When you choose fencing wire, you must understand the relationship between wire gauge and wire thickness. The wire gauge number are counterintuitve because a higher gauge number means the wire is thinner, and a lower gauge number means the wire is thicker. For example, a 9 gauge wire is much thicker and heavier than a 16 gauge wire, but a 16 gauge wire have a higher number than a 9 gauge wire.
If you select a wire with a gauge number that is too high, the wire will be too thin for your needs, and a wire that is too thin will not provide enough strength for a fence. The thickness of the wire must match the weight and the energy of the animals that the wire is intended to contain. Large animals such as cattle or bison exert a great amount of pressure against a fence, so you must use a thick wire with a low gauge number to contain cattle or bison.
How to Choose the Right Fence Wire
A thick wire has a higher break strength, and a high break strength is necessary because a thin wire may snap when large animals apply pressure to the wire. If a wire snaps, the snapped wire can become a dangerous object, so you must ensure the wire is thick enough to prevent the wire from snapping. Horses require a different type of wire than cattle or bison requires.
You must select a wire that is strong enough to hold horses, but you must also select a wire that is safe for horses. Many people choose mid range gauge wires for horses because mid range gauge wires provide a balance between durability and a smooth profile. A smooth profile is important because a smooth profile reduces the risk that the wire will injure a horse.
Small animals and garden pests require a different type of wire than large livestock require. When you are containing poultry or keeping rabbits out of a garden, a thick wire is not useful because a thick wire is often expensive and a thick wire may have holes that is too large. Instead, you should use wire with a higher gauge number because a higher gauge number results in a thinner wire and a tighter mesh.
Hardware cloth and specialized netting is types of high-gauge wire that are useful for poultry and small gardens because the tight mesh of the hardware cloth and the tight mesh of the netting can stop small pests. The installation of the wire is just as important as the selection of the wire. You must apply the correct amount of tension to the wire, because if the tension is too low, the fence will be useless, but if the tension is too high, the tension may pull the posts out of the ground.
Corner posts are the most important part of a fence because the corner posts act as the anchors for the tension in the wire. You must use more robust corner posts than you use for line posts, because the corner posts must support all of the tension in the wire. The longevity of the wire depend on the type of coating on the metal.
Rust will damage the wire over time, so you should choose wire that has been treated to resist rust. Hot dip galvanized wire and vinyl coated wire are good choices because hot dip galvanized wire and vinyl coated wire can survive rain and snow. While hot dip galvanized wire and vinyl coated wire may cost more money upfront, these wires will save you money in the long term because you will not have to replace the wire as often.