Bollard Installation Cost
For Contractors
A Cost Breakdown of In-Ground Bollard Installation
Let’s breakdown the cost of installing in-ground bollards into existing asphalt or concrete. These are sometimes referred to as core-installed bollards.
We outline the Bollard Installation Cost of installing 10 in-ground bollards of three sizes:
- 4-inch Schedule 40 with 12 inch diameter foundations
- 6-inch Schedule 40 with 18 inch diameter foundations
- 8-inch Schedule 40 with 24 inch diameter foundations
Many of the costs for the three sizes are similar, while a few are quite different, these being:
- Cost of Pipe
- Cost of Concrete
- Cost of Labor
With that being said, it is important to note that these cost estimates are estimates. The most important thing here is having a complete list of materials and labor costs. With this list, you can enter your own amounts and find your own totals.
The BOSS says…
We hope to help contractors more accurately estimate the cost of bollard installation so they become better at bidding. If you are bidding a bollard install for the first time, this should be very helpful.
OK, Boss, Here’s the Numbers!
First we’ll show you our final estimate numbers..
Install 10 4″ Schedule 40 Bollards: $7,755 ($775 each)
Install 10 6″ Schedule 40 Bollards: $11,000 ($1,100 each)
Install 10 8″ Schedule 40 Bollards: $15,000 ($1,500 each)
Now, read on to see how we got these numbers.
Sections
Time to get to work, boys!
General Considerations
Here, we are lay out the costs associated with the installation of quantity 10 of some of the most common steel bollards, 4-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch. They are to be installed into existing asphalt.
As a contractor, we hope this will help you in your bidding process. If you happen to be reading this as a customer, we hope this will help you understand why bollard installation cost is what it is.
Scalability of Estimates
By adding up these costs, we will arrive at a rough estimate that should be useful to you if you are bidding on or planning out such a project. The estimate will be somewhat scalable upwards, but downwards you get into day-rate minimums.
4-inch Bollards Install Time
- Cutting Alsphalt/Concrete, Jackhammering, augering holes, removing debris. 1 day x 2 guys = 2 days
- Setting up Bollards, pouring and finishing concrete. 1 day x 2 guys = 2 days
- Clean up, finishing bollards, painting and/or installing covers. 1 day x 1 guy = 1 day
- TOTALS:
- 3 days duration
- 5 man-days or 40 man hours
6-inch Bollards Install Time
- Cutting Alsphalt/Concrete, Jackhammering, augering holes, removing debris. 1 day x 3 guys = 3 days
- Setting up Bollards, pouring and finishing concrete. 1 day x 3 guys = 3 days
- Clean up, finishing bollards, painting and/or installing covers.1 day x 2 guys = 2 days
- TOTALS:
- 3 days duration
- 8 man-days or 64 man hours
8-inch Bollards Install Time
- Cutting Alsphalt/Concrete, Jackhammering, augering holes, removing debris. 2 days x 2 guys = 4 days
- Setting up Bollards, pouring and finishing concrete. 1 day x 4 guys = 4 days
- Clean up, finishing bollards, painting and/or installing covers. 1 day x 2 guys = 2 days
- TOTALS:
- 4 days duration
- 10 man-days or 80 man hours
- 4″, 6″ & 8″ Schedule 40 Steel Pipe, Quantity 10
- Each pipe is 84″ long, with 42″ above grade and 42″ below grade in footing. See Why 7 footers? below.
- Concrete is at least 3500 psi and fills pipe and footing.
- Concrete Footing has an 12″ (for 4-inch), 18″ (for 6-inch) and 24″ (for 8-inch) diameter and goes 42″ deep.
- At grade, a square is cut out of asphalt to allow installation: 18″ square for 4 inch install, 24″ square for 6-inch install, 30″ square for 8-inch install.
- Footing: Cardboard form (Sonotube) is not generally needed. Pier footing is more stable with irregular walls rather than backfilled around smooth form.
