaps must keep cars out. Measure between bollard edges, as in the bollard spacing guide, and confirm these general figures with your designer.

Keep entrances accessible

Never put a bollard in the line of the door, on a ramp or in front of the accessible entrance. Keep a clear route from the kerb to the door, and clear of emergency exits, door swings and any right-of-way. Your building surveyor or access consultant sets the requirement.

Stay inside your boundary, or get consent

Plenty of shops sit on the property line, so the footpath in front is council land. Works on a footpath, nature strip or road reserve generally need council consent, and council guidance commonly asks for bollards at least 500mm off the edge of a path (Sunshine Coast Council cites Austroads Part 6A). Ask the council before you order. On a private forecourt you usually don't need council consent, but a landlord or strata may have a say. Locate services first through Before You Dig Australia (byda.com.au).

Delivery access

Removable bollards for delivery access

If a delivery van needs through now and then, make that one gap removable and fix the rest. A removable bollard lifts out of its own in-ground socket with a key; fixed bollards bolt to the surface and stay put. See removable vs fixed bollards.

A bolt-down storage holder gives the removed bollard somewhere to stand, as pictured. Holders are in stock.

Two honest limits. The key lock is not a security rating, and any gap wide enough for a vehicle is a gap for a vehicle. This is a delivery convenience, not a defence.

Removable safety bollard parked in a bolt-down storage holder on a concrete path

Cafes

Cafe outdoor dining bollards

A row of bollards along the outer edge of an outdoor dining area shows drivers where it begins and ends, and deters a parking or reversing car from rolling into it. They will not protect diners from a vehicle driven at speed. If your tables sit beside a busy road or car park aisle, ask the council or a traffic engineer what protection is appropriate, and don't tell customers bollards make the area safe from vehicles.

Outdoor dining on a footpath normally runs under a council permit, and conditions vary, including what may be fixed down and how much clear path must remain. Ask before you order. Leave gaps for staff and customers, at least one around 1200mm clear (the commonly cited wheelchair width). If the footpath must be cleared after trading, removable bollards fit.

Choosing a size

90mm or 140mm shopfront bollards

Same steel, colour and band. Prices are per-unit starting points, ex GST and freight.

90mm

  • Fixed: Ø89, 900mm tall, about 9.5kg, from $80 ($88 inc GST).
  • Removable: Ø90, 900mm above ground, from $120 ($132 inc GST).
  • Slimmer and lighter to handle.

140mm

  • Fixed: Ø140, 1300mm tall, about 17.5kg, from $110 ($121 inc GST).
  • Removable: Ø140, 900mm above ground, from $140 ($154 inc GST).
  • A larger, more visible post. 1300mm is the height commonly specified beside an accessible parking space (AS 2890.6 (2022 edition, which replaced AS/NZS 2890.6:2009; check the edition your certifier uses), AS 2890.6:2022 on the Standards Australia store). We don't claim compliance.

If the job is marking an edge and deterring nudges, 90mm is the lower-cost place to start. Choose 140mm for a taller, more visible post (see bollard height in Australia). Neither is crash-rated, and a bigger diameter doesn't make a barrier. See 90mm vs 140mm bollards.

Worked example: five fixed 90mm bollards

Say you want about 5.2m of frontage covered with 1200mm clear gaps. Centres = 1200 + 90 = 1290mm. Gaps = 5160 ÷ 1290 = 4, so bollards = 4 + 1 = 5. Illustrative only.

LineWorkingAmount
Fixed 90mm bollards, ex GST5 × $80$400
GST at 10%$400 × 0.10$40
Total inc GST$400 + $40 (or 5 × $88)$440

That is the steel only, before freight, M10 anchors (typically 100–150mm long, depending on the slab) and installation. General Australian cost guides put installation at roughly $250–$700 per bollard, so labour can exceed the cost of the bollards: see the bollard cost guide. Our quote adds freight to your postcode. Fixed bollards are pre-order on the next container, with no hard minimum order.

Pricing a job like this? Send sizes, quantities and your postcode.

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Approvals

Insurance, landlord and strata approvals

Sort these before the order, not after the drill.

  • Council. Footpath, nature strip and road reserve works generally need consent, as does outdoor dining.
  • Landlord. A lease commonly restricts changes to the frontage. Get written consent first.
  • Strata or owners corporation. Common property needs approval, and paving at the front of a lot may be common property.
  • Insurer. Tell your insurer what you plan to install and why, and ask in writing whether it changes your cover or what you pay. Don't assume it will, and don't call unrated bollards ram-raid protection.

Ram raids

If your real risk is a ram raid

If the threat is a ram raid or a hostile vehicle, ours is the wrong answer. Anti ram raid bollards in Australia are crash-tested to standards such as PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 and installed on engineered foundations. SafeWise does not sell them. Instead:

  • Engage a security engineer. They assess approach paths, speeds and what you are protecting.
  • Let them specify it. Rating, positions, spacing and foundation are their call, not ours.
  • Plan for the foundation. Rated bollards need more than surface anchors, and footpath work still needs council consent.
  • Tell your insurer and landlord what has been specified.

Safety bollards can sit alongside for delineation, if nobody mistakes them for the protection. If the same business has a loading area at the back, see our guide to roller door and loading dock bollards.

FAQs

Questions about bollards for shops

Will these bollards stop a ram raid?

No. SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards. They are not crash-rated, impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14, and are not designed to stop a deliberate or high-speed vehicle. They suit keeping cars off the footpath and out of outdoor dining at parking speed.

Where do I get anti ram raid bollards in Australia?

SafeWise doesn't sell them. They are crash-tested to standards such as PAS 68, IWA 14 or ASTM F2656 and installed on engineered foundations. Start with a security engineer, who can specify the rating and foundation for your site.

Do I need council approval for bollards outside my shop?

Generally yes if they go on the footpath, nature strip or road reserve, because that land is the council's. On your own private forecourt you usually don't need council consent, but your landlord or strata may need to approve.

Can I use bollards for cafe outdoor dining?

Yes, to mark the edge of the dining area and keep a parking or reversing car out of it. Check your council's outdoor dining conditions first, leave a gap around 1200mm clear for wheelchairs, and don't rely on bollards against a vehicle driven at speed.

Should I choose 90mm or 140mm bollards for a shopfront?

For marking an edge and deterring low-speed nudges, 90mm is the lower-cost place to start (fixed from $80 ex GST). 140mm is a larger, more visible post. Neither is crash-rated.

Will bollards reduce my insurance costs?

Don't assume so. Insurers decide what, if anything, a bollard changes, so ask yours in writing. Don't describe unrated bollards as ram raid protection to an insurer or landlord.

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.

Pricing bollards for a shopfront?

Send us the frontage length, fixed or removable, and your delivery postcode. We aim to reply within one business day. If your risk is a ram raid, you need a security engineer first.

Request a quote

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