Umbrella Bases

Base weight depends on three things: whether the umbrella is centre pole or cantilever, the canopy diameter, and how exposed the site is. As a starting guide from our own range:A small centre pole umbrella of about 2.5 m on a sheltered terrace: a 10 to 18 kg resin base is normally enough.A standard 2.7 m centre pole umbrella in commercial use: specify a 45 kg base. Our steel-plated concrete base, 55 cm diameter and 45 cm high, with a centre-pole socket for 48 mm or 58 mm poles.A cantilever or offset umbrella: the whole canopy load sits off to one side, so the base has to be far heavier. Our modular split-steel base is built in 55 kg, 80 kg and 160 kg configurations, and large commercial cantilevers use the 360 kg welded marble base.Two practical rules. A heavier base only helps up to the wind rating of the umbrella itself: our wind-optimised centre pole umbrella is rated to Beaufort 4, about 25 km/h, and no base raises that. And on an exposed site the answer is a heavier base plus closing the canopy sooner, not a heavier base alone.Send the canopy size, the umbrella type and a photograph of the site and we will confirm the base weight for your project.

Yes, within the limits of the material. Our steel-plated concrete base is available in grey or black, with OEM colour and finish available for project orders. The modular steel base comes in grey and wood-grain brown, the welded marble base in black or white, and the resin bases in black or bronze. HDPE fillable bases take their colour from the moulding, so those are quoted as moulded in black rather than re-coloured. Where a scheme needs a specific tone, send the reference, a paving sample, a facade photograph or a paint code, and we will confirm which bases in the range can be produced to it and which cannot.

Only up to a point, and the limit is the umbrella rather than the base. Our wind-optimised centre pole umbrella is rated to Beaufort 4, about 25 km/h. That is the canopy's own limit, and no base raises it. What the base does is hold the umbrella down up to that rating and stop it tipping or walking in a gust below it. Above the rated wind the correct action is to close the canopy, because a closed canopy presents a fraction of the open sail area. So on an exposed site the answer is two things together: specify the heavier base and close the canopies at the rated wind, or specify a permanent in-ground position so the load goes into the ground. A heavier base on its own is not a storm solution.

Enough that the base should be set out on the plan rather than discovered on site. Our footprints by type: Resin centre pole bases: 42.5 cm, 44.5 cm, 50 cm and 53.5 cm diameter, with heights from 8 cm to 34 cm Steel-plated concrete centre pole base: 55 cm diameter and 45 cm high HDPE interlocking cross base: 50 x 50 x 7.5 cm HDPE square fillable bases: 85 x 85 x 17 cm and 97 x 97 x 19 cm HDPE base with handle: 90 x 90 x 21 cm Welded marble base: 145 x 120 x 20 cm A square or cross base at 85 to 97 cm per side is roughly the footprint of a cafe table, so where tables are set 60 to 80 cm apart a base of that size changes the seating spacing. The low resin bases, at 50 cm diameter and 8 cm high, are the ones to choose when the base has to disappear under a table.

A split base is supplied as separate steel plates that are bolted together on site, and it exists for three reasons. First, weight that cannot be lifted. Our modular base is built as 4 plates in the 55 kg and 80 kg versions and 8 plates in the 160 kg version, each plate 45 x 45 cm, so one person can carry the pieces to the terrace and assemble them there. Second, tolerance on site. If a location turns out windier than the drawings suggested, extra plates can be added to move up a build instead of replacing the base. Third, appearance. The plates are finished in grey or wood-grain brown, so a 160 kg base can read as part of a timber deck rather than a concrete block. Steel thickness also scales with the build, at 12 mm, 18 mm and 24 mm across the configurations, so the heaviest version is not simply more plates, it is thicker plate as well.

They are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is the most common specification mistake in this category. A centre pole umbrella takes a base with a vertical socket in the middle, where the weight simply holds the pole down. A cantilever umbrella carries the canopy out on a side arm, so its base has to resist a turning force rather than a vertical one, and it needs to be built for a side pole. Our range is split the same way: Centre pole bases run from 8 kg to 45 kg, in resin and steel-plated concrete, with sockets for 38 mm, 48 mm and 58 mm poles and models rated for poles up to 50 mm. Cantilever and side pole bases are the modular split-steel base in 55 kg, 80 kg and 160 kg builds, the 360 kg welded marble base, and the HDPE water-fill bases in 60 L, 138 L and 180 L. Using a centre pole base under a cantilever usually looks acceptable on a layout drawing and fails on the first windy day. It is worth confirming the umbrella type before the base is specified.

