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A–Z
Fencing glossary
Every term you're likely to meet on a fencing quote or spec sheet, in plain English. If a word on your drawing isn't here, give us a call and we'll explain it.
#
- 358 mesh
- Welded mesh named after its 3in x 0.5in aperture and 8 gauge wire. The gaps are too small for fingers or a toe-hold, which is what makes it anti-climb.
- 656 twin mesh
- Twin-wire welded mesh built from paired 6mm horizontal wires either side of a 5mm vertical — the lighter of the two common twin-wire systems, used for commercial boundaries.
- 868 twin mesh
- Twin-wire welded mesh with paired 8mm horizontal wires either side of a 6mm vertical. Stiffer than 656 and the usual choice where the boundary needs to resist attack.
A
- Angle iron
- Steel bar rolled into an L-shaped cross-section. Used for fence posts, cleats and bracing where a light, stiff section is enough.
- Aperture
- The size of the hole in a mesh panel, quoted as height x width. Smaller apertures resist climbing and cutting; larger ones are cheaper and more open.
B
- Bay
- One complete span of fencing between two posts, supplied as a set — pales or a panel plus the rails and fittings to hang it. Fencing is usually priced and ordered by the bay.
- Bow top railing
- Railings whose vertical bars curve over into a rounded loop at the top. The bow removes the sharp point, which is why it suits parks, schools and housing.
C
- Chain link
- Fencing made from wire woven into a diamond pattern and strained between posts. The cheapest way to enclose a large area, but easily cut or climbed.
- Composite fencing
- Fencing made from a wood-fibre and recycled-plastic mix. It keeps the look of timber but doesn't rot, warp or need staining, so it suits domestic boundaries.
- Crash barrier
- Corrugated steel beam bolted to posts, designed to deform on impact and steer a vehicle back on course. Used on roads, car parks and loading yards.
D
- D-section pale
- A palisade pale pressed into a rounded, D-shaped profile. Slightly less rigid than W-section and takes its own D-section bolts, which don't interchange.
E
- Estate fencing
- Slim steel railings with widely spaced vertical bars, traditionally used on parkland and country estates where the fence should disappear into the view.
F
- Feather edge
- Timber boards sawn thicker on one edge than the other, fixed vertically with each board overlapping the last. Makes a solid, gap-free domestic fence.
- Fish plate
- A steel plate that bolts across the join between two crash barrier beams, carrying the load through the splice so the run behaves as one continuous barrier.
G
- Galvanised
- Steel coated in zinc to stop it rusting. Hot-dip galvanising dips the finished part in molten zinc, giving a thick coating that protects cut edges and welds too. Read more
- Guard rail
- Low railings that keep people on the footway and stop them stepping into the road — the type you see at crossings, school gates and bus stops.
I
- Intermediate post
- A post in the middle of a fence run, carrying the panels either side. Lighter than the straining or end posts, which take the pull at the ends and corners.
K
- Keypad lock
- A gate lock opened with a numeric code instead of a key, so access can be given and changed without cutting new keys or chasing lost ones.
M
- Mesh fencing
- Fencing made from steel wires welded into a grid and supplied as rigid panels. Covers everything from light boundary mesh to anti-climb prison-grade systems.
P
- Pale
- One of the vertical steel members in a palisade fence. Pales bolt to horizontal rails and are usually triple-pointed at the top to deter climbing.
- Palisade
- Security fencing built from vertical steel pales bolted to horizontal rails. The pointed tops and bolted construction make it hard to climb and hard to dismantle. Read more
- Play spec
- Railings built to playground safety requirements — bar spacing that won't trap a child's head, and no sharp tops or gaps that can catch clothing.
- Post mix
- A dry, fast-setting concrete mix poured straight into the post hole and wetted in place. Sets in minutes, so a run of posts can be stood in a single visit.
- Powder coating
- A dry paint finish sprayed on electrostatically and baked hard in an oven. Tougher than wet paint, and available in any RAL colour over galvanised steel. Read more
- Prison mesh
- The heaviest grade of welded mesh fencing, with apertures too tight to climb or get a cutting tool into. Specified for prisons, substations and utilities.
- Profile mesh
- Welded mesh panels pressed with horizontal ribs. The folds stiffen the panel so it needs less framing and resists being pushed out of shape.
R
- Railings
- Fencing made from vertical bars set in a horizontal frame. More decorative than palisade or mesh, and used where the boundary has to look right as well as work.
- Railway sleeper
- Heavy timber baulks, originally cut to carry railway track. Used in landscaping for raised beds and retaining walls, and as robust vehicle-stop edging.
- RAL colour
- The European colour-matching standard used for powder coating. Quoting a RAL number — 6005 green, 9005 black — gets the exact same shade from any coater.
- Razor wire
- Steel tape stamped with blades and wound into coils, fixed along the top of a fence. A deterrent topping rather than a barrier in its own right.
- Roll top mesh
- Mesh panels finished with a curled tube along the top and bottom edge. The roll stiffens the panel and removes the cut wire ends, so it suits sports and play areas.
- RSJ
- Rolled Steel Joist — an I-shaped steel beam. Used as a heavy fence or gate post where the load or the span is beyond a standard hollow section.
S
- Sliding gate
- A gate that slides sideways across the opening instead of swinging. Used where there's no room for a leaf to swing, or the opening is too wide to hinge.
- Snap-off nut
- A nut with a hex head designed to shear off once tightened, leaving a smooth cone that can't be gripped by a spanner. Makes palisade fixings tamper-proof.
- Swing arm barrier
- A pivoting arm that swings across an access road to close it off. Used on car parks, yards and service roads where the opening is only occasionally blocked.
T
- Tanalised
- Timber pressure-treated with preservative forced into the grain under vacuum, rather than brushed on the surface. Protects against rot and insect attack in ground contact.
- Timber fence panel
- Ready-made timber panels that drop between posts — closeboard, lap or waney edge. The standard domestic garden boundary, sold by the panel.
- Triple pointed
- The three sharp points pressed into the top of a palisade pale. Removes anywhere to get a hand or foot over the top of the fence.
U
- Uniform mesh
- Welded mesh panels with a consistent square or rectangular aperture across the whole sheet, with no ribs or profiling. The plainest of the rigid mesh systems.
V
- V-beam prison mesh
- High-security mesh panels pressed with V-shaped ribs. The profile makes the panel very stiff and gives nothing flat to lean a ladder or foot against.
- Vertical bar railing
- Railings with plain vertical bars running through horizontal rails, usually finished square or pointed at the top. The standard commercial railing.
W
- W-section pale
- A palisade pale pressed into a W-shaped profile. The extra folds make it stiffer than D-section, and it takes its own W-section bolts.
- Weld mesh
- Steel wires laid in a grid and welded at every crossing, making a rigid sheet. The basis of every panel mesh fencing system, from light boundary to prison grade.