In this paper, different methods for practical numerical radio frequency exposure compliance assessments of radio base station products were investigated. Both multi‐band base station antennas and antennas designed for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmission schemes were considered. For the multi‐band case, various standardized assessment methods were evaluated in terms of resulting compliance distance with respect to the reference levels and basic restrictions of the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection. Both single frequency and multiple frequency (cumulative) compliance distances were determined using numerical simulations for a mobile communication base station antenna transmitting in four frequency bands between 800 and 2600 MHz. The assessments were conducted in terms of root‐mean‐squared electromagnetic fields, whole‐body averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) and peak 10 g averaged SAR. In general, assessments based on peak field strengths were found to be less computationally intensive, but lead to larger compliance distances than spatial averaging of electromagnetic fields used in combination with localized SAR assessments. For adult exposure, the results indicated that even shorter compliance distances were obtained by using assessments based on localized and whole‐body SAR. Numerical simulations, using base station products employing MIMO transmission schemes, were performed as well and were in agreement with reference measurements. The applicability of various field combination methods for correlated exposure was investigated, and best estimate methods were proposed. Our results showed that field combining methods generally considered as conservative could be used to efficiently assess compliance boundary dimensions of single‐ and dual‐polarized multicolumn base station antennas with only minor increases in compliance distances. Bioelectromagnetics. 35:296–308, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.