- At top of bollard, concrete is rounded out to a dome shape.
- At grade, the concrete square is floated and broom brushed.
- After installation, the bollards are painted and/or covered with a bollard cover.
[costs as of mid July, 2022]
4″ Schedule 40 Primed Steel Pipe Bollard 84″ long: $130 ea ($1300/10)
6″ Schedule 40 Primed Steel Pipe Bollard 84″ long: $220 ea ($2200/10)
8′ Schedule 40 Primed Steel Pipe Bollard 84″ long: $330 ea ($3300/10)
Why 7 foot Bollards?
Steel Yards usually stock red-primed 7 foot (84″ bollards) because the pipe comes in 21′ or 42′ and they can cut 3 or 6 bollards from the stock without wasting drop. 8 footers can cost significantly more. For instance, at a local steel yard we use where a 7 foot 6″ SCH40 costs $199, the 8 foot costs $426.25. Over twice as much! (both before sales tax).
Red Primed 4 and 6 inch Bollards
We use carboard “Sonotube” forms sometimes because they help the person who’s augering know they’ve dug the right depth hole, and sometimes they’re just prescibed. But the argument can be made that without them, the footing ties right into the dirt which makes it sturdier. If the form is used, you’ll probably be leaving the form a few inches shy of grade and then either pouring out cut-out with concrete or patching cut-out with asphalt later on. With quantity 10, medium to heavy walled 18″ diameter Sonotube, cut to 42-44″ long, cost about $35 each including sales tax.
4 inch pipe: 12″ Concrete Forms: $0 – $250
6 inch pipe: 18″ Concrete Forms: $0 – $350
8 inch pipe: 24″ Concrete Forms: $0 – $450
Sonotube Concrete Form for Bollard
[not yet backfilled]
Concrete Yards Per Bollard:
(Figuring $250/yd with $500 minimum.)
4-inch: 0.125 yds ea (1.25 yds total) $500-$600
6-inch: 0.3 yds ea (3 yds total) $675-$775
8-inch: 0.5 yds ea (5 yds total) $1250-$1350
With all 3 bollard sizes you can pour in one day with one truck. But be sure you have 3 or 4 guys with the 6 or 8 inch.
The concrete pour is the most critical phase. It must be done right the first time!
Whether rented or owned, a track loader, skid steer or mini-excavator along with accessories cost money. We use our own equipment except we may rent if job is far out of town.
Typically, we use a Skid Steer with Bucket, an Auger Head with an auger Bit and Pallet Forks.
Per day, renting these things would cost about $500/day or $2500/week. If we consider cost of ownership, let’s set that at $200/day or $1000/week. A week constitutes a 7 day rental.
So we need equipment for 3 to 4 days.
4 & 6 inch jobs are 3 days: $600 (own) – $1500 (rent)
8 inch job is 4 days: $800 (own) – $2000 (rent)
Barrels, Cones, Signs etc.
This is only needed when traffic control requirement is significant, for a job this size, we would rent 20 Traffic Barrels. Typical is $15 each per week plus delivery and taxes. Also, throw in a $100 allowance for a couple traffic control signs and caution tape.
Traffic Control: $0-$450
Note: Though we are showing bollard cover cost here, we will offer it as an additional line item and not include it in bid. Instead, we just have $100 for painting the bollards. Even if you cover the bollards, I feel it is beneficial to paint them.
Painted: The enamel paint, roller, brush, solvent rags etc is another $100.
Painting Cost: $100
Covered: Bollard Covers cost about $65/each (4 & 6 inch) , $85/each (8 inch) including freight and taxes. Plus $100 to install.
Bollard Covers Cost 4, 6 inch: $750
Bollard Covers Cost 8 inch: $950
Bollard Paint: $100
Originally, I had a handful of “other materials” costs but feel now that they are so random, they throw of the job estimate. Instead, the strategy is to let those small random costs be absorbed by the markup percentage.
We have kept only the Diesel and Gas Cost.
