Types of Aluminum Fence Posts...
Posts are punched for
the number of rails required by the panels
you order. Within any given number of rails, there is no difference in price
among types of Posts. For example, 3 rail, 6' posts may be punched for Line
(punched 3 holes, opposite sides), End or Gate (punched 3 holes, one side),
Corner
(punched 3 holes, adjacent sides), Three-Way (punched 3 holes, 3 sides),
Four-Way (punched 3 holes, all 4 sides) or Blank (no punches) at no difference
in price. (See the Definitions below for more information on the types of
posts.)
Where Types of Posts are Used...
This page, Measuring for your new aluminum
fence, provides more information on preparing a sketch of your layout with
measurements.
Post Heights...
Post are normally at least 2' taller than the Fence Panel height. If you are installing in a region where frost lines are deeper than that, then a post 3' taller may be used or you may "float" the post. (requires Acrobat Reader).
Setting Fence Posts...
Posts are most frequently set in a concrete
filled hole in the ground (Quikrete works great and doesn't require mixing). Two to three inches of dirt
should be packed on top. This will allow the grass to grow and hide the
concrete!
Posts may also be mounted atop existing surfaces, like pool decks, using welded floor flanges as shown here. The flange is bolted to the deck using four 3/8" x 2" lag bolts.
Although we can provide two-piece flanges that bolt up into the post from the bottom, we do not recommend them. They can loosen over time and are not recommended especially for posts over 4 feet.
Post Size and Wall Thickness...
In addition to length, posts also come in different sizes: 2" square, 2 1/2" square, etc.
The third post dimension is wall thickness. In general, Residential posts have a wall thickness of .080". Commercial or Industrial are thicker. It is recommended that posts from which gates are hung or posts that end a run of fence, be of a thicker wall (.125) for added rigidity and strength. While these are our recommendations, you can downgrade to .060 posts for residential line posts and .080 for corners and end/gate posts.
All welded flange posts must be a minimum of .080 wall thickness.
Post prices are dependent on the size, height and wall thickness. We will recommend the size and type of post when we prepare your free, no-obligation Quote based on your measurement drawing and / or the information you provide on the Quote Request form.
If you want to determine how many of each type of post you might need, you can use the following definitions and fence layout illustration above as a guide. It is not necessary that you do this as we can determine the posts for you, but it is very helpful if we know the number of corner posts, if possible,
Definitions of Types of Posts...
End/Gate-Corners-Line-Blank
|
|
It is
important to understand the differences in end/gate, corner,
and line
posts.
The posts have pre-routed holes to accept rails from the fence sections. The position of the holes will determine the use of the post. There are also 3-way and 4-way posts that are punched on 3 or 4 sides when multiple fence runs meet at one post. |
For these styles, the following definitions and descriptions are true.
End/Gate Post: any post that ends a line of fence. A gate terminates a line for this purpose. Thus, an End and a Gate post are the same thing. The fence may continue on the other side of a gate so that post would also be an end post. An end post has holes on one side of the post only for rails to slide into. Only one section of fence is connected to that post. An end post also serves as a gate post. We recommend that both posts used for ends and, especially, for gates be of the maximum wall thickness.
Line Post: any intermediate post that has fence connected to two opposite sides. These posts have holes on two sides of the post, opposite each other. An easy way to figure the quantity of line posts required on a line of fence is to figure the total sections in the line and subtract one. That is why it is necessary to know measurements on both sides of a gate. The gate breaks the total line into two distinctly different lines for these purposes. Angles greater than 90 degrees require the use of line posts. The holes may need widened to allow the rails to slide in, depending on the style of fence.
Corner Posts: any post that is to be used on a 90 degree (or less) angle to join two lines of fence. The holes are on two sides adjacent to each other. Corner posts can be used for odd angles where the angle is between 45 and 90 degrees. An angle of 45 degrees may require a corner or line post, depending on style and preference.
Blank Post: a post with no holes. Commonly these are used as a gate post where no fence is to be attached to the post. Therefore a gate post can be a blank post. Your mail box post is a blank post (most likely). Avoid using blank posts as hinge posts. The fact that a fence is attached to the gate hinge post makes it stronger than the blank post used for the latch and will prevent leaning blank posts that can cause the gate to sag.
Post Caps...
Standard caps are included with all posts. Ball Caps and Lighted Post
Caps are also available. See the Fence
Accessories / Hardware page for more information.
View Our Aluminum Fence Styles
Residential: UAS-100
• UAS-150
• UAF-200
• UAF-250
• UAS-300
• UAS-350
Commercial: UAS-100
• UAS-150
• UAF-200
• UAF-250
• UAS-300
• UAS-350
Industrial: UAS-100
• UAS-150
• UAF-200
• UAF-250
• UAS-300
• UAS-350
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