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.
Published embed depths
| Product | Embed or footing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ännt FX4536SS 4.5 in stainless (non-rated) | 305 mm (12 in) minimum embed in a footing at least 254 mm (10 in) wide | ännt |
| Uline pour-in-place, 5.5 in | Installs in 10 in of wet concrete; remove the cap and fill with concrete for extra stability | Uline |
| Proguard Pacific pour-in-place 6.6 × 48 in | 36 in embedment | Proguard Pacific |
| City of Toronto median bollard (T-603.048) | Set 300 mm (200–400 mm) into a concrete median at least 400 mm each way, non-shrink grout, 25 × 350 mm steel cross-pin | City of Toronto |
| Reliance Foundry Vector S30 (F3016 S30) | 42 in below grade, concrete embedded | Reliance Foundry |
| ännt SA275 semi-automatic retractable (M30/M40) | Foundation box 1,720 mm deep, 1,180 × 1,180 mm, with cage | ännt |
Asphalt and soil
Asphalt is too flexible to hold a post, and soil moves with frost. In both, the bollard gets a concrete footing taken below the frost line (Reliance Foundry’s guide says to ask the local building department for the depth), then the asphalt is patched around it.
Pour-in-place in new slabs
Pour-in-place posts have anchor tabs or a long embedded leg and are set and braced before the pour, so they come out of the concrete already plumb. Coordinate with the concrete contractor: the posts go on the pour schedule, not after it.
Sources
- ännt Bollards, FX4536SS stainless fixed bollard
- Uline Canada, pour-in-place safety bollards
- Proguard Pacific, pour-in-place bollard 6.6 in × 48 in, 36 in embedment
- City of Toronto, standard drawing T-603.048, steel bollard on concrete median (PDF, 2023)
- Reliance Foundry, Vector S30 bollard (R-1010-S30)
- ännt Bollards, SA275/M30-1200 semi-automatic retractable bollard
- Reliance Foundry, How to install a pipe bollard in existing concrete