Chain Link Fence ~ Fencing & Awning

Chain link remains the favorite for residential and industrial chain link fencing needs. You can get chain link in galvanized steel or chain link that is vinyl coated and available in several colors. Chain link can be turned into a privacy fence with the addition of vinyl slats that come in many colors. Chain link is still one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to provide security and access control.



* Chain link is long lasting and weather resistant
* Chain link provides optional security and protection
* Chain link is easily customized for special jobs
* Chain link has great flexibility for variety of applications
* Chain link is available in a variety of dimensions and styles, as suited to your needs
* Chain link is one of the easiest and fastest fences that can be built

Chain link fencing can be custom-built to the specific needs of the local school. A complete line of backstops to fit every need or customized to your specific circumstances. (Contact us for details)

A Chain link fence provides a protective barrier for a Day Care Center where the state laws demands a fence to protect children and keep out predators.

This property owner went for a galvanized chain link. Chain link is rust resistant and is a no maintenance solution. Chain link defines the property lines while providing protection for your property, children, and pets.

A local church needed a sightscreen fence; Chain link with PDS vinyl slats (available in may colors) provided the desired privacy in an attractive, cost effcient manner.

Chain-link has four elements: fabric, framework, fittings and gates. How you combine them makes all the difference. Each of these components are available in a range of weights (gauges) and types of protective coatings. Providers can mix and match chain link components in an effort to shave costs or differentiate their product. Our minimum recommendations will typically follow the minimum practices defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The most common coating is zinc (galvanized), but you'll also find chain link components with vinyl or polyester color coatings in addition to zinc. These color treatments enhance landscaping and blend naturally with trees, shrubs and bushes. They'll also give you even more protection against corrosion or rust.

A light chain link system cannot take much abuse. The framework may bend easily, the chain link fabric may distort, and animals may easily damage it. Even common occurences, such as a person climbing or sitting on the chain link fence, a heavy wind blowing debris against it or a dog jumping on it may cause damage. Inferior coatings may also allow the chain link components to rust prematurely. Fence manufacturers make products for many different uses, including lightweight temporary needs. Consumers sometimes buy chain link fencing because of its lower price, or because they don't understand that all fencing is not the same. The result is a "permanent installation" made from materials that weren't designed for longevity.

Select your chain link fence fabric based on these three criteria: gauge of wire, size of mesh and type of protective coating.

Check the gauge:
Gauge (ga.), or diameter of wire is one of the most important factors - it helps tell you how much steel is actually in the chain link fabric. The smaller the gauge number, the more steel, the higher the quality and the stronger the wire. From lightest to the heaviest, common gauges for chain link fence are 13, 12-1/2, 11-1/2, 11, 9 and 6. Unless you are building a temporary fence, we recommend your chain link fencing to be between 11 and 9 gauge. 6 gauge is typically for heavy industrial or specialized uses and the 11 gauge is a heavy residential chain link that stands up better to kids and pets.

Measure the mesh:
Mesh size tells you how far apart the parallel wires are in the mesh. That is another indications of how much steel is in the chain link. The smaller the diamond, the more steel is in the chain link fabric. From largest to smallest, typical chain link mesh sizes are 2-3/8", 2-1/4" and 2". Smaller chain link meshes such as 1-3/4" is used for tennnis courts, 1-1/4" for pools and higher security, the mini chain link meshes of 5/8", 1/2" and 3/8" are also available.

Consider The Coating:
Several types of surface treatmenets help protect and beautify and enhance the look of steel chain link fabric.

* The most common protective coating for chain link fabric is zinc. Zinc is a self-sacrificing element. In other words, it dissipates while protecting the steel. It also offers cathodic protection which means that if the wire is cut, it "heals" the exposed surface by developing a white oxidation layer that prevents red rust. Typically, galvanized chain link fabric has a 1.2-ounce per square foot coating. For specification projects requiring greater degrees of longevity, 2-ounse zinc coatings are available. The longevity of the protective coating is directly related to amount of zinc that is applied.

* There are two primary ways that chain link fabric is galvanized (coated with zinc). The most common is Galvanized After Weaving (GAW) where the steel wire is formed into chain link fabric first and then galvanized. The alternative is Galvanized Before Weaving (GBW) where the strand of wire is galvanized before being formed into the mesh. There is some debate over which is the best method. GAW ensures that all of the wire is coated, even the cut ends, and galvanizing the wire after is formed also tends to increase the tensile strength of the finished product. GAW is typically the method of choice for the larger manufactureers, since it requires a higher level of manufacturing expertise and capital investment than simply weaving the wire, and it yields efficiencies only available wit this method. GBW is a good product, provided it has a comparagle diamond size, weight of zinc coating, gauge and tensile strength.

