# Installing bollards in existing concrete

> Installing a steel pipe bollard in an existing slab: core the hole at least 2 in larger than the post, dig below frost, set it in concrete, fill the pipe, cure 2–3 days. From Reliance Foundry’s and McCue’s install guides.

Canonical: https://safetybollards.ca/installation/core-drilled-bollards
Last updated: 2026-10-26

Core drilling is how most bollards go into a storefront sidewalk or a warehouse slab: a round hole through the concrete, a footing below it, and the post set in fresh concrete. Here is the method two manufacturers publish.

> Before anyone digs or cores, get a utility locate. In Ontario that’s Ontario One Call; every province has an equivalent. A slab can hide conduit, radiant heat or post-tension cables: scan it before coring.

## Steps (Reliance Foundry, steel pipe bollard)

1. Check for utilities, and whether your municipality needs a permit for the work.
2. Core-drill the concrete so the hole is **at least 2 in larger than the bollard base at every point**.
3. Auger below the cored hole to depth: **below the local frost line**. The building department can tell you what it is for your area.
4. Fill the hole with concrete mixed to the texture of mouldable clay and set the pipe plumb in it.
5. **Fill the whole pipe with concrete** and dome the top (concrete, a cap or a cover).
6. Let it **cure at least 2–3 days** before anything leans on it.

## A crash-rated example (McCue CrashCore S10 and S20)

McCue’s F3016-rated CrashCore is also core-drilled, and its drawing is specific: a **10 in (254 mm) concrete pier, 42 in (1,067 mm) deep**, around a 4 in steel core, in 3,000 psi minimum concrete with #3 rebar at 12 in each way, on compacted crushed limestone. McCue supplies the core, cover, rebar cage and hardware: “everything but the concrete”. Follow the maker’s drawing exactly; the rating depends on it.

## Frost in Canada

Frost depth is the reason Canadian footings go deeper than a US install video shows. A post whose footing sits above frost can heave and tilt over a few winters. Your municipality’s building department publishes the depth to use.

## Sources

1. [Reliance Foundry, How to install a pipe bollard in existing concrete](https://www.reliance-foundry.com/bollard/install-pipe-bollard-existing) (checked 2026-10-26)
2. [McCue, CrashCore S10 customer drawing (PDF)](https://www.mccue.com/hubfs/assets/products/crashcore-bollards/resources/McCue-CrashCore-Bollard-S10-Customer-Drawing.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26)
3. [McCue, CrashCore S10–S30 installation instructions (PDF)](https://www.mccue.com/hubfs/assets/products/crashcore-bollards/resources/McCue-CrashCore-S10%2cS15%2cS20%2cS30-Installation-Instructions.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26)
4. [McCue, CrashCore Bollard S10](https://www.mccue.com/products/crashcore-bollard-s10) (checked 2026-10-26)

To get a written quote for this, use the site-plan builder: [Build a site plan](https://safetybollards.ca/quote?item=steel-bollard).

## Related

- [Embedded and pour-in-place bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/installation/embedded-bollards)
- [Surface-mount bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/installation/surface-mount-bollards)
- [Steel bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/steel-bollards)
- [Surface-mount vs embedded bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/vs/surface-mount-vs-embedded-bollards)