How to Install a Chain Link Fence
Set terminal and line posts in concrete, install top rails and tension bands, then stretch and tie chain link fabric for a taut, clean boundary fence.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Post hole digger or power auger
- ✓ Torpedo level
- ✓ Fence stretcher bar and come-along
- ✓ Adjustable wrench or socket set
- ✓ Pliers
- ✓ String line
- ✓ Tape measure
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Terminal posts (2-3/8 in diameter)
- ✓ Line posts (1-5/8 in diameter)
- ✓ Top rail (1-3/8 in diameter)
- ✓ Chain link fabric roll
- ✓ Quick-set concrete mix
- ✓ Tension bands, brace bands, and rail ends
- ✓ Aluminum fence tie wires
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Call 811 to mark underground utility lines at least 48 hours before digging.
- • Wear heavy leather work gloves when handling galvanized mesh and tension wires to prevent lacerations.
- • Wear eye protection when stretching mesh under high mechanical tension.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Set Terminal and Corner Posts
Dig holes for end and corner posts at least three times the post diameter in width and one-third the post length in depth. Place terminal posts in the center of the holes and pour concrete around them, checking plumb in two directions with a torpedo level. Leave posts 2 inches taller than the height of your chain link fabric.
- • Terminal posts stand perfectly upright with concrete crowned slightly at ground level for water drainage.
- • Post height above ground measures exactly 2 inches taller than the fabric height.
- • Setting terminal posts too shallow, causing the fence to tip when tension is applied.
- • Allowing concrete to set before double-checking plumb on both axes.
Run String Line and Set Line Posts
Tie a taut mason line between the outside faces of your terminal posts about 4 inches below the top. Dig line post holes spaced evenly (maximum 10 feet apart) along the string line. Set line posts in concrete, positioning their outside edges 1/8 inch off the string line and keeping their tops 2 inches lower than the terminal posts.
- • Line posts form a continuous straight row with an exact 1/8-inch air gap between the post and the string line.
- • Line post tops sit uniformly lower than the terminal posts to accommodate line post caps and top rail.
- • Letting line posts touch or deflect the string line, pushing subsequent posts out of alignment.
- • Setting line posts at varying heights, creating an uneven wave in the top rail.
Install Post Hardware and Top Rail
Slide tension bands and brace bands onto the terminal posts with the flat sides facing the outside of the fence. Place terminal post caps and loop caps on line posts, then insert the top rail through the loop caps. Connect the rail to terminal posts using rail ends attached to the brace bands and tighten the carriage bolts.
- • Tension bands and brace bands are seated around terminal posts with smooth bolt heads facing outward.
- • Top rail forms a rigid, continuous straight pipe securely locked into the terminal rail ends.
- • Installing carriage bolts with threads facing outward where fabric will rub and snag.
- • Forgetting to slide the tension bands onto the terminal post before attaching the top rail end.
Unroll and Hang Chain Link Fabric
Unroll the chain link mesh flat along the outside of the fence line with the knuckle edge at the top. Slide a tension bar vertically through the end diamonds of the roll and fasten it to the terminal post tension bands with carriage bolts. Stand the roll upright against the framework and loosely hook a couple of top diamonds over the top rail to hold it in place.
- • Tension bar is locked firmly inside terminal tension bands.
- • Fabric hangs vertically along the outside face of the posts, suspended roughly 2 inches above ground level.
- • Hanging the fabric inside the posts instead of against the outside framework.
- • Installing the mesh upside down (barbed selvage at top if meant for bottom or vice versa).
Stretch the Fabric Taut
Insert a second tension bar into the mesh about 3 feet back from the far terminal post. Hook a fence stretcher bar to it, attach a come-along winch to the terminal post, and crank until the mesh is tight. The mesh is properly tensioned when you cannot squeeze the diamonds together more than 1/4 inch with your fingers.
- • Diamond shapes throughout the mesh are uniform, crisp, and no longer sagging.
- • Fabric stays firmly aligned under moderate manual deflection test.
- • Over-tightening until terminal posts bend or pull out of the ground.
- • Under-tightening, leaving visible waves and belly sag along the bottom or middle.
Secure Tie Wires and Remove Winch
While tension is maintained, insert a permanent tension bar at the terminal post, secure it to the tension bands, and remove the stretcher rig. Fasten the mesh to the top rail every 24 inches and to each line post every 12 inches using aluminum tie wires. Twist the ends tightly with pliers and bend sharp points inward toward the post.
- • Aluminum tie wires are spaced every 24 inches on top rail and 12 inches on line posts.
- • All cut wire pigtails are turned inward against the metal pipe, leaving no exposed snag points.
- • Leaving tie wires loose, allowing the mesh to rattle in the wind.
- • Leaving tie wire ends pointing outward where pets, clothing, or passersby can get scratched.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by SWI Fence — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Fence stretcher bar and come-along? Heavy-duty ratchet strap hooked to a 2x4 board bolted through the mesh
- No Post hole digger? Narrow trenching shovel and manual digging bar