Wrought Iron Fencing

Wrought Iron Fences have a “grain” that resembles wood since it has lower carbon content than that of steel. This is known as slag. Some benefits of using wrought Iron for your fencing projects is that it is tough, malleable, ductile and easily welded. Wrought iron fences are no longer produced in large scale for commercial sale. Most garden furniture, gates and fences said to make out of wrought iron are actually made out of Mild Steel. They are sold as wrought iron since they were previously made from wrought iron and still have the appearance and grain of wrought iron. Wrought iron fences are generally used for pool fences, garden furniture, and guard rails around the exterior of houses.

There are many types of wrought iron to choose from depending on what type of project you are working on. If you are using wrought iron for fencing around your house or pool than the best type of wrought iron would be one of the following:

Spire

A spire is a vertical piece of wrought iron that serves as a post in the fence. Typically, spires are spaced about 6 inches apart, and can be up to 5 feet tall. A horizontal member is a piece of iron work that is placed sideways and runs parallel to the ground. Horizontal members are generally at the top of a wrought iron fence. A finial is the ornamental top of the spire. A scroll is a decorative addition to fence designs that resembles a letter C with ends that curl inward in a loop or spiral design.

Essex

The Essex fence is designed to have a noble appearance and is the type of fence used to gate palaces in Europe. An Essex fence is distinguished by its repetition of scrolls placed back to back along the top portion of the fence with a spire running between them. The finials of an Essex fence are also noteworthy for their rounded, spear shape.

Concord

The Concord is simpler design than something like an Essex fence. Concord fences have rounded finials similar to those of an Essex iron wrought fence, but does not have patterns. Instead concord fence style has a series of circular shaped rings separated by a spire.

Alternatives to wrought iron fences are vinyl fences, wood fences, aluminum fences and chain link fences. These alternatives are generally inexpensive, attractive, and don’t require lots of maintenance.