Concrete Post

What Is a Concrete Post and What Is It For?

A concrete post is a reinforced concrete load-bearing member, cast in a mould around steel reinforcement, that holds up the perimeter line in chain link fence, panel fence and barbed wire systems. The body has a tapered (trapezoidal) section that narrows from the base towards the top. This shape increases the post's resistance to overturning moment and at the same time avoids carrying dead weight high up. In production, 4-6 steel wires run the full length of the body, taking the tensile zone where concrete is weak and allowing the post to work under a tensioned wire load without cracking.

What buyers expect from a concrete post is usually the same thing: set it once, never repaint it, and never worry about it being pulled out and stolen, because it has no scrap value. On long runs it is the lowest cost per metre solution there is. At AnkaraTel we sell concrete posts from our Ostim-based warehouse and ship them by freight to every province in Turkey.

Concrete Post Types: Straight and Cranked (NATO Type)

We hold two main groups in stock: straight-bodied concrete posts, and cranked (NATO type) concrete posts with an outward-bent top. Both are built to the same production logic; the difference is the geometry of the upper section.

Straight Concrete Post: 200 cm and 240 cm

Straight posts are the standard type, with a body that runs in a straight line from end to end. The great majority of galvanized chain link fence, welded wire mesh and panel fence systems are built with this type. The 200 cm post is the right choice for field and garden wire 100-125 cm high, while the 240 cm post suits perimeter runs 150-180 cm high. Thanks to the wire holes cast through the body, the tensioning wire crosses the whole line without the post ever being drilled.

Cranked Concrete Post: 240 cm and 300 cm (NATO Type)

The top of a cranked post bends outwards at roughly 45 degrees. That bent section is not decorative; it is designed to carry razor wire (concertina barrier) and barbed wire. Typically 3-5 rows of barbed wire are run along the cranked end, or a single row of razor wire coil is tied off on it. Anyone climbing the fence therefore meets an overhanging obstacle once past the body and finds nothing to grip. On military facilities, factories and warehouse perimeters the cranked post is effectively the standard. The crank must face outwards; fitted facing inwards, a cranked post offers the climber convenience rather than you security.

Technical Specifications and Dimension Table

The values below show our standard production range held in stock. Weights and section dimensions may vary slightly from batch to batch.

Where Are Concrete Posts Used?

• Field, vineyard and garden perimeters: the most economical support on long runs, and safe on agricultural land because it carries neither electricity nor water.
• Factory, warehouse and construction site boundaries: a cranked post combined with barbed wire makes a genuinely deterrent boundary.
• Marking out a plot boundary: it marks the line permanently and will not shift over the years.

On villa, housing estate and school grounds, where the fence is on show and has to look decorative, a steel tube post carrying a panel fence gives a far tidier appearance than a concrete post.

How Many Concrete Posts Do You Need? Worked Example with the Formula

The quantity calculation rests on one simple formula:

Number of posts = (Length of fence line ÷ Post spacing) + 1

The recommended spacing for concrete posts is 2.5 metres with mesh wire, and, depending on panel width, 2.5 metres with panel fence as well. Pushing the spacing beyond 3 metres lets the wire sag and makes the line wave over time.

1. Measure the line: the perimeter of a 40 x 25 metre plot = (40 + 25) x 2 = 130 metres.
2. Deduct the gate openings: a 4 metre garden gate comes off: 130 - 4 = 126 metres of net line.
3. Apply the formula: 126 ÷ 2.5 = 50.4 → 51; 51 + 1 = 52 posts.
4. Add corner and gate reinforcement: one brace (strut) post at every corner and one sturdy post either side of the gate: 4 + 2 = 6 extra.
5. Total: approximately 58 straight concrete posts of 240 cm.

We recommend ordering a 2-3% spare allowance against breakage and transport losses; a second shipment sent out for one missing post costs more than the first one did.

Installing Concrete Posts: Foundation Depth and Step by Step

1. Set out the line: drive a stake at each end and pull a string line; every post is set to that string, because correcting it later is next to impossible.
2. Dig the holes: roughly a quarter of the post length must stay below ground: 40-45 cm for 200 cm, 50-55 cm for 240 cm, 60-70 cm for the 300 cm cranked post. A 30x30 cm hole section is enough, 40x40 cm for corner and gate posts.
3. Lay a drainage stone bed: drop 5 cm of crushed stone into the bottom of the hole so water cannot collect at the base of the post.
4. Set the post and plumb it: check it for plumb in both directions with a spirit level. On cranked posts, make sure every crank faces the same way (outwards).
5. Pour the concrete: use a C16-C20 mix or 1 cement : 3 sand : 4 gravel; finish the top surface sloping outwards so water cannot pond on it.
6. Let it cure: wait at least 48-72 hours before tensioning the wire; wire tensioned too early drags an uncured foundation into the line.
7. Brace the corners: all the tension in the run gathers at the corners, so fit a support post at 45 degrees to every corner post.

Concrete Post or Steel Tube Post?

Both products do the same job, but they serve different priorities. The choice usually comes down to the length of the run, how visible it is and the type of ground.

• Concrete posts on long, rural runs: over hundreds of metres of field, pasture and open land the cost per metre is low, no paint maintenance is needed, and with no scrap value the posts do not get taken.
• Steel tube posts on visible runs: at villa, housing estate and school entrances, a slim, RAL coloured steel tube post gives a cleaner line.
• Steel tube posts on a concrete surface: a flanged steel tube post is simply bolted down onto a pavement, yard slab or terrace, whereas a concrete post means breaking and drilling out the slab.
• Cranked concrete posts where high security is required: the concrete post delivers the rigidity to carry a razor wire load at the lowest cost.

A mixed solution is common too: concrete posts along most of the run, with the visible street frontage built as steel tube posts and panel fence. For low, decorative divisions, artificial grass fence is the usual choice.

What Determines the Price of a Concrete Post?

There is no single list price for concrete posts; the cost is the sum of several items. All our prices include VAT.

• Length and type: between a 200 cm straight post and a 300 cm cranked post, both the concrete volume and the amount of reinforcement change considerably.
• Reinforcement: the number and diameter of the steel wires in the body (4 wires or 6, 4 mm or 6 mm) feed straight through into the price.
• Concrete mix: a vibration-compacted, high-dosage post costs more, but it breaks far less in transport.
• Quantity and loading pattern: unit cost drops noticeably on pallet or full truckload orders.
• Dispatch: the freight charge varies with distance, vehicle type and whether a forklift or crane is available on site.

Maintenance, Service Life and Nationwide Delivery

A concrete post set at the right depth in sound concrete has a service life of 25-40 years. It needs no periodic maintenance; checking once a year whether the soil around the foundation has washed out and whether the tensioning wires have slackened is enough. Fine hairlines on the surface do not affect load capacity; what does need attention is deep fractures where the reinforcement is exposed.

Concrete posts are heavy and brittle, so they are dispatched by articulated lorry or part-load truck rather than by standard parcel carrier. We deliver to every province in Turkey. Site survey is free of charge within Ankara; we take the measurements and settle on the right product and running metres together. Delivery, however, is always charged — this applies to deliveries within Ankara as well — and the freight cost appears as a separate line in the quotation, based on distance, tonnage and the method of unloading. Installation is not one of our standard services; our teams attend projects of approximately 1000 metres and above. On smaller jobs we deliver the products and provide installation guidance and technical support by phone.