How Wide Is a Fence Panel?
If you’re planning a fence project for your home or commercial property, you’re probably wondering about the various fence materials on offer.
One of the things you might be wondering about is how wide is a fence panel. The answer is that it depends on the type of fence, so we’ve broken our response into different sections for the more common types of fence.
Ornamental Fence Panels
Ornamental fence panels or bar fence panels, as they are also known in some places, are usually somewhere between 8 feet and 10 feet wide, depending on the manufacturer and their specifications.
Some manufacturers prefer 8-foot wide panels because they are easier to transport, but that does mean you will need more fence posts and concrete, so it will increase the installation cost slightly.
Palisade Fence Panels
In most parts of the world, the standard size for most palisade fence systems is 3 meters or 10 feet, however, in North America, some manufacturers favor 8 feet or 2.4m panels, again, primarily because it reduces shipping costs, and because they often ship their panels pre-assembled.
When you are installing a bolted palisade system, the panel width is not as important to shipping because the panels are shipped in component form for on-site assembly.
358 and Welded Mesh Panels
Most 358 welded mesh and other welded mesh systems use panels that are 3 meters or 10 feet wide. However, this might change when you have a very high fence system.
358 mesh panels especially are very heavy, and if you are installing a very high fence, you might need to reduce the panel width to reduce the weight, so your fence system can carry it.
Wood Fence Panels
Wood fence panels can be a variety of widths, depending on where you get them and how they are constructed.
Pre-manufactured wood fence panels from hardware stores and big box retailers are often 8 feet wide, although you might also find some that are 3 meters or 10 feet wide.
Built from scratch, wood fence panel widths are often determined by the site and type of fence, but they are also usually between 6 feet and 10 feet wide.
Chain Link Fence Panels
Chain link fence systems don’t really have panels, but you might call the spaces between posts a panel.
This kind of mesh fence usually has post spacing of around 10 feet or 3 meters.
Sometimes, chain link fence post spacing might be reduced if you have a very high, very heavy fence to install, and you might also increase the spacing slightly to reduce posts and fittings, especially if you are installing a temporary or semi-permanent fence.
Always Ask Before Doing Your Take-Off
There are some standards and norms for fence systems, but if you ask anyone in the fence business about a “standard fence,” they’ll tell you it doesn’t exist.
That’s because fence specifications are often very site or manufacturer-specific, so you really do want to contact the manufacturer of every fence system you are considering and make sure of the panel size or distance from center to center on posts so that you can do an accurate take off.
If you don’t know the exact panel size or post spacing, there’s no way you can accurately calculate the materials, concrete, or labor required for the job.
