Bollards, bollard covers and removable bollards

How many bollards an opening needs

Count by the clear gap you want between bollards. Gaps under about 5 feet stop a car, which is wider than that, while still letting people and wheelchairs through. Where the line crosses an accessible route, 2010 ADA Standards 403.5.1 requires a clear width of at least 36 inches, so no gap on that route can be narrower.

The calculator on this page takes the opening width, the bollard diameter and the largest gap you want, and returns the count. Protecting a single object like a gas meter or a transformer usually takes two or three bollards on the sides vehicles can reach.

Sizes, covers and spacing

Most parking-lot bollards are steel pipe from 4 to 8 inches in outside diameter, standing roughly 3 to 4 feet above grade. Covers are sized to the pipe's outside diameter and height, so measure both: a cover for a 6-inch pipe will not fit a 6 5/8-inch pipe. Covers slide over the pipe and are held with adhesive tape or a cap.

Keep bollards far enough from a wall or door that a bumper stopped by the bollard still clears the building, and keep them out of the swing of doors and gates.

Installation and hardware

Fixed steel bollards are set in a concrete footing; a common practice is to embed about a third of the pipe's length and fill the pipe with concrete. The footing size depends on the impact you are designing for, so follow the drawings or an engineer for anything rated. Surface-mount bollards bolt to a slab with anchors and suit lots where you can't dig, but they stop less than an embedded post.

Removable bollards drop into a receiver sleeve set flush in the pavement and lock with a key or padlock. Order the receivers with the bollards, and keep the caps that cover the empty sleeve so it isn't a trip hazard.

Asphalt versus concrete

In asphalt, cut or core through the pavement and pour the footing below it; the asphalt gives the post no strength. In a concrete slab, core drill for embedded posts or receiver sleeves, or use a surface-mount base with wedge or epoxy anchors in sound concrete. Check for buried utilities before you dig or core.

Pallet counts and freight basics for bollards

Steel bollards and receivers are heavy and ship by freight on a pallet. Plastic covers are light and bulky, and depending on the count they ship parcel or as a light freight pallet. Each product page shows pack size, pallet quantity and shipping class.

LTL (less-than-truckload) carriers price a pallet by its weight, its size and its freight class. Freight class runs from 50 to 500 and is set mostly by density, in pounds per cubic foot: dense, heavy pallets ship at a lower class than light, bulky ones. Your delivery address matters too. A liftgate, a residential or limited-access address, or a call-ahead appointment each add a carrier charge. Our store quotes it live at checkout from the carriers, with those options priced in.

Common bollard mistakes

The problems we see most often:

• Ordering covers by nominal pipe size instead of measured outside diameter.
• Leaving gaps under 36 inches across an accessible route.
• Using surface-mount bollards where you need real impact protection.
• Blocking a fire lane with fixed bollards instead of removable ones the fire department has approved.
• Forgetting the locks, keys or caps for removable bollards.

When bollards are required

Fire and mechanical codes often call for impact protection around gas meters, fuel dispensers and electrical equipment exposed to vehicles, and many landlords require bollards at storefront entries. Where bollards or gates cross a fire apparatus access road, the fire code official must approve them. Check with your local fire marshal and building department.