A fence post greatly contributes to the stability of your fence. Posts that are too far apart can weaken your fence. But if they are too close together, your fence will look awkward. So how far apart should posts be? What is the maximum distance your fence posts from each other? We have researched to give you the correct information.
Typical fence posts' spacing is 8 feet from each other. But in some cases, the distance between posts can go up to 12 feet. Terrain, animals, fencing material, and other factors can affect deciding on the distance between fence posts.
Now, let's take a look into the factors to determine the best spacing for your needs. Also, are there different spacing guides for different fence materials? What are commonly used materials for fence posts? Read on to know the answers to these questions!
How Far Apart Should Fence Posts Be?
Post spacing mainly depends on the fencing style. Now, let's delve into different fencing styles and their respective post spacing.
Fence styles with 8-12 feet post spacing include:
- Field fence
- Horse fence
- Sheep and goat fence
- Barbed wire
- Welded wire
- Yard fence
- Garden fence
- Kennel fence
On the other hand, deer, orchards, and wildlife fence posts are distanced 15-20 feet apart. While high tensile barbed and smooth wire fence posts are spaced 20-30 feet apart.
What Factors To Consider In Spacing Fence Post?
As mentioned, several factors affect fencing post spacing. Here are some of them:
- Fencing Material Weight
- Land Terrain
- Soil Type
- Land Use
- Fence Post Strength
How Do Land Terrain and Soil Type Affect The Distance Between Fence Posts?
The space between posts will be affected by whether your terrain is sloping or flat. You can have greater room between fence posts if you have a level surface. If you're fencing in a hilly region, you'll probably need extra posts to keep up with the land's contours.
When it comes to ground conditions, the number of posts you have is less significant than the depth. To ensure that the post does not move in black soil or clay land, make sure it reaches rock bottom. This necessitates a lengthier post.
While difficult to drive posts into, rocky soils have an advantage. The boulders add to the overall strength of the fence posts by providing additional support.
What Are Commonly Used Fence Posts Materials?
One of the most widely used fence posts is wood. You can also use steel, concrete, and even standing trees as your fence posts materials.
What Types Of Wood Are Good To Use As Fence Posts?
When opting to adapt a wood fence, you should always consider strong and durable posts. Different types of wood have a wide range of properties, therefore some are ideal for long-lasting fences while others are entirely unsuited.
Here are some wood types that are best used as fencing posts material:
- Black Locust
- Cedar
- Red Wood
- Bald Cypress
- Spruce
- White Oak
- Tamarack
What Are The Benefits Of Using Wood As Fence Post?
Wood has such a high strength-to-weight ratio, is cost-effective, and has a long service life. They can also be driven into the ground using power equipment, and the fence materials can be stapled to wooden posts with ease.
In addition, whether painted or left natural, the color of the fence posts is usually the same as the fence panels themselves. This provides your fence line a more smooth appearance, blurring the connection between the fence panels for a more cohesive appearance.
Also, wooden posts are easier to carry and install compared to concrete ones.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Using Woods As Fence Post?
The most significant downside of utilizing wood as fence posts is that fungus attacks and rots the wood, causing the post to lose its strength.
However, several treatments are available to significantly inhibit fungal growth and improve the life of fence posts.
How To Treat Wood Fence Posts?
The amount of chemical absorbed into the wood determines the treatment's effectiveness. The depth of penetration is not always indicative of the treatment's effectiveness.
The most effective way of applying wood preservative chemicals is pressure treatment. In this process, the wood is preserved by being sealed in an airtight steel cylinder and submerged in a preservative.
The chemical is driven into the wood as the pressure is increased. There are processes for full cells and empty cells.
Other ways of treating wood are full-cell and empty-cell processes. Both ways are non-pressure processes.
Full-Cell Process
The full-cell method guarantees that the preservative is used to its maximum capacity. A preliminary vacuum eliminates as much air as possible from the wood, allowing it to absorb more liquid preservatives.
The hot preservative is injected into the cylinder without the need for air. The wood is then pressed until the desired amount of preservative is retained.
Empty-Cell Process
The empty-cell method achieves deep penetration while retaining a modest amount of preservative. The wood in the cylinder is first exposed to compressed air.
The preservative is then forced into the cylinder, and the air is forced out of the cylinder into an equalizer tank at a rate that maintains the cylinder's pressure. The pressure is increased when the cylinder is filled with preservatives until the desired amount of preservative has entered the wood.
What Are The Types Of Concrete Fence Post?
Concrete fence posts come in three different types. These are:
- Corner posts: accommodate two panels at a right angle
- Intermediate posts: join two panels in a straight line
- End posts: usually located at the end of your fence, hence the name.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Using Concrete As Fence Posts?
If you are looking for another fence post material, you can use concrete. To help you decide, here are some pros and cons of concrete fence posts:
Pros:
Concrete fence posts are far more durable than wooden posts. Also, concrete posts are almost impermeable, so they can last for decades. After installation, these posts require very little maintenance.
Cons:
Installing concrete fence posts requires you to have a higher initial cost. As mentioned, concrete posts are practically indestructible when in good condition, but they can chip or crack, allowing water to enter deep into the post.
This can exacerbate the crack, exposing the reinforcing steel bars to corrode and eventually causing fence breakdown.
Another disadvantage of concrete fence posts is that fence panels fastened to them can be easily removed. This may be convenient for you as the property owner, but it also provides easy access to your garden for unwanted intruders.
How To Install Concrete Fence Posts?
Here is a simple guide to installing concrete fence posts:
- Dig matching holes for your concrete posts.
- Place and align the post to the hole properly.
- Pour concrete into the holes.
- Allow the concrete to set for 24 hours.
- Install your fence panels.
One important thing to remember in installing a concrete post, ensure that the length of your posts includes the length that will go underground. So if your fence height is 6 feet, your post height should be 8 feet allowing 2 feet to be buried underground.
What Are Steel Fence Posts?
Steel is commonly used, especially in chain-link fences, as fencing post material. Fence panels, on-site fencing, and/or various forms of wire fencing can all be supported by steel fence posts.
In addition, property owners frequently utilize this fence post material to make a more durable, long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing fence by replacing typical concrete and timber fence posts
What Are The Benefits Of Using Steel Fence Posts?
Steel fence posts provide a more durable and long-lasting fence for your home. This will hold your fence panels in place for many years to come. Steel fence posts also require less maintenance.
Although the initial cost of installing this fence post, in the long term, steel fence posts are more cost-effective.
When it comes to residential fencing, these posts may provide excellent support for a variety of materials. Steel posts provide a level of strength and longevity that no other form of post can.
How Long Do Wood, Concrete, And Steel Fence Posts Last?
The longevity of a fence is crucial. Nobody likes to have their fence replaced every few years. As mentioned, from installation to end of life, it must be long-lasting, weather-resistant, and attractive.
Comparatively, wood fence posts typically last between 5 and 10 years. While concrete fence posts can endure up to 20 years. Steel fence posts, when manufactured of galvanized steel and powder-coated, can survive as long as 50 years.
Final Thoughts
Although generally, fence post spacing is 8-12 feet apart, several factors still come into consideration. In addition, the type of fence you want to install also influences your post spacing.
On the other side, check these articles if you want to know about bamboo fencing:
