Concrete fences and the weight of the precast slab: what is worth knowing about them?

When you want to put a fence on your property permanently, you are looking for proven solutions and durable materials. An alternative to openwork, steel mesh or panel fences are, among others, precast concrete slabs of various sizes and designs. From our article you will learn how much a concrete fence slab weighs and what is worth knowing about it before buying.

Advantages and disadvantages of precast concrete fences

Fences made of concrete have enjoyed undying popularity in Poland for years and have a constant group of supporters who value them due to:

• durability (concrete does not corrode, does not require impregnation, serves without the need for repairs even several dozen years),

• low maintenance costs (spans do not require any maintenance, you can paint them once every few years, at your discretion),

• uncomplicated assembly,

• functionality (concrete fence is a great shelter from animals, nosy neighbors and passers-by),

• variety of available designs.

Before you decide to install a fence from ready-made concrete elements, you should also know what are the disadvantages of this popular solution. First of all, make sure that in the Local Spatial Development Plan there are no contraindications to the use of concrete as a building material for the fence. Also take into account how much a concrete slab weighs for a fence – on average, the weight ranges from 45 to 75 kg, which affects the transport costs and inconvenience associated with installation.

Different types of concrete slabs for the fence

Standard, reinforced precast concrete slabs with a size of 200x50 cm can be bought in two basic versions: full or openwork. What does that mean? A solid slab is a monolithic prefabricated block, devoid of clearances, with straight walls or castings in the form of bricks or slate. Openwork slabs are lighter and resemble a balustrade, an imitation of a traditional fence made of wooden railings or a garden grille.

Depending on your budget and the concept of land development, you can choose prefabricated spans thinner or thicker (4 cm, 5 cm, 8 cm), single or double-sided. Double-sided spans have a décor on both sides, which makes them thicker than one-sided, which affects both their weight and price. An alternative to ready-made concrete slabs are poured concrete fences, but their construction requires specialist knowledge, time and greater financial outlays.

Precast concrete slab for the fence – weight

Concrete fences are very durable, but they have one major drawback – they weigh a lot, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article. How much does a concrete span weigh? The final weight depends on the number of plates used and their type. For example: 1 span with a height of 150 cm, consisting of 3 full prefabricated plates, is a weight of about 225 kg, to which you should also add the weight of the posts, about 100 kg.

If you assume that a single openwork concrete slab weighs 50 kg, you get a total span weight of 150-200 kg (weight depends on whether you want to have a fence 150 cm high or 200 cm high). As you can see, these elements are not light, which is why concrete prefabricated elements are usually delivered on secured pallets by local manufacturers with an HDS truck.

Heavy concrete spans – how to assemble them?

Due to the considerable weight, concrete slabs require the use of safe assembly techniques. Massive prefabricated elements should be laid out carefully so that they do not crumble and do not suddenly fall on the hand or foot of a nearby person. For the installation of plates, use a winch on a boom and it is mandatory to arrange a few people to help. Forget about manual lifting of blocks – it threatens with a hernia and damage to the spine.

How to install prefabricated fences? Here are some practical tips:

• prefabricated boards are deposited directly on specially profiled concrete posts,

• installation of the wall you start from the bottom layer and lay the material along the entire length and width of the plot,

• you correct the position of the boards on an ongoing basis, because any, even the smallest curvature will cause later problems in the installation of subsequent, upper layers of prefabricated elements.

Lightweight panel fence as an alternative to a full concrete fence

The Development Plan in your town does not allow the construction of a heavy concrete fence? Consider other solutions, such as installing a lightweight mesh or panel fence, on a prefabricated foundation. Instead of massive, concrete poles and reinforced, half-meter slabs, you can use a low stabilizing plate with a connector, to which you attach metal posts and spans.

Ready-made prefabricated slabs are used both for the construction of solid fences and the foundations of panel fences. The concrete foundation replaces the traditional screed, allows quick and precise installation of posts and panels. The weight of a single concrete slab of foundation 246x5x25 cm is about 46-50 kg, so the cost of its transport is lower than the transport of concrete solid fences.