Height and What It Stops
Height is the first decision and depends entirely on the animal. Border fencing at 6 to 24 inches marks an edge and stops nothing. Rabbit fencing needs 24 to 36 inches with the bottom buried. Deer fencing needs 72 inches or more.
Buying short is the usual error.
A 24-inch fence looks substantial in a garden and is stepped over by most of what it was bought to exclude, which is why the mesh size matters as much as the height.
Mesh Size and Wire Gauge
Mesh openings here run from 0.6 inches upward, with 1-inch chicken wire the common garden grade. Smaller openings stop smaller animals and cost more per foot.
Gauge is the wire thickness and is stated less often than it should be.
Thin wire deforms where anything leans on it, and galvanised thin wire deforms just as easily as ungalvanised; the coating stops rust rather than adding strength.
Run Length and Posts
Rolls here run to 3,366 feet at the commercial end, with 25 to 50 feet the common garden lengths. Posts are counted separately, at 4 to 35 per listing.
Post spacing decides how much a fence sags.
Wire fencing wants a post every 6 to 8 feet, and stretching a 50-foot roll between two end posts produces a belly within a season.
Decorative Panels and Border Edging
Zippity and the decorative panel lines cover picket and lattice formats sold in sections rather than rolls. These are bought for appearance and mark a boundary without excluding anything.
Panels install on their own posts or spikes and cost several times what wire does per foot.
The trade is that nobody looks at a garden and admires chicken wire.
Galvanised, Coated and Bamboo
Metal at 67 listings and galvanised at 64 make up most of the range, with steel at 46 and bamboo at 6. Galvanised wire rusts last at the cut ends and at ground level, which is where every wire fence fails.
Powder-coated wire lasts longer again and chips where it is cut to length. Cutting a coated fence and leaving the ends bare removes most of the advantage you paid for.
Fencing and Supports
The posts, anchors and screw-in stakes that hold garden fencing are in plant supports, and arches and structures sit in arbors.
Fencing Types Compared
| Type | Height | Mesh | Stops | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border edging fence | 6 to 24 in | Decorative | Nothing | $13 to $50 |
| Chicken wire | 24 to 48 in | 1 in | Poultry, rabbits | $25 to $72 |
| Fine mesh | 24 to 36 in | 0.6 in | Small animals | $40 to $90 |
| Tall garden fence | 60 to 96 in | 1 to 2 in | Deer | $72 to $200 |
| Decorative panel | 24 to 48 in | Not applicable | Nothing | $50 to $573 |
Fencing Questions
How tall does garden fencing need to be?
24 to 36 inches for rabbits with the bottom buried, and 72 inches or more for deer. Border fencing at 6 to 24 inches stops nothing.
What mesh size should I choose?
1-inch chicken wire is the common garden grade. Openings here go down to 0.6 inches, which stops smaller animals and costs more per foot.
How far apart should posts go?
Every 6 to 8 feet on wire fencing. Stretching a 50-foot roll between two end posts produces a sag within a season.
Does galvanised wire make a fence stronger?
No. The coating stops rust rather than adding strength. Thin galvanised wire deforms as easily as thin bare wire.
Where does wire fencing fail?
At ground level and at cut ends. Cutting coated wire to length and leaving the ends bare removes most of the protection.