Yes, and there are three different answers depending on the base. The HDPE cross base in 130 L and 180 L fills has built-in transport castors, so it can be pushed into position before filling. The 180 L cantilever base has four wheels on one side, so it is tipped and rolled rather than lifted. The fillable bases are light before filling, at 13.6 kg and 15.5 kg, which is why they suit sites where the layout changes during the season. The solid bases are moved by tilting and rolling, or in the case of the 360 kg marble base and the modular steel base, by taking them apart into 10 slabs or 4 to 8 plates. Nothing in the heavy part of the range is designed to be lifted in one piece. One practical point: a base that has to be drained before it can be moved should be drained early rather than on the day, because a full 180 L base weighs 180 kg with water or 250 kg with sand.

Yes. We supply a 13 mm iron in-ground base that is buried and fixed below the surface, so the pole comes straight out of the lawn or paving and nothing is visible above ground. It is the right choice where a portable base would be in the way or would walk: lawns, squares, and commercial schemes that need a permanent position. It is also the only option that takes the base out of the wind problem completely, because the load goes into the ground rather than into a weight sitting on the surface. The trade-off is that the position is permanent. An in-ground base cannot be moved for an event or re-laid for a season, so it should be set out with the same care as any other buried fixing, and it suits a site where the layout is already decided. If you tell us the pole diameter and the ground build-up, we will confirm the fixing detail for the project.

For large commercial cantilevers at a poolside or beach club we normally quote the 360 kg welded marble base.It is built as 10 marble slabs of 46 x 46 x 5 cm, roughly 28 kg each and about 280 kg in total, carried in a welded steel frame. The overall footprint is 145 x 120 x 20 cm, and it is available in black or white. It is specified for hotels, resorts, poolside lounges, beach clubs, restaurants and luxury villas.Two practical notes. At 145 x 120 cm the base sets the spacing of everything around it, so the sun-lounger or table layout is worth fixing before the base is ordered rather than after. And because it is assembled on site from slabs, plan access for the individual pieces rather than the assembled base.Colour is usually decided by the surroundings: white reads well against pale pool paving, black against light stone or timber decking.

Measure the outside diameter of the pole at the point where it enters the base, not at the top. A tapered pole is thinner at the bottom, and that lower dimension is what the socket has to accept. Our range covers the common sizes: 38 mm, 48 mm and 58 mm sockets as separate models Bases rated for poles up to 50 mm Dual-fit bases that accept both 38 mm and 48 mm poles in one base If the pole is not one of those sizes, send us the measurement and we will quote a socket to suit. Two exceptions are worth knowing: a cross base holds the pole with a plate and bolts rather than a socket, so it fits a range of diameters, and an in-ground base has no socket at all because the pole is set into the ground.

A fillable base ships empty and light. Our HDPE models weigh 13.6 kg and 15.5 kg before filling, then reach 60 kg, 138 kg or 180 kg once filled with water. That makes them cheaper to ship and easy for one person to carry onto a terrace, and several have built-in castors or a wheeled side so the base can be tipped and rolled into position. A solid base ships at its working weight: resin bases from 8 kg to 19 kg, a steel-plated concrete base at 45 kg, modular steel plates from 55 kg to 160 kg, and a welded marble base at 360 kg. There is nothing to fill, nothing to drain, and nothing that can be left half empty by mistake. The usual split in practice is fillable bases for terraces that get re-arranged, or where nobody will maintain a fill level, and solid bases for fixed commercial layouts where reliability matters more than shipping cost.

Sand gives more weight in the same tank. From our actual products: the 60 L interlocking base reaches 60 kg with water or 80 kg with sand, and the 180 L base reaches 180 kg with water or 250 kg with sand. Water is the easier option. It can be filled from a hose and drained in minutes, which suits a terrace that gets re-arranged. The trade-offs are that it evaporates over a hot season, it can freeze in winter, and it needs a water point on site. Sand is heavier for the same volume, does not evaporate and does not freeze, which suits a base that stays in one position all season. The trade-off is that it is much harder to empty if the base ever has to be moved. Either way, check the fill level at the start of the season. A base that is half empty is the most common reason a canopy starts moving in a light wind, and it is also the cheapest problem in the category to prevent.