Metal Fence

In this category, metal fence means steel. The panels are made from steel wire or steel tubing, cut, shaped and welded, then galvanized against rust and, on most products, powder coated for color and a second layer of protection. Steel gives the most strength per panel of any common fence material, which is why it is the choice for security fencing, and a coated steel fence needs no painting or staining the way a wood fence does.

Metal fence panels are lighter and quicker to install than a solid wood fence of the same height, and they last. The category holds three panel families, each with its own posts, fixings and gates.

Ornamental steel

Square steel tubing with pickets between horizontal rails, for the look of wrought iron. Ornamental steel suits homes, offices, apartment complexes, parks and commercial frontages where the fence should look good as well as close the boundary. It comes from Fenceweb's own range and from Fortress.

Welded wire

Rigid mesh panels with every crossing welded: the double wire panel and the V-fence 3D panel. Welded wire is open, stiff and quick to install, and is the all-round fence for gardens, schools, sports fields and business sites. Climbing plants grow along it, and privacy strips weave through the mesh where you want screening.

358 security mesh

Mesh openings of 3" x 1/2" leave no finger or toe hold, so the panel is hard to climb and hard to cut. It is the panel for data centers, correctional facilities, utilities and other sites where the fence has to stop people, not just mark a line.

Fenceweb ornamental steel panels

All Fenceweb ornamental panels are welded and black, and are sold per panel in three grades:

• Residential, flat top: 1" rails and 5/8" pickets, 45" or 58" tall.
• Commercial, flat top: 1-1/2" rails and 3/4" pickets, 34" to 70" tall.
• Commercial, pressed point: 70", 82" or 93" tall.
• Commercial, curved pressed point: 70" or 93" tall.
• Industrial, in flat top, pressed point or curved pressed point: 2" rails and 1" pickets, 93" tall.

Fortress steel panels

Fortress panels are gloss black powder coat over pre-galvanized, e-coated steel, with a Fortress 20-year limited warranty. Each line has 2-rail and 3-rail panels and a choice of top styles, such as flat top, pressed spear, extended picket and curved top, several with a flat bottom option.

• Versai: residential panels from 34" up to 70" tall.
• V2 Commercial: from 34" up to 94" tall, including pool flat top/flat bottom panels.
• V3 Industrial: from 34" up to 94" tall.
• Titan Industrial: from 34" up to 118" tall, with 14, 16 or 18 gauge walls and a shield top on the heaviest 3-rail panel.
• Assurance versions of Versai and V2 Commercial close the air space between the pickets to 3", for yards where small children or pets play.

Residential, commercial or industrial grade?

The grade tells you how heavy the rails and pickets are. Residential panels, with 1" rails and 5/8" pickets, suit a home or garden. Commercial panels step up to 1-1/2" rails and 3/4" pickets for offices, apartment complexes and frontages that see more traffic. Industrial panels, with 2" rails and 1" pickets, are made for tall perimeter fences. Fortress follows the same idea from Versai through V2 Commercial and V3 Industrial to Titan Industrial.

Welded wire panels

• Double wire panel in 4/6/4 GA or 0/4/0 GA, with a 2" x 8" mesh and 8'2" width. US heights are 4', 6' and 8'.
• V-fence 3D panel in 6/6 GA, with the same mesh and width, stiffened by V-shaped bends, in 4', 6' and 8' heights.
• Finishes: double wire hot-dip galvanized or powder coated black RAL 9005; V-fence black RAL 9005.

358 security panels

• Light (8/8 GA): black or hot-dip galvanized, 8'3" wide.
• Heavy (8/4 GA): black or hot-dip galvanized.
• Light Duo (8/8/8 GA) and Heavy Duo (8/4/8 GA): black.
• Mesh 3" x 1/2", in 4', 6', 8' and 10' heights.

Fenceweb's own ornamental panels are welded, black and sold per panel in three grades, with matching posts, rail brackets, a 40" swing gate and a sliding gate; they ship from Dallas, Texas. Fortress offers more top styles, 2-rail and 3-rail panels, Assurance panels with a narrow picket gap, rackable panels for slopes and heights up to 10 ft; it ships by freight from Garland, Texas, with a Fortress 20-year limited warranty.

• Metal Fence Panels: the ornamental, welded wire and 358 panels side by side, to compare grades and heights.
• Metal Fence Posts: round, square and ornamental posts, for in-ground setting or surface mount with a base plate.
• Metal Fence Post Brackets: Longlip brackets, 358 brackets and coverplates, connectors and ornamental rail brackets.
• Metal Fence Gates: double wire double gates, Fenceweb ornamental swing and sliding gates, and Fortress walk gates and drive gate leaves.

Every panel system has its own posts and fixings, so choose them together with the panel.

• Welded wire: 2-3/8" round or square posts with Longlip end, corner and inline brackets; use an 8' post for a 6' fence and a 10' post for an 8' fence.
• 358 mesh: square posts, such as the 3" post with its Longlip inline bracket, plus U-brackets, spider brackets and coverplates in lengths that match the panel heights; a 10' 358 fence takes a 12' post.
• Fenceweb ornamental: 2-1/2" 14 gauge posts in 7', 8' and 9' lengths, 3" posts in 14 gauge or 11 gauge for tall panels and gates, and a 2" 16 gauge post of 8' with cap.
• Ornamental rail brackets: Fenceweb's 11 gauge steel bracket fits 1", 1-1/4", 1-1/2" and 2" rails.
• Fortress: Versai posts of 2" or 3", V2 Commercial posts from 2-1/2" to 6", and 6" posts with a 3/16" wall for V3 and Titan Industrial.

