Timber Posts & Rails
HERMEQ supplies timber fence posts, rails, stakes and poles for building a timber fencing line, from post and rail and featheredge fences to agricultural wire fencing. Square treated posts, notched posts and machine round posts are available in a choice of sizes and lengths. The rails include arris, cant, motorway, D and half round profiles, which run between the posts and carry the boards, panels or mesh of the fence. Round poles complete the range and are used for fencing lines, garden swings and equestrian jumps. The whole range can be bought online with nationwide delivery.
Timber fence posts: square, notched and round
The rails and boards a fence will carry decide its post, so the choice between square, notched and round timber fence posts follows from the type of fence being built.
Square treated timber posts
Square treated timber posts are the general purpose post of the range, used for post and rail fencing lines on commercial, industrial and domestic work. Their flat faces take rails nailed, screwed or bolted to the front of the post, so the same post can carry sawn rails, a handrail or a run of panels.
Notched timber posts
Notched timber posts are cut with notches that house the rails inside the post, which is the traditional way of framing a featheredge or closeboard fence. Because the rails sit in the post instead of on its face, the boards can be nailed across the whole run in one continuous face.
Machine round posts
Machine round fence posts are turned to an even diameter and are light and quick to install, which suits long runs across open ground. They are the usual post for agricultural wire and stock fencing on farms, paddocks and rural boundaries, where the wire or mesh is stapled to the posts along the line.
Fence rails: arris, cant, motorway and D rails
Each rail profile is shaped for a particular fence, and the profile decides how the rail meets the post and what is then fixed to it.
Arris rails
Arris rails, also called closeboard or featheredge rails, are triangular in section and are cut diagonally from square timber. The triangular section gives a wide face for nailing the boards while keeping the rail light enough to handle along a long run.
Cant rails
Cant rails are flat rails with one sloped edge, fixed horizontally across the posts of a panel fence to support the structure. The sloped edge faces upwards so that rainwater runs off the rail instead of lying along it. An arris rail is housed into notched posts and carries boards, whereas a cant rail is fixed across the posts and ties a panel run together.
Motorway fencing rails
The motorway fencing rail is a flat, square edged sawn rail, named after the heavy post and rail fencing built along highway boundaries. It is used to build a standard post and rail timber fence on recessed posts, with featheredge boards fixed across the rails where a closed face is needed.
Timber rails
Timber rails for post and rail fencing are long sawn rails for agricultural post and rail fences around fields, paddocks and yards.
D rails
D rails are long rails shaped like the letter D, with a rounded face and a flat back, and the trade also knows them as D shaped handrails. On post and rail fencing they form a smooth decorative handrail or top rail, and the flat back sits tight against a featheredge fence so the rail can be bolted on as a neat finish along the top of the boards.
Half round rails
Half round fence rails are machined round timber split lengthways, so one face is curved and the other flat. The flat face is fixed against the post and the curved face gives post and rail fencing a softer, rural appearance than sawn rails, which is why they are chosen for agricultural and domestic fences in the countryside.
Posts and rails for post and rail, featheredge and panel fencing
Post and rail fencing
A post and rail fence is built from square treated posts with timber rails, half round rails or motorway rails fixed to their faces. On a run of several bays, the rail joins are staggered so that the top and bottom rails do not break on the same post, which keeps the line stiff along its length. Where smaller stock or dogs have to be contained, galvanised mesh from the wire and stock fencing range is stapled to the posts behind the rails, a common detail on paddocks and pony fencing.
Featheredge and closeboard fencing
Notched posts and arris rails are the traditional frame for featheredge fencing, with the rails housed in the notches and the boards nailed across them so that each board overlaps the last. The notches have to line up along the run before the posts are fixed, because the rails will not sit true in a post that has been set twisted.
Panel fencing
Timber fence panels fit between square posts, with cant rails fixed across the posts to support the panels and tie the run together. The usual method is to set the first post, offer up the first panel and then set the next post against it, so that every post lands exactly where a panel ends.
