Where Is Fence Height Measured From?
If you have ever got a quote for a fence, it probably stated the height of the fence. However, if you're not a fence pro, you might still wonder where is fence height measured from?
Whether it's in meters and millimetres, the answer is the same. So read on to find out where is fence height measured from.
How Is the Height of a Fence Measured?
Fence height is always measured on the body of the fence - which is the vertical part of the fence, above ground.
Which means that the measurement is from the ground, often with an additional 50mm or two inches for ground clearance.
Sometimes this might be adjusted slightly, for instance if the fence is installed a little higher to allow easier mowing along the fence line. But the general rule of thumb is that fence height is measured from the ground to the top of the mesh or vertical panel.
What About Stuff Above the Top of the Mesh?
Very often, fences don't stop where the vertical mesh or panel ends. Which means that although the answer to the question of where is fence height measured from doesn't change, but the measurements will look a little different.
In this case, the fence height will be stated as the height of the vertical portion, and then the person doing the quote will add a plus, and then describe the extension, which could be a straight extension, single overhang or double or vee overhang. They will usually also say what is on the extension, which could be barbed wire, barbed wire and razor coils or even, sometimes, electric fence.
What About Stuff Below the Fence?
Sometimes, particularly with high security fences, there might be some kind of underground security under the fence.
This will also be expressed as an add on to the height of the fence, so again, the answer to the question of where is fence height measured from won't change. The person preparing the quote will simply add a description of what kind of underground security will be install. For instance, they might say "plus an additional 300mm / one foot of mesh buried in ground."
Why Does Fence Height Matter?
There are many reasons why fence height could matter to a customer.
Sometimes, they're installing a residential fence or a light commercial fence, and their city has restrictions on how high their fence can be.
Sometimes, particularly with razor coils or electric fence, local regulations state that they can only be installed above a certain height, so the height of the vertical part of the fence matters.
Other times, it's simply a security matter. The higher the fence, the harder it is to get over it.
Whatever your reason is, now you know where is fence height measured from, so you can assess the quotes you get properly.