Walk gates are for people; double gates and pairs of drive gate leaves are for vehicles.

• Fenceweb ornamental swing gate: a flat top walk gate, 40" wide, in heights that match the panels. Pressed point tops are available on request.
• Fenceweb ornamental sliding gate: flat top, on two V-groove wheels, 14 ft or 24 ft wide and 4, 5, 6 or 8 ft high, for driveways and site entrances.
• Fortress walk gates: 4 ft or 5 ft wide, and up to 6 ft in V2 Commercial, with arched versions in some lines.
• Fortress drive gate leaves: 6 ft or 8 ft wide, hung in pairs for a wide opening.
• Double gates with double wire infill: 10, 13 or 16 ft wide, black, in 4', 6' and 8' heights to match the fence.

• Posts for each end, corner, line and gate position, in the size the panel system asks for.
• Brackets: Longlip brackets for welded wire, U-brackets and coverplates for 358 mesh, rail brackets for ornamental panels, and the line, end and corner brackets of each Fortress line.
• Post caps for every post, such as Fortress pressed dome caps or curved top line and corner caps.
• Gates, with the hinges and latches to hang and close them.
• Touch-up paint or repair spray for scratches made during installation.

Ornamental steel and welded wire are open fences: they mark the boundary and keep the view. For screening, privacy strips weave through the double wire mesh and block the view into the property. For full privacy and noise reduction, a solid acoustic barrier is in the Soundproof Fence category.

Two more steel fence types have their own categories. Chain link is woven mesh from a roll, a cost-effective way to fence long distances and sports fields. Gabion fence is built from welded wire panels filled with stone, for a boundary with a natural look that also gives privacy.

• Security: a metal panel is harder to cut through, climb over or tamper with than chain link, and pointed tops add a further deterrent.
• Durability: galvanized and powder coated steel holds up to wind, rain and snow, while bare chain link needs more attention to stay straight and rust-free.
• Appearance: ornamental and welded panels look finished and suit the architecture of homes and business sites, where chain link looks utilitarian.
• Privacy: welded panels take privacy strips that block the view.
• Cost and length: chain link remains a sensible choice for long, low-cost runs where looks matter less.

Steel is the stronger material, which is why security fences such as 358 mesh are steel and why Fortress Titan Industrial reaches 10 ft. Aluminum is lighter and does not rust, and is often chosen for pool and ornamental fence near the coast. A steel fence stays protected as long as its zinc and powder coat are intact.

1. Decide what the fence must do: look good, mark a boundary, keep children and pets in, or stop people climbing in.
2. Pick the panel family for that job: ornamental for looks, welded wire for an open all-round fence, 358 mesh for security.
3. Choose the height. Check local code: most US pool codes ask for a barrier at least 48" high with self-closing, self-latching gates.
4. Choose posts for the ground: in-ground posts set in concrete, or surface mount posts on a slab.
5. Add the brackets for end, corner and line posts, the caps, and the gates.

By buyer

• Homeowners: Fenceweb residential or commercial ornamental panels, Fortress Versai, or 4/6/4 GA double wire.
• Schools and parks: 0/4/0 GA double wire, 4' or 6' high, or commercial ornamental panels.
• Business sites and contractors: 0/4/0 GA double wire, V2 Commercial or V3 Industrial.
• Data centers, correctional facilities and utilities: 358 security mesh or Titan Industrial.

1. Prepare the ground: level the fence line and leave enough room to work.
2. Stretch a string along the line and decide which way the posts and fixings face; screws are ideally not on the outside.
3. Have underground utilities marked and check the local frost depth before you dig.
4. Dig the first hole, set the first post plumb against the string in concrete or quick-setting concrete, and let it set.
5. Measure the spacing for the next post with a panel, set that post and fix the panel. Check that everything is level before the concrete sets.
6. Continue post by post, hanging each panel and securing it with its brackets or rail brackets.
7. Finish with coverplates or caps on every post, then hang the gates on their own posts.

For a fence on a slab, pavers or a deck, follow the same steps with surface mount posts bolted down instead of setting posts in concrete.

Where the fence stands on a slab, pavers or a deck, use surface mount posts with a welded base plate. Fenceweb's 2-1/2" surface mount post has a 5" x 5" plate for a 6 ft or 8 ft fence, and the 2" post a 4" x 4" plate for fence of 3 to 5 ft. Fortress Versai has a 2" surface mount post with a 5" base plate.

On sloping ground, Fortress panels rack to follow the slope instead of stepping down it. Versai racks up to 48" over 8' on its patented pin hinge, without cutting or welding; V2 panels rack up to 30" and V3 panels up to 24" over a panel. Welded wire panels are stepped: each panel hangs level and the posts follow the ground.

Galvanizing puts a zinc layer on the steel; powder coating adds a colored layer on top. Fortress adds an e-coat between the two. A rinse with water now and then is all the upkeep a powder coated fence needs. Touch up a scratch with matching paint or repair spray, such as Fortress gloss black touch-up paint on Fortress products, so the steel underneath stays sealed.

Fenceweb delivers metal fence to every US state and to Canada, for contractors, homeowners, schools, utilities, data centers and correctional facilities. Fenceweb's own ornamental fence ships from Dallas, Texas, and Fortress ships by freight from Garland, Texas. A size shown without a price is sold on request: ask for a quote.