Iron Fence vs. Aluminum Fence – Which is the Better Security Fence?

Chances are if you are buying a fence or gate, security is a concern. That may be security in terms of keeping something in or security in keeping something out.  Read on to find out if iron or aluminum fences and gates are better suited for security purposes.

Determining if iron fence or aluminum fence is better for security comes down to two items:  Construction and Installation Options

Construction

The construction of iron fence and aluminum fence differ from each other.  Both have punched rails that the vertical pickets fit through, but the aluminum fence picket is secured to the rail by a screw whereas the iron fence picket is welded to the rail.  Someone could come up to an aluminum fence with a screwdriver or cordless drill, undo the screws on several of the pickets and simply lift them out of the rails to gain access past the fence.  The iron fence is superior in construction since the fence panel is one solid welded piece.  You can make it harder to access the aluminum fence by having the screws face inside the property or go with a concealed fastener model, but at the end of the day, the fully welded iron panel is better for security since it cannot be disassembled like the aluminum fence.

 

 

Installation Options

Since the aluminum fence panel is screwed together, there are not any installation options to over come that shy of replacing 45-60 screws per panel with temper-proof hardware.  Even with a concealed fastener model, the fasteners can still be accessed by prying the cover and getting to the screws.

In a standard iron fence installation, the bracket screws could be backed out of the post and the fence panel could be removed. However, the iron fence panel only has 4-6 screws per panel at the fence to post connection point.  This makes substituting tamper-proof hardware much easier and economical with the iron fence.

 

 

The other installation option with iron fence is welding everything together rather than using brackets and screws.  With aluminum, this really is not an option.  Even if it was, welding aluminum is a much more costly and unique talent to hire for whereas finding help to weld steel and iron is much cheaper and easier to find.

With iron you could utilize a couple welding options.  You could put a small tack weld on the head of the self-tapping screw to the bracket so it cannot be backed off. You could also forgo the brackets entirely and actually weld the iron fence panels directly to the posts to make one sturdy piece that cannot be taken apart.

 

In Conclusion…

While aluminum can still be a functional security barrier, the iron fence is better in every way.  Iron fence is stronger,  panels are a solid welded piece and iron offers more installation options in regards to welding and hardware.  If security is the number one reason for a fence purchase, I would strongly suggest going with iron.  If you go with our heavy-duty Signature grade Stronghold Iron®, you will have an extremely stout and secure fence.

Got other questions about security and iron/ aluminum fencing?  Give us a call at 800-261-2729 or shoot us an email at [email protected] to discuss our project.  We’re here to help!