Chicken Wire - PVC Coated

What Is PVC Coated Chicken Wire and Who Is It For?

PVC coated chicken wire is an enclosure netting with a hexagonal mesh finished in a green plastic coating and sold in 25 metre rolls. The steel wire carries first a layer of zinc and then a layer of PVC on top of it, so the protection is not a single layer but a double one. That build cuts off the netting's contact with damp and chemical attack at source.

The product suits two groups in particular. The first is operations where the netting stays permanently wet: irrigated gardens, duck and goose pens, housing with damp bedding, greenhouse skirts and coastal areas exposed to sea air. The second is anyone who does not want the enclosure to be noticed: villa gardens, planted areas within a housing development, landscaping schemes and the boundaries of children's play areas. The green coating disappears into the planting and does not give off a metallic glare.

The Two Gains from a PVC Coating: Life and Appearance

The plastic coating's first job is to act as a barrier. Because it stops water, ammonia from manure and salt-laden air from reaching the zinc, the corrosion process is slowed from the outset; in the same environment where uncoated wire deteriorates, PVC coated netting keeps its surface appearance for far longer. The second gain is the softness of the surface: coated wire does not leave scratches on hands or on an animal's body, which makes it safer in pens the birds are in contact with and in areas children can reach.

To be straight about it, there are drawbacks too. The initial cost is higher than the galvanized range. Where the coating is cut or deeply scratched the plastic opens up and the protection weakens at that point, which is why cut ends must always be closed off. On surfaces in direct sun for many years the plastic can gradually harden and lose colour. In other words PVC is not a magic layer that forgives neglect, but a solution that adds serious service life in the right environment.

100 cm or 150 cm? Choosing the Width

The product comes in two widths, 100 cm x 25 m and 150 cm x 25 m, both in green PVC. The 100 cm width is used for landscape boundaries, protecting flower and vegetable beds, closing off greenhouse skirts, internal coop divisions and covering rabbit and poultry cages. On low, visible lines the narrower width both looks tidier and uses less material.

The 150 cm width is for outdoor runs, goose and turkey pens, garden boundaries and applications where the bottom edge will be buried. If you are burying the netting, work it out from the start; bury 30 cm and you are left with 120 cm of effective height. Do not mix the two products on a visible garden boundary, as joining different widths on the same line causes problems both visually and in tensioning. When you cannot decide, ask yourself one question: what is behind the line? If it is only a flower bed, 100 cm is more than enough; if there is an animal moving about inside or a stray dog roaming outside, choosing 150 cm works out far cheaper than having to raise the line a year later.

Technical Specifications

How Many Rolls Do You Need? A Worked Example

The formula is the same: number of rolls = (run length − gate openings + waste allowance) / 25, with the result rounded up. Five per cent of the run is taken as the waste allowance. With PVC coated netting it pays to be a little generous with the overlap allowance, because coated wire needs an extra protection step at every point it is cut; fewer cuts means fewer weak points.

Example: the boundary of a villa garden measuring 20 m x 15 m is to be enclosed. Perimeter = 2 x (20 + 15) = 70 m. There are gate openings totalling 4 m, one vehicular and one pedestrian, leaving a net run of 66 m. With the waste allowance, 66 x 1.05 = 69.3 m. Since 69.3 / 25 = 2.77, you buy 3 rolls. If 30 metres of greenhouse skirt is also to be closed off on the same holding, 30 x 1.05 = 31.5 m, which works out at 2 rolls of the 100 cm product, leaving about 18 m in hand.

Installation: Fitting It Without Stressing the Coating

PVC coated netting is installed on the same principle as the galvanized range; the only difference is the discipline of protecting the coating.

1. Set the posts at 2 - 2.5 metre centres and brace the corner and gate posts.
2. Run three rows of tension wire at top, middle and bottom level; on visible garden boundaries, choosing coated tension wire as well keeps the colour consistent.
3. Do not drag the roll across hard ground as you unwind it; the coating suffers most from abrasion during installation.
4. Use PVC coated galvanized wire for the ties. Bare tying wire stands out against coated netting and creates a difference in corrosion at the contact point.
5. Do not over-tension. As hexagonal mesh is pulled the cells elongate and the coating thins in the stretched zones; it is enough for the line to sit straight.
6. Fold the cut ends over and tie them off, and where possible leave any exposed ends below ground level.
7. Bury the bottom edge 25-30 cm, or turn it outwards in an L shape and cover it with soil.

Choosing Between PVC Coated, Galvanized and Economy

All three products are built on the hexagonal mesh principle and come in the same sizes; what separates them is the environment and the expected service life. Economy chicken wire has the lowest initial cost and makes sense for seasonal and temporary work, but on a permanent outdoor line it needs replacing early. Galvanized chicken wire is the standard for dry, well-ventilated permanent installations and sits at a balanced point between initial cost and service life.

The PVC coated range is clearly ahead in two situations: environments where the netting stays permanently wet, and landscaped areas where you do not want the enclosure to be seen. Where animals lean and push against the line, however, no chicken wire is adequate; in those places you should move to a load-bearing mesh such as PVC coated chain link fence. If the aim is only to cut shade and wind, shade net is the right product rather than netting; the two solve different problems and neither substitutes for the other.

Maintenance, Service Life and What Choosing Wrong Costs

PVC coated netting is the lowest-maintenance option, but not a zero-maintenance one. Look over the line once a year; where the coating is torn, deeply scratched or has an exposed end, close those points with tying wire. Rinsing areas where dust and manure residue build up with water is enough — a stiff brush or solvent will damage the coating. Check the tension wires and tighten any that have slackened; sagging netting spoils the appearance and causes the cells to open.

Choosing wrong most often takes two forms. The first is dropping down to an uncoated range to save money in a permanently wet environment: after two or three seasons the bottom section perforates and replacing the line costs more than the netting itself. The second is mistaking PVC coated netting for a security fence: the coating protects the surface, it does not increase the mechanical strength of the mesh. Where security is required, the conversation should be about load-bearing fence systems, not the chicken wire class.

What Sets the Price, and How Do Delivery and Site Surveys Work?

With PVC coated chicken wire the price is driven by roll width, wire diameter, the amount of zinc and PVC coating, order quantity and current raw material costs. Because the coating has two layers, the product sits above an uncoated range of the same size; in return it extends the replacement interval in the right environment. All the amounts shown in the price table on this page include VAT.

Our company is based in Ostim, Ankara; we sell the product and ship throughout Türkiye. Delivery is always charged; the freight cost is added to the order separately, including on deliveries within Ankara. On projects within Ankara the site survey is free; we measure the run and produce the number of rolls and a list of ancillary materials in writing. Installation is not a standard service; our teams attend site only on projects with a run of approximately 1000 metres and above. On smaller jobs the product is delivered and installed using the steps above.