Agricultural wire fencing
Machine round posts and half round stakes carry wire and stock mesh on farms, smallholdings and rural boundaries. The larger diameter round posts go at the ends, corners and gateways, where the wire is strained and the load is greatest, and smaller posts or stakes run between them along the line.
Knee rails and handrails
A knee rail is a single low rail on short posts, built along verges, footpaths, car parks and the edges of public open space to mark the boundary and keep vehicles off the grass. It is made from square posts with a D rail or half round rail fixed across the top.
Pressure treated timber: UC4, green and brown
Use class 4 for ground contact
Use class 4, written UC4, is the treatment level for timber in contact with the ground or fresh water, which is where a fence post stands. The square posts, half round rails, half round stakes and round poles in the range are pressure treated to UC4 against weathering, fungal decay and insect attack. UC3 covers timber used outdoors above ground, so UC4 is the class to look for on any timber that will be set into the ground.
Green or brown treatment
Posts and rails come in green or brown treatment, and the choice is one of appearance. Green treated timber takes its colour from the preservative and weathers to a silver grey over time, while brown treatment adds a colourant to the process for a darker finish. Brown is usually chosen to match stained panels and boards on domestic fences, and green for agricultural fencing and work where the fence will be left to weather.
Incised posts
Square posts can be incised on request. Incising cuts small slits into the surface of the post before treatment so that the preservative penetrates deeper into the timber, which increases the life of posts in wet or heavy ground.
Post lengths and rail lengths
Posts and rails in the range run up to 3.6m long. A post needs the fence height above ground plus enough length below ground to hold the fence, with more below ground on soft or exposed sites, so taller fences and gateposts call for the longer posts. Longer rails mean fewer joins on a straight run, while shorter rails follow slopes and curves more closely.
Stakes, backing rails and round poles
Machined half round stakes
Half round fence stakes are used along agricultural wire fencing lines, set between the round posts as intermediate stakes. Their flat face takes the staples that hold the wire or mesh, and they are light enough to carry and drive along a long run.
Fence panel backing rails
Fence panel backing rails are short sawn rails fixed across the back of a fence panel to stiffen its frame, or to repair a panel that has worked loose. They are cut to the width of a standard panel and are shorter than the fence rails in the core range.
Full round machined poles
Machined round poles are full round timber turned to an even diameter, used for agricultural fencing lines, outdoor garden swings and equestrian jump poles.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How far apart should fence posts be?
On a rail fence, the post spacing is set by the rail length: posts go at centres that let each rail end on the middle of a post, so the next rail can be fixed beside it. Count one post for each bay plus one for the end of the run, and add posts at every corner and gateway. On wire fencing, intermediate posts and stakes go at regular centres between the strainers, closer together on uneven ground and where stock lean on the fence.
How many rails does a featheredge fence need?
A low featheredge fence is normally built with two arris rails, one near the top and one near the bottom of the boards. Taller fences take a third rail in the middle so that the boards are held along their full height and do not bow between the rails.
Should timber fence posts be concreted in?
Square and notched posts for board and panel fences are normally set in concrete or in well compacted hardcore, because a closed fence takes the full force of the wind. The concrete is finished just above ground level and sloped away from the post so that water runs off instead of collecting at its base. Round posts and stakes for wire fencing are usually driven or rammed into the ground, which is quicker on long rural runs.
How should cut ends of treated timber be treated?
Cutting a post or rail exposes timber that the pressure treatment may not have reached, so every cut end, notch and drilled hole is brushed with an end grain preservative before the timber is fixed. Where a post has to be shortened, it is cut from the top so that the original treated end goes into the ground.
Which fixings suit treated posts and rails?
Galvanised or stainless steel nails, screws and bolts are used with pressure treated timber, because the preservatives corrode bright steel fixings and leave stains running down the face of the fence. Ring shank nails are the usual choice for featheredge boards and rails, and coach bolts or coach screws for D rails and handrails fixed to posts.