Security Fence Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide

Security fencing costs significantly more than standard garden fencing because of the materials used, post foundations required, and specialist installation. Whether you’re securing a commercial yard, industrial site, or domestic boundary against intrusion, the Valuation Office Agency’s rating figures put erected steel security fencing at anything from £191 a metre for 2.4 m unclimbable mesh down to £65 a metre for 1.8 m welded mesh panels.¹

The most common types installed in the UK are steel palisade, welded mesh (358/V-mesh), and expanded metal or spike-top panel systems.

Security Fencing Types and Costs

The VOA’s Rating Cost Guide prices the common steel fences per metre of run, erected with posts set in concrete. Galvanised steel palisade on posts at 2.75 m centres is £84 a metre at 1.8 m high.¹

At 2.4 m the palisade is £91 a metre.¹

At 3.0 m it is £100 a metre.¹

Green welded mesh panels on metal posts are £77 a metre at 2.4 m high.¹

Unclimbable mesh, the fine-aperture panels sold as 358 or anti-climb, is £170 a metre at 2.1 m high.¹

Diamond mesh panels are £123 a metre at 1.8 m high.¹

Razor mesh on steel posts is £86 a metre at 2.4 m high.¹

Tubular steel railings, the nearest the guide comes to a spike-top residential railing, are £175 a metre at 1.2 m high.¹

The guide’s notes say its rates leave out VAT and reflect a contract of the order of £4 million, so they suit a commercial perimeter better than a short domestic run, which costs more per metre.² The guide gives no rate for V-mesh as such, expanded metal, electric fencing or LPS 1175 certified systems, and we have not found a published one we would stand behind, so those are for a specialist to quote.

What Drives the Cost

Height

Security fencing under 1.2 m is rarely effective as a deterrent. Most commercial installations start at 1.8 m. Height costs less than you might expect: on the palisade rates above, going from 1.8 m to 3.0 m adds less than a fifth to the price per metre, with heavier posts included.

Post Spacing and Foundations

Post spacing for palisade and mesh fencing is typically 2.5–3 m. Posts are set in concrete foundations whose diameter and depth depend on fence height. The sizes below are indicative only; the fence maker’s or designer’s specification governs:

• 1.8 m fence: 450 mm diameter × 700 mm deep concrete pad
• 2.4 m fence: 450 mm diameter × 900 mm deep concrete pad
• 3 m fence: 600 mm diameter × 1.2 m deep concrete pad

Rocky ground, high water table, or made-up ground requiring deeper foundations increases cost.

Anti-Climb Features

• 358 welded mesh has 76.2 × 12.7 mm apertures, too small to get fingers into, hence “anti-climb”.³
• Palisade D-post tops can be specified as flat, three-point, or round spike
• Rotating spike inserts or anti-climb paint can be added to most fence tops; anti-climb paint needs warning signs (see the signage note under Planning Permission below).

Non-drying anti-climb paint costs about £15 a litre at retail and covers only about 1 m² per litre, so a long run needs several litres.⁴

Ground Conditions

Rocky ground, sloping sites, or sites with underground services add to the groundworks, and a site survey is advisable before quoting larger contracts.

Access and Mobilisation

On a short run, the fixed cost of getting a crew, tools and concrete to site is spread over fewer metres, so the effective per-metre rate rises. For large sites (100 m+), per-metre rates fall.

Worked Example: Securing a Commercial Yard

Perimeter: 80 linear metres Specification: 2.4 m galvanised steel palisade with one pair of vehicle gates, level site

At the VOA’s £91 a metre for 2.4 m palisade, 80 m of fence comes to £7,280.¹

A pair of galvanised palisade gates 4 m wide and 2.4 m high adds £778, making £8,058 on the guide’s basis.¹

Those are rates for a contractor on a large contract. Expect a specialist’s quote for a single yard to come in higher, and ask whether it includes the gate posts, locks and any spear tops.

Gates

Security gates must be matched to the fencing in height and specification to avoid a weak point. Common options:

• Swing gates: cheaper, need clearance space
• Sliding gates: better for tight spaces, and usually motorised
• Automated barriers: for high-traffic vehicle management

The VOA prices a pair of galvanised palisade gates 5 m wide and 3.0 m high at £1,019.¹

A pair of unclimbable mesh gates 1.2 m wide and 2.1 m high, with posts and locking gear, is £1,418.¹

A motorised sliding cantilever security gate 7 m wide and 3 m high, with its track, posts and controls, is £12,386.¹

A 4 m vehicle barrier with a manual arm is £1,999, and with an electrically operated arm on a switch it is £3,428.¹

Planning Permission

Domestic properties: Permitted development allows fences up to 1 m high next to a highway used by vehicular traffic, and 2 m elsewhere, without planning permission (England; slightly different rules apply in Wales and Scotland).⁵ Security fencing over 2 m in a residential garden requires planning permission.⁵ Permitted development for fences does not apply within the curtilage of a listed building.⁵ An Article 4 direction can also remove it, so check with your local planning authority.⁶

Commercial properties: The same permitted development limits (Part 2, Class A of the General Permitted Development Order) apply to commercial and industrial land, so a fence over 2 m high, or over 1 m next to a highway used by vehicles, needs planning permission.⁵ Check with your local planning authority before ordering.

Anti-climb paint signage: Police advice is that warning signs should be clearly posted wherever anti-climb paint is used, and that the paint should start high enough for passers-by not to brush against it.⁷ Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984 an occupier can owe a duty of care even to trespassers, and a clear warning is one of the ways that duty can be discharged.⁸

Finding a Specialist Contractor

Security fencing installation is a specialist trade. Look for contractors who:

• Are members of the Fencing Contractors Association (FCA)
• Can supply a specification sheet and relevant certification (for example LPCB certification to LPS 1175 for security-rated systems)⁹
• Provide concrete mix and foundation specifications in writing

For high-security or government projects, contractors may need to be pre-approved under framework agreements (e.g., Crown Commercial Service). Always get at least three quotes for a job of any size, and check the contractor carries public liability insurance before work starts.