Hog Wire Fences
A hog wire fence sets panels of heavy welded wire mesh into a frame of cedar posts, rails and a top cap. It marks the line and keeps pets in without blocking the view, light or air — a fence you look through rather than at.
It suits gardens, back yards that face a view, large lots and farmhouse-style houses, and it is a common choice around vegetable beds.
Schedule your no-obligation on-site consultation today.
For as long as you own the property
How It Is Built
The frame
Cedar posts in concrete with a top and bottom rail between them, and usually a flat cap on top. The frame carries the fence; the wire fills it.
The wire
Rigid welded wire panels, often in square openings of a few inches, galvanized or coated black, fastened inside the frame so the cut ends are hidden.
Height
Commonly 4 to 6 feet. Because it is open, it may be allowed taller near the street than a solid fence in some cities; check your city’s rule.
Where It Works, and Where It Does Not
Gardens and views
Plants get light on both sides, climbers can grow up the wire, and the yard does not feel closed in.
Dogs
Rigid panels hold most dogs. Check the opening size against your smallest pet, and ask about a buried wire apron for diggers. See dog fences.
Not for privacy or pools
It hides nothing, and its openings are too large for a pool barrier. For those, see privacy fences and pool fences.
Gates, Deer and Upkeep
Matching gates
The gate uses the same frame and wire on a braced or steel frame. A wider gate for a mower or a garden cart is easy to add.
Deer
A garden-height hog wire fence will not stop deer, which clear far higher. Keeping deer out takes a taller fence; ask us about it with your estimate.
Upkeep
The wire needs nothing. The cedar frame weathers like any wood fence and can be stained to keep its color.
Hog Wire Fence Cost
Compared with a solid fence
There are fewer boards than in a solid cedar fence, but the frame is the same work, so the price per foot is often close to a standard privacy fence. It depends on the height, the wire and the cap.
Posts
Steel posts faced with cedar add about $11 a foot and do not rot at the ground.
Priced on site
There is no hog wire option in the calculator yet: send the line and the height through the estimate request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called hog wire?
The wire panels started as livestock fencing. In a cedar frame they became a popular residential style.
Will the wire rust?
Galvanized and coated wire resist rust for many years. Cut ends are the weak point, which is why they are hidden in the frame.
Can children climb it?
Yes, the openings make it climbable. Where that matters, choose a solid or vertical-picket design.
Can I grow plants on it?
Yes. Climbing plants take to the wire well; keep them off the wood frame so it can dry.