Chain Link vs. Ornamental Iron for a Commercial Property

A 6-foot chain link run costs $55 to $70 a foot. Six-foot ornamental iron runs mostly $70 to $90. Over a long perimeter that gap adds up to real money, so most properties use both: iron along the street, chain link around the yard and the back.

Cost

Like for like, chain link is the lower cost per foot. A plain 6-foot run is $55 to $70 a foot installed; 6-foot iron lands mostly at $70 to $90, inside a full band of $40 to $120 that runs from a plain flat-top panel to taller custom work. On 400 feet of back perimeter that difference is a few thousand dollars. On a short run the gate and the trip carry most of the number for either material, and the gap between them narrows.

What each one is made of

Ornamental iron is welded steel tube: pickets on rails, spaced about 4 inches apart by code. Chain link is woven wire on a pipe frame, and the gauge of that wire is what a pair of cutters runs into.

Either one gets specified up for a security site, with different parts. Chain link goes to a heavier gauge, a tighter mesh, more height, and a barbed or razor top where the code allows it. Iron goes to taller pickets, a heavier bar, and expanded metal sheet behind the pickets. What closing off a fence costs, material by material, is in solid metal fence panels.

Looks

This is where they separate. Ornamental iron goes on frontages, apartment communities, HOAs and retail, where the fence is part of how the building looks. Chain link goes around a yard, where it only has to hold the line. Black or green vinyl coating and privacy slats change the look of chain link a good deal, and together they cost far less than the step up to iron: slats add $6 to $14 a foot.

Finish and upkeep

Both are steel, so the finish is what keeps the rust off. Chain link is galvanized, and vinyl coating adds a second layer over that. Iron is powder coated or galvanized, and a scrape in powder coat gets touched up so the steel underneath stays covered. Neither fence line needs much. What wears on either one is the gates and the hardware, because those move every day.

Where each one goes

Chain link: industrial yards, storage and equipment lots, construction sites, sports facilities, utility and substation enclosures, and any long perimeter where cost matters more than looks.

Ornamental iron: commercial frontages, apartment and HOA perimeters, retail centers, schools, and anywhere the fence is seen from the street.

Tell us the property and which sides face the street, and we will lay out where each one fits and price both.