Quick Guide to Bollard Safety Standards & Crash Test Rating

Bollards are critical in ensuring the safety of urban spaces and properties, making them prevalent everywhere. Understanding bollard safety and its necessary certifications is crucial to making informed decisions and providing top-notch products and services. In this quick guide to bollard safety standards and crash test rating, we will dive into the world of tailoring bollards to your needs.

Bollard safety benchmarks and crash test ratings are two distinct but related aspects that help assess the safety and effectiveness of bollards in various settings.

Safety Standards

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has developed several safety standards for bollards, guiding design and installation. These standards ensure the success of bollards in many different applications.

ASTM F3016 is the most well-known safety standard and certification for crash-tested bollards. It provides guidelines for bollard design and performance criteria, covering materials, impact resistance, and installation procedures.

Crash Test Ratings

There are several different crash test rating systems. Systems vary by region, but the most common include:

• K-Ratings – K4, K8, K12
• M-Ratings – M30, M40, M50
• ASTM F2656
  
  

These ratings consider a medium-duty, 15,000-pound vehicle. Impact speed and distance and given penetration ratings divide these ratings.

K-Ratings vs. M-Ratings

M-rating is a modern system that replaced the initial K-ratings, although both are still commonly used in the industry. K-ratings saw updates and improvements following the presence of terrorism threats, resulting in more secure and effective bollards. People can trust in the abilities of bollards that abide by ASTM safety requirements and M-ratings.

Fitting Your Needs

We recommend only purchasing safety-certified bollards, as they go through testing to be undoubtedly safe and reliable. Custom Manufacturing and Polishing Inc. has you covered; our stainless steel bollard manufacturing has created safe and effective bollards for years. Design your bollards with CMPI, where your complex and exciting project idea can become a reality.

Understanding this quick guide to safety standards and crash test rating for bollards is a perfect foundation for ensuring the effectiveness of these structures. Together, these guidelines and ratings empower you to make informed decisions when selecting bollards, ultimately enhancing public safety in our society.