+Diesel for Track Loader: $100
+Gas for Generator, Asphalt Saw: $20
Other Materials: $120
Labor Costs
Let’s consider that we using 2 skilled workers at $500/day each. Additional workers are considered laborers and make $300/day.
4 inch job was 5 man-days: $2,500 (5 x $500)
6 inch job was 8 man-days: $3,600 (6 x $500 + 2 x $300)
8 inch job was 10 man-days: $4,400 (7 x $500 + 3 x $300)
Overhead
Originally, I included an overhead figure in the estimate to cover a portion of insurance, shop rent etc. I have decided that this number does not belong in a job estimate. The cost of business operation should come out of the job profit.
Overhead: $0
After adding up all the worst case scenario numbers, we realized that if totaled up, the numbers were way too high. We’ve decided to make the following determinations:
- Renting equipment is expensive, it’s better to own it.
- Why use sonotube? (unless required)
- We can scavenge on the “Other Materials”.
- We an get by without renting traffic control cones etc.
- Don’t include covers on bid.
- Let’s consider “overhead” as part of the profit and not a job cost.
With this, we add up the costs and add a 50% markup.
4-inch Bollards Cost
+Bollard Pipes: $1,300
+Concrete Forms: $0 (none)
+Concrete: $550 (avg of range)
+Track Loader and Accessories: $600 (own)
+Traffic Control: $0 (scrounge)
+Bollard Painting: $100 (materials only)
+Other Materials: $120 (fuel only)
+Labor: $2,500
+Overhead: $0 (not part of job cost)
New Cost: $5,170
New Price (50% markup): $7,755
Per Bollard: $775
New Profit: $2,585
6-inch Bollards Cost
+Bollard Pipes: $2,200
+Concrete Forms: $0 (none)
+Concrete: $725 (avg of range)
+Track Loader and Accessories: $600 (own)
+Traffic Control: $0 (scrounge)
+Bollard Painting: $100 (materials only)
+Other Materials: $120 (fuel only)
+Labor: $3,600
+Overhead: $0 (not part of job cost)
New Cost: $7,345
New Price (50% markup): $11,000
Per Bollard: $1100
New Profit: $3,665
8-inch Bollards Cost
+Bollard Pipes: $3,300
+Concrete Forms: $0 (none)
+Concrete: $1,300 (avg of range)
+Track Loader and Accessories: $800 (own)
+Traffic Control: $0 (scrounge)
+Bollard Painting: $100 (materials only)
+Other Materials: $120 (fuel only)
+Labor: $4,400
+Overhead: $0 (not part of job cost)
New Cost: $10,020
New Price (50% markup): $15,000
Price Per Bollard: $1,500
New Profit: $4,980
Let’s Consider The Numbers
Have we cheated ourselves? Not really. We still have a 50% markup that can absorb some of the random and unforeseen expenses. Everyone is getting paid including the company owner (the Boss). The company still turns a nice profit on the job which can cover the business expenses. String a number of these together, and the company might turn an annual profit.
Trust Your Gut
Sometimes, the numbers still look too high and you’re thinking you have to lower them or lose the bid. If you’ve done the numbers a few ways, some liberal and some conservative, you’ll have a better feeling about where your numbers are.
Of course, the bid amount can still be adjusted when considering the following:
- How accurate do we feel our estimate is? Are there any wildcards?
- How efficiently can we execute this project?
- How busy or slow are we?
- How soon is the deadline?
- How short is work window?
- Is it near freezing, complicating digging, concrete pour and wet sawing?
- Is it a non-local installation?
- Is project site remote with extra charges for concrete truck or other materials deliveries?
- Have materials prices changed or are they different for the region?
In the end, you gotta trust your gut!
In Ground Bollard Installation Cost Estimates
(10) 4 inch Bollard Installation Estimate is $7,755
(10) 6 inch Bollard Installation Estimate is $11,000
(10) 8 inch Bollard Installation Estimate is $15,000