Precast bollards concrete buyers ask about most are the simplest kind: a reinforced post cast in a mould at a yard, cured and delivered ready to place. They are heavy, they need no paint to look tidy, and per post they usually cost less than steel. You see them along taxi ranks, school fences, petrol station forecourts and car parks across the country. This page covers the common shapes and finishes, free-standing versus set-in units, getting heavy pieces onto site and what moves the price when you ask a precast yard for a quote.
Shapes and finishes
Most yards cast a range of standard moulds:
- Dome and round posts, the everyday car park bollard.
- Mushroom tops, low and wide, often used along walkways.
- Square and tapered posts for a more architectural look.
Finishes range from plain grey off the mould to exposed aggregate, where the surface is washed to show the stone, and painted units. Reflective bands help a lot at night, especially in dark parking areas. If you want a turned shape with a ball top or chain rings, see decorative bollards.
Free-standing or set into the ground
Many concrete bollards are heavy enough to stand on their own weight on a level, firm surface. That suits sites where digging is difficult or where the layout may change. A free-standing unit can still be shoved aside by a determined vehicle, so for real protection the post should be set in.
Set-in units have a steel dowel or spigot cast into the base, which drops into a hole and is concreted or grouted. The steel reinforcement inside holds the post together after a hit. For the step by step, see bollard installation; for posts that must resist a deliberate ram, see security bollards.
Delivery, weight and handling
Weight is both the strength and the nuisance of concrete. Small units can be handled by two people with a trolley, but large posts need a crane truck or a small crane to lift them off and place them. Ask the yard whether delivery includes offloading and placing, or only drops the units at the gate. Check that the truck can reach the spot: a narrow complex entrance or soft ground can change the plan. Over the years concrete can chip or crack after hits, and a broken unit is replaced rather than patched. See bollard repairs.
What drives the price
Size and quantity matter most. A bigger mould uses more concrete and steel, and yards often price better per unit on larger orders. Finish adds cost: exposed aggregate and paint take extra work, and reflective bands are usually extra. Then there is transport, the crane, and whether the units are placed loose or set in footings. Ask for supply only and supply and install as separate figures so you can compare yards fairly.
What to put in your request
- Shape, height and number of units
- Finish: plain, exposed aggregate or painted
- Free-standing or set into the ground
- Truck and crane access to the site
- Supply only or supply and install
Concrete Bollards for homes, businesses and public spaces
- Homeowners: a pair of round precast posts beside the driveway that need no paint
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: dome bollards along visitor parking and the edges of internal roads
- Shops, malls and petrol stations: a heavy row in front of shopfronts and around fuel pump islands
- Offices, hotels and car parks: square precast posts marking office park entrances and walkways
- Warehouses, factories and depots: big units around gas tanks, transformers and yard corners
- Municipalities and public spaces: closing off streets, lining taxi ranks and protecting public squares
- Schools, hospitals and campuses: lining school drop-off zones and clinic entrances against parking cars
- Contractors and event organisers: bulk orders of standard units for new car parks and road upgrades
Frequently asked questions
Are concrete bollards cheaper than steel?
Will a concrete bollard stop a car?
Is cement bollard the same as concrete bollard?
Do you cast or deliver the bollards yourselves?
Concrete Bollards by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg