Fencing guides
Straight answers to the questions we get asked every day — what to specify, what it costs you to get it wrong, and which product actually fits the job.
Choosing fencing
Working out what to specify before you order.
Steel palisade fencing: the complete buyer's guide
Palisade is sold by the bay: one post, two rails, seventeen pales and the bolts. Understand that and heights, sections, gates and quantities all follow from it.
What height palisade fencing do I need?
1.8m for general commercial, 2.4m where the fence will be tested, 1.2m to 1.5m for marking a boundary. What the height buys you, and what it costs in groundwork.
W section or D section palisade pales?
W section is 2mm and stiffer; D section is 2.5mm and rounder. The part that actually catches people is that the bolts are different and do not interchange.
Rigid mesh fencing systems: which one to specify
Seven rigid mesh systems, from roll top for play areas to 358 prison mesh for utilities. They install the same way — what changes is the aperture and the wire.
358 prison mesh: V beam or flat beam?
Same 12.7 x 76.2mm aperture, same 4mm wire, same security. V beam adds pressed ribs for stiffness; flat beam keeps a clean face. That is genuinely the whole difference.
656 or 868 twin mesh: which to specify
The numbers are wire diameters. 656 is the general commercial and school specification; 868 is heavier and takes far longer to cut, for boundaries that get attacked.
Palisade or mesh: which security fence to specify
Palisade resists attack and looks like it will; mesh gives visibility and a cleaner line. The decision usually comes down to whether the fence has to deter people or simply define the boundary.
Chain link fencing: when it still makes sense
The cheapest way to enclose a large area, and still the right answer for it. What you need beyond the roll — strainers, line wire, cleats — and where it falls short.
Razor wire, spikes and anti-climb toppings: what goes on top of a fence
A topping buys time, it does not make a fence unclimbable. Razor wire, barbed wire, wall spikes and rotating spikes each suit a different boundary — here is how to pick.
Razor wire or barbed wire: which to put on top
Barbed wire slows a climber; razor wire stops most from trying. The choice comes down to what is behind the fence and who walks past the front of it.
Railway sleepers and steel sleeper posts: the complete guide
Our sleepers are 195 x 95 x 2395mm, tanalised green or brown. The steel posts that hold them come in three positions, three finishes and ten heights.
End, corner or intermediate sleeper posts: which you need
Ends and corners are 125 x 65 channel, intermediates are a 117.6 x 64 RSJ that takes sleepers on both faces. Position decides it, not preference.
Raw steel, galvanised or powder coated sleeper posts?
Same sections, same heights, three finishes. Raw steel is for posts that will be hidden or painted, galvanised for everything outdoors, powder coated where it shows.
Armco crash barrier: the complete guide
Beams at 3.2m effective, two post profiles, corners, three end treatments and two bolts. Everything in the crash barrier range and how a run goes together.
Crash barrier posts: H post or Z post?
Z post for low-speed knocks in car parks and yards; H post where the barrier protects racking, plant or a structural line. Dig in or bolt down on either.
Specifying pedestrian guard rail
2m panels, 900mm high, 50 x 30mm RHS frame with 12mm bars at 110mm centres, galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461. What to decide before you order.
Buying & measuring
Getting the order right before anything is delivered.
Installation & fitting
Getting it up: fixings, tools, sequence and the safety side of the job.
How to fit razor wire safely
Razor wire arrives under compression and unrolls with force. Gauntlets, two people and the right brackets are not optional — here is the sequence we give every customer.
What's in a palisade bay and how it bolts together
One post, two rails, seventeen pales, two fish plates and 38 bolts. What each part does, what order it goes on in, and which bits people forget to order.
Dig-in or bolt-down palisade posts?
Dig-in is stronger and cheaper and should be the default. Bolt-down is for concrete you cannot break into — and it needs the right thunder bolts for the post height.
How rigid mesh fencing goes together
Post, panel, clips, insert bolts, post cap. Every rigid mesh system we sell assembles the same way — and the two things that catch people are bay count and ground level.
How to build a sleeper retaining wall with steel posts
Set the posts first, concrete them, then drop the sleepers in course by course. No fixings go through the timber — the channel does the holding.
How to set out a crash barrier run
Set out on the 3.2m effective beam length, one post per beam plus one, post bolts to the posts and lap bolts to the overlaps. Terminals decided by foot traffic.
Regulations & standards
Planning, boundaries and the rules that apply to a fence.
Fence height, planning permission and boundaries
As a rule, a fence over 2m needs planning permission, and over 1m where it adjoins a road used by vehicles. Boundary ownership decides who may put a fence up at all — worth checking the deeds first.
Is razor wire legal in the UK?
Razor wire is legal to buy and fit in the UK. What is not settled is where you put it — occupiers owe a duty of care even to trespassers, and that is where claims come from.