The Complete Guide to Chain Link Fence

While we’ve noticed a decrease in the popularity of chain link fences in Phoenix over the past few years, they’re still one of the world’s most popular fence types. In fact, millions of feet of this kind of fence are installed around the world.

In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about designing and specifying chain link fences and which options are better for commercial projects and specifications.

What Is a Chain Link Fence?

Chain link fence is a type of woven wire mesh fence named for the fence fabric itself. Chain link fence fabric is manufactured by weaving wire into a diamond-shaped pattern—kind of like knitting, but on a much bigger, industrial scale.

This weaving process creates a flexible fence fabric that can follow contours in a way that welded mesh or panel fences cannot.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Chain Link Fences?

Every type of fence has pros and cons, and chain link fence is no different.

The benefits of choosing a chain link fence for a project include the following:

Cost effectiveness – chain link fence tends to be much less expensive than a welded mesh or ornamental fence system, which makes it ideal for projects where cost is a factor
Easy to install – a skilled fence crew can install hundreds of feet of chain link fence in a day, so it’s a fast option for sites that need to be secured quickly
Durable and low maintenance – chain link fence is made from metal, usually galvanized steel, and especially in Phoenix, where the air is dry, it will last for decades without needing much maintenance
A flexible option – as we’ll cover later in this article, there are nearly endless combinations of specifications for chain link fence, so you can tailor your fence to every project
Readily available – unlike some fence systems where you might need to order the product and wait many weeks, chain link is usually available off the shelf

Of course, there’s also a downside to every fence system, and chain link fence is no different. Some of the negative aspects of this type of fence are:

Lower security – chain link mesh is woven, which means wires can be “spiraled out” of the mesh, and then the fence fabric can be pushed open like a curtain
Not as aesthetically pleasing as other fence types – although choosing a PVC-coated chain link fence can improve the look of the finished product, it does look very industrial and is not suitable for projects where style and elegance are critical
No privacy – standard chain link fence offers no privacy, which is good if you have a view you want to preserve, but not great in every situation, although adding privacy slats can help

If you’re not sure if chain link fence is the right product for your project, a good fence estimator can help you decide which factors matter most and recommend fence system options that meet those requirements.

Chain Link Fence Heights

The first thing most people do when specifying chain link fences for any project is to choose the height or height of their fence.

Chain link is one of the fence systems with the broadest range of height options, starting at around 3 feet and going up to 12 feet or more. You may also be able to special order chain link fences in lower or higher options, although most fence manufacturers will only weave special heights on larger orders.

Chain link mesh is also sometimes “stacked” on each other with a horizontal join, often when installed on things like baseball backstops, which need to be 15 or even 20 feet tall.

Chain Link Fence Mesh

Choosing your chain link fence mesh is another significant consideration for this type of fence project, and several things make up a chain link mesh specification.

The first thing is the aperture or mesh size. This is the size of the diamond that makes up the chain link mesh pattern. While the most common option is 2 inches by 2 inches, chain link mesh is also available in many other aperture sizes.

You can opt for a larger mesh aperture like 2 ⅜ inch or 2 ¼ inch, which would lower the cost but also the security of your fence, or choose a smaller size like 1 ¾ inch or 1 ½”.

There are also some types of chain link fence mesh that are known as “mini mesh” and are used when you need to create a higher security fence that is harder to cut or climb. These are usually available in 1 ¼ inch, 1-inch, ⅝ inch, ½ inch, and ⅜ inch.

The smaller the aperture of the mesh you choose for your chain link fence, the more secure it will be. However, this will also increase the mesh’s weight, which means you will need to specify a stronger chain link fence structure to support it properly.

Chain Link Fence Finishes

The standard for chain link fences in terms of finishes is usually galvanized steel, although, in some parts of the world, it is also available in stainless steel or aluminum.

There are different grades of galvanizing for chain link fence systems, although in Phoenix, where there’s no marine air to worry about, a lower grade of galvanizing will get the job done.

Chain link fences usually look a lot better when they are color coated, though. This is done by adding an extruded PVC later to the wire and mesh and powder coating the fence structure, gate frames, and so on.

Colored chain link fences are usually available in black, white, green, and brown, but other colors may be available, especially if you order large quantities.

Chain Link Fence Structure

The next big thing in designing and specifying any chain link fence system is the fence’s structure.

Most chain link fence structural components are regular steel tubing, and the wall thickness is expressed as a gauge, with common options being 18, 17, 16, and 15 gauge tubing. However, this kind of tubing is very lightweight, and it’s usually used only for very light commercial or residential projects.

This is also usually the kind of fence posts and rails you will find in big box hardware stores. This is why, if you want a commercial or industrial-grade chain link fence, you need to go to a fence company that offers those options.

Most commercial and industrial chain link fence system structures use commercial grade or Sched pipe, which is much heavier duty, thicker, and stronger.

Commercial grade pipe is available in 15, 20 and 40 weight, while Sched usually means Schedule 40 pipe.

Different chain link fence components are usually made from different OD or outside diameters of pipe or tubing, and most chain link fence fittings are designed to fit those standard sizes. The chart below illustrates which diameters of pipe and tubing are most frequently used for which kinds of structural components.

