How thick should the fence posts be?

The optimal thickness of the fence post is the subject of fierce discussions on construction forums. In this article I will try to dot the i's and give the final answer regarding this question.

I think that minimum allowable the fence post thickness is 2 mm. With such a thickness of the metal wall, even in soil with a high level of groundwater, the column will resist corrosion for at least 20 years.

It has long been proven that the average rotting rate of unalloyed steel is 0.1 mm per year.

Accordingly, if you have wet soil and you are mentally ready to change the fence in 18-20 years, a thickness of 2 mm will suit you.

How to protect the fence from corrosion?

If you did not have the opportunity to buy galvanized fence posts, it does not matter. There are at least two good ways to protect metal from corrosion.

The first way - creation of two contours of concreting: the lower (anchor) is a kind of "cake" of concrete, the boundary of which is the bottom of the pit. The upper contour of concreting is 50-60 cm of PVC sewer pipe of 110 diameter.

More details in my diagram:

The first method is good because the post is placed in a plastic pipe, and the cavity is filled with concrete. Due to this, iron does not have direct contact with either air or water.

Second way - This is painting the pillar with roofing paint, or with a more expensive paint for rust. It eats into the structure of iron with a film and protects it from moisture. The downside is the deterioration of the adhesion of metal to concrete.

The thicker the better!

As a general rule of thumb, the thicker (and heavier) the fence post, the better it resists corrosion. Ideally, find old Soviet oil well pipes with a wall thickness of 5-6-7 mm.

Yes, they are heavier and you need to bury them deeper (which means you will not be able to save on length), but they "sit" more firmly in the ground and better resist the wind load on the fence (if it is made of a profiled sheet).

Your comments are welcome

Always open to criticism and advice from craftsmen.