# Embedded and pour-in-place bollards

> Setting bollards in new concrete or in their own footing: published embed depths (12 in to 36 in for non-rated posts, up to 1.7 m for a crash-rated retractable housing) and how pour-in-place posts work.

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

When the concrete isn’t poured yet, or the bollard is going into asphalt or soil, each post gets set in its own footing. How deep depends on the post and on whether it’s rated.

> 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

1. [ännt Bollards, FX4536SS stainless fixed bollard](https://www.anntbollards.com/product/fx4536ss/) (checked 2026-10-26)
2. [Uline Canada, pour-in-place safety bollards](https://www.uline.ca/BL_2545/Pour-in-Place-Safety-Bollards) (checked 2026-10-26)
3. [Proguard Pacific, pour-in-place bollard 6.6 in × 48 in, 36 in embedment](https://proguardpacific.ca/product/bollard-pour-in-place-6-6-dia-x-48-tall-with-36-embedment-galvanized/) (checked 2026-10-26)
4. [City of Toronto, standard drawing T-603.048, steel bollard on concrete median (PDF, 2023)](https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/90aa-ecs-specs-roadwd-T-603.048-Rev0-Sep2023.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26)
5. [Reliance Foundry, Vector S30 bollard (R-1010-S30)](https://www.reliance-foundry.com/shop/bollard/crash-rated/vector-s30) (checked 2026-10-26)
6. [ännt Bollards, SA275/M30-1200 semi-automatic retractable bollard](https://www.anntbollards.com/product/sa275-m30-1200/) (checked 2026-10-26)
7. [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)

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

## Related

- [Installing bollards in existing concrete](https://safetybollards.ca/installation/core-drilled-bollards)
- [Retractable bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/retractable-bollards)
- [Steel bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/steel-bollards)
- [Surface-mount vs embedded bollards](https://safetybollards.ca/vs/surface-mount-vs-embedded-bollards)