Fence Component	Typical Diameters Used (Inches)
Rails and bracing	· 1 ⅜ · 1 ⅝ · 1 ⅞ (not common)
Line posts	· 1 ⅞ · 2 ⅜ · 2 ⅞ · 3
Terminal and gate posts	· 2 ⅜ · 2 ⅞ · 3 · 3 ½ · 4 · 4 ½ · 6 ⅝ · 8 ⅝

Choosing the right combination of tubing or pipe diameters and gauges or wall thicknesses is a crucial part of designing a chain link fence system. It’s important to ensure that the structure you specify will be strong enough to support the weight of the mesh and other fence components.

A good fence company like Western Fence Company will help you select the right fence components to ensure you have a fence that gets the job done without over-specifying and unnecessarily increasing costs.

Chain Link Fence Fittings

In North America, chain link fence systems are usually bolted together with minimal (if any) holes drilled in the posts or rails themselves. This is mainly because in colder climates if water gets into the posts and then freezes, it can split the steel and damage the fence.

That’s not a problem in Phoenix, but since our chain link fence specs are designed for those places, too, we tend to use the same thing even in warmer parts of the USA. Plus, standing water inside your fence posts can certainly cause them to rust!

Chain link fence systems are assembled using a lot of different fittings, too, and these all serve very specific functions, such as:

Dome caps are installed on top of terminal and gate posts to finish off the post and prevent water and debris from getting into the post
Tension bands, which are preformed steel bands that fit around tension posts and bolt together to catch and keep tension bars
Tension bars are long, flat strips of metal that fit through the end of chain link fence fabric and allow the fence to be properly tightened during installation
Brace bands are similar to tension bands but are used with rail ends to hold top, mid, or bottom rails
Rail ends are cup-shaped fittings with a flat plate that allows them to be bolted to brace bands, and the cup holds the end of the rail
Line post tops, also known as loop caps or eye tops, are caps that fit over line posts, with a built-in “loop” of metal that top rails can be passed through, securing them in place
Terminal posts are the posts that are installed at the end of each fence line or at corners and changes of direction, and they are of a larger diameter than line posts
Gate posts are the posts that are used to hang gates, and they might also serve as the terminal post for the adjacent fence line
Line posts are the posts that are installed between terminal posts along the fence line, and they are usually smaller and spaced evenly, at about 10-foot centers in most cases
Tension wire is the wire that usually runs along the bottom (and sometimes the top) of chain link fences, allowing mesh to be attached using hog rings
Chain link mesh is the fence fabric itself
Hog rings are preformed wire rings that are used to attach the mesh to the bottom wire and sometimes to join mesh horizontally
Barb arms are preformed metal brackets that are installed on fence posts instead of post caps to allow for the installation of barbed wire above the fence
Barbed wire is an optional addition to chain link fence that increases the security of the fence by making it harder to climb over

There are other fittings used in some chain link fences, but most of the fence systems you will see out there are made up of these basic components.

Chain link fence fittings can be made from steel or aluminum, and they can also be powder coated to match a color chain link fence. Usually, higher security fences use steel fittings, because they can be tack welded to prevent tampering.

Chain Link Fence Installation Methods

Once you’ve chosen a chain link fence height, selected your components, chosen the kind of mesh you want to use, and settled on all the other details, the next thing to consider is how that fence will be installed.

Most chain link fences are installed in one of three ways:

They are installed in concrete bases of varying depths and diameters
They are driven into the ground using a special tool known as a post-pounder
They are bolted to an existing surface using base plates and wedge anchors or chemical anchors

Choosing the right installation method will depend on your site, your security requirements, and other factors, like whether it’s a semi-permanent fence that you will eventually remove. As usual, a good fence company will be able to advise you of the best method or methods for your project.

When you’re thinking about installing a chain link fence, there are a few other things you might want to consider, too.

One is whether you want to add fence top security like barbed wire or even razor coils, and another is if you want to secure the bottom of the fence, usually by burning a foot or more of the mesh in a trench below the fence and then backfilling the trench.

Chain link fences can also be installed inside buildings and are often used in warehouses and factories, where areas need to be designated or protected.

Chain Link Fence Gates

The last thing on our list of things to consider when designing a chain link fence system is gates. Nearly every fence project will need gates of some kind, and there are several kinds of chain link gates available, such as:

Man gates, also known as pedestrian gates or single swing gates
Vehicle gates, also known as driveway gates or double swing gates
Cantilever gates, which are sliding gates that have an extended “trailer” or cantilever section to provide balance
Rolling gates, which are also sliding gates but a different design that does not have a trailer
Panic gates or emergency egress gates, which usually only allow users from one side to exit an area

Chain link gates are usually manufactured for each project, so they can be made to nearly any size. They’re constructed from the same tubing used for top rails, and different kinds of hinges and latches are available for different situations.

Chain link gates can also be automated, and this is a popular choice for commercial properties, storage facilities, and similar.

Contact Western Fence Company for More Chain Link Fence Advice

If you’ve made it this far, you might think you know everything there is to know about chain link fences, but the truth is, we’ve only just scratched the surface.

Fences, including chain link fences, look like simple structures, but so much goes into designing, specifying, and building them that it really does take years to learn everything there is to know.

That’s why Western Fence Company’s estimators are always ready to help clients design the right fence for their project, whether that’s a chain link fence or something else.

So, if you need help finding the perfect fence for your project, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to provide information, options, and advice.