* You also will find aluminum-coated (aluminized) chain link wire on the market. Aluminum differs from zinc in that it is a barrier coating rather than a sacrificial coating and as a result cut ends, scratches, or other imperfections are prone to red rusting in a shorter period of time. Aluminized is best suited where esthetics is less important than sturctural integrity. Another metallic coating sold under various trade names that uses a combination zinc-and-aluminum, uniting the cathodic protection of zinc with the barrier protection of aluminum.

* Want color? Look for polyvinyl chloride applied in addition to the zinc coating on the chain link. This provides a second kind of corrosion protection and blends aeshetically with the enviironment. These color coatings come in three principle coating methods.
- - Extruded-the vinyl jacket encompasses the steel core-suitable for most residential/light commercial applications.
- - Extruded bonded- an adhesive bonds the vinyl jacket to the core wire.
- - Thermally fused-the vinyl coating is fused to the galvanized steel core-sutible for all appplications.

Be sure that you understand both the gauge of the finished product and the steel core wire. a product that is produced in an 11 gauge finished diameter which, with most coating processes, means that the steel core is very light - not recommended for normal installations of 1-3/4" to 2-38" diamond size mesh.

As with chain link fabric, you will want to look at three things when deciding on the framework (Posts) for your chain link fence: gauge or thickness of the steel, diameter of the pipe and the type of protective coating.

Start with the gauge:
Gauge (ga.) of the seel is an important factor as it is directly related to the strength of the framework. From lightest to heaviest common gauges of residential fences are 20,19,18,17,16,15. all residential framework should be made from steel that has a minimum yield strength of 45,000 pounds per square inch. Most people tend to ignore tensile strength and concentrate more on the gauge and diameter - but they shouldn't. Most domestic manufacturers comply with minimum tensile strenths; however, some product (typically import) does make its way into the market place. A low tensile strength 16 ga., post may not be as strong as a 17 ga., post with proper tensile strength.

Decide on the diameter:
Diameter is the width of the pipe. It is also a strength factor because the wider the diamter the more steel is required. Typical diameters are 1-3/8", 1-5/8", 1-7/8", and 2-3/8" for residential chain link fences. ASTM makes the following recommendations for residential chain link fence framework. Remember these are national standards, and regional considerations tend to alter standard practice. Our recommendations generally parallell ASTM.

Finish With The Coating:
There are several types of protective coatings for chain link fence framework.

* Perhaps the most widely used in inline flow-coat galvanized. As steel is formed into pipe in this process, it flows through a pot of molten zinc, coating its exterior surfaces. An organic polymer treatment provides additional exterior corrosion protection. A zinc rich paint coating protects the interior of the pipe.

* By contrast, pre-galvanized pipe uses a process that galvanizes the metal before forming it into round pipe. After the steel is formed and welded, the seam is re-metallized with a zinc-rich coating.

* In the final type of coating, hot-dip galvanized pipe is produced by inline forming and welding, followed by total submersion in a tank of molten zinc. Excess zinc on the inside of the pipe is blown out with air after the pipe resurfaces.

Color can complement your surroundings:
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyester color coatings can supplement the metallic protective coatings described above. You'll gain an additional defense agains corrosion, and add aesthetics to blend with the enviornment. Standard colors are black, brown and green. There are two primary methods of coating that we recommend, both of which require sound process controls to ensure that the material is properly prepared to receive the coating:

* PVC is applied to the framework in a thickness of 10 to 14 mils-referred to as a heavy mil coating (visualize a rubber like coating).
* Polyester coading is a 3-mil color powder that is electrostatically applied.

Both products properly applied will prove good results however the trend is increasingly toward the polyester product. Most manufacturers will warrant the product for 10-15 years. We don't recommend painting the framework. You might save a few dollars now, but continued maintenance will likely cost you more in the long run.

You know a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same applies to a chain link fence. All steel fittings such as bands, tension bars, nuts and bolts, and gate hardware must be hot dip galvanized to prevent corrowion with similar coatings as with the framework and fabric. Some items such as rail ends and eye tops are made from die-cast aluminum as well as galvanized steel. Gate hardware is very important since it affects the operation of the only moving part of the chain link fence. The pintel is the post hinge and receiver of the gate, and the frame hinge must be perfectly round so the gate hangs correctly and doesn't sag. tie wires should be made from aluminum or galvanized steel. Fittings must be designed for attractive form, good fit, and sound functioning. While there are ASTM specifications on fittings, this is an area that has not been as fully addressed by the industry as it needs to be. The result is that there are a lot of what we consider to be sub-standard fittings in the marketplace. You best assurance is to look for a fuil system warranty from a reputable manufacturer. One small part rusting can cause unsightly staining on large areas of your fence.

For consistency, the fabric and framework of your gate should be the same as that in your chain link fence. For example, if you choose 11-ga chain link fabric and 16-ga framework for your chain link fence, you should make the gate from the same materials.
there are three types fo gate construction: bent-frame, square-welded or aluminum-corner

* Bent-frame gates have all four corners mechanically bent.
* Square-welded gates have all four corners welded
* Aluminum-corner gates are assembled with four die-cast gate corners, or els.