Fence Post Footing Depth

If not conventional rules of thumb offer a reliable guide.

Fence post footing depth.

For example if you have a 3 inch wide post that you need to sit over 1 83m 6ft in height above the ground we recommend the hole size should be. Keep the height of your fence in mind when digging your post holes. For example if you are erecting a 6 foot high fence using 4 inch fence posts the posts need to be 6 feet above the ground. How deep should i dig fence posts to begin we suggest digging the post hole so it is approximately three times wider than the fence post.

Don t make postholes too small. That little footing will give the post something to stand on instead of damp soil. If your post is 6 feet tall you will dig down at least 2 feet. The depth of the hole should be 1 3 1 2 the post height above ground i e a 6 foot tall fence would require a hole depth of at least 2 feet.

Fence posts anchored in concrete footings last for years as long as they re installed properly. Consider the frost. For example an 1800mm fence in wind zone a will require footings of a minimum of 600mm deep by 200mm wide whereas the footing dimensions for the same fence in wind zone d will need to be at least 700 1100mm deep. Dig post hole so diameter of the hole is 3 times the width of the post i e the hole for a 4 wood post should be about 12 inches wide.

To prevent a post from decaying too quickly as well as to. 230mm wide 9 x 600mm depth. Building codes and ordinances in your area may stipulate a legal depth and diameter for fence post holes. For example a 6 foot tall fence will need at least 2 feet of post in the ground.

Even though it seems this would result in less stability this is not the case. How to install fence posts in footing. Set the post in the hole and brace it plumb or put a helper on the job and in line and level with the posts. For the width you need to make the hole three times the width of the post you intend to use.

Here are a four tips to help you find the correct fence post hole depth. Gates require a hole with a depth of 36 to 40 inches in the ground and with a diameter of at least 12 inches. As a general rule of thumb you ll need to place at least 1 3 the height of the post in the ground. If you re still intent on setting fence posts yourself rather than having a professional do it the key is in filling the hole only halfway up with concrete.

6 divided by 3 is 2 therefore the depth of the hole required is 2 feet. The depth of your fence post footings will vary according to fence height wind loading and soil type as well as other factors. You need to dig a 12 inch wide hole for a 4 foot wood post.