Steel security bollard installation

What is it?

What is steel security bollards (unrated)?

A steel security bollard is a fixed post made from steel tube or section, usually galvanised, often filled with concrete, and either cast into the ground or bolted down on a base plate. Unrated steel bollards have not been crash-tested, so they deter vehicles and stop low-speed knocks and casual misuse rather than a determined attack. They are the everyday bollard for car parks, verges, forecourts and boundaries.

Most of the bollards people walk past every day are plain steel posts. They stop cars mounting kerbs, keep vans off grass verges, mark the edge of a pedestrian route and stop drivers cutting through a car park. For these jobs a crash-tested product is not needed, and a correctly specified steel post does the work at a fraction of the complexity.

The decisions that make a steel bollard last are mostly about the tube, the fixing and the finish. We install root-fixed and base-plated posts using installation crews working under our management, and we are clear about what an unrated post can and cannot do. Where a site needs proven resistance to a vehicle attack, we point you towards tested products instead.

Where steel security bollards make sense

• Car park perimeters, end-of-bay protection and walkway edges
• Grass verges and landscaped areas that vans keep driving over
• Forecourts and building entrances needing a visible boundary
• Stopping cut-through traffic on private roads and estates
• Protecting meter boxes, gas kiosks, pillars and corners
• Lines between pedestrian routes and service yards
• Social housing estates with nuisance parking

How it works

Strength in an unrated bollard comes from three things: the tube, the infill and the anchorage. Circular hollow section is the usual choice, with diameter and wall thickness chosen for the likely knocks; a 114 mm tube suits a car park walkway, while 168 or 219 mm with a thicker wall suits a service yard. Filling the post with concrete adds mass and helps resist denting and cutting.

Root-fixed posts have a length of tube, often with a cross-bar or anchor plate welded to it, cast into a concrete foundation below the surface. They resist being pushed over and are the stronger choice where the ground can be dug. Base-plated posts are welded to a steel plate that is bolted to an existing slab with resin anchors. They go in quickly and avoid excavation, but their strength is limited by the slab and the anchors, so they suit lighter duty.

Neither type has a tested rating, which means nobody can say precisely what vehicle at what speed it will stop. That is not a flaw for nuisance control, but it is why steel posts should not be presented as protection against a deliberate attack.

Options and finishes

Typical specification

How we install it

Ground, foundations and buried services

Root-fixed posts need firm ground and enough depth to carry the post's root plus a concrete surround. Verges are often softer than they look, and the edges of car parks may be thin tarmac over hardcore, so the foundation is sized to the ground found. Service runs commonly follow kerb lines and verges, which is exactly where steel posts tend to go, so positions are checked with records and scanning before digging. Base plates must sit on a slab thick and sound enough to hold resin anchors; cracked or thin concrete will let the anchors pull out on the first knock. Reinstatement matches the surface, whether tarmac, block paving, flags or turf.

Rules and checks before you order

• Keep clear gaps of typically at least 1,000–1,200 mm where pedestrians, wheelchair users or buggies pass between posts.
• Fit contrasting or reflective bands near the top so posts are visible, as Inclusive Mobility guidance recommends.
• Check whether the land is public highway or adopted verge before installing; the highway authority's agreement is usually needed.
• Avoid linking posts with chains across pedestrian routes, which can be a trip hazard for blind and partially sighted people.
• Do not describe unrated posts as anti-ram or HVM protection in risk assessments or to insurers.

See rules and standards by nation for highway consent, accessibility and security standards.

Maintenance

Galvanised steel posts need little attention for years at a time. Check periodically for impact damage, loose base plates and cracked surfacing around the root. Powder coat chipped by vehicles should be touched up before the galvanising underneath starts to weather. Reflective bands fade and peel and are easy to renew. A post that leans after a knock usually means the foundation has moved or cracked; it should be re-bedded or replaced rather than left as a trip or snag hazard.

What affects the price

• Number of posts and length of the line
• Tube diameter, wall thickness and concrete infill
• Root-fixed or base-plated installation
• Ground conditions and buried services
• Finish: galvanised only or powder-coated
• Surface reinstatement such as block paving or tarmac