Barbed Wire Fencing
Five strands, set tight, built to hold.
Barbed wire is still the most practical fence ever put in the ground for cattle country, and it is still the cheapest way to hold a long boundary line. It also gets installed badly more often than any other fence we repair. Wire strung tight between weak corners will sag, pull posts, and lose tension, and then the fence gets blamed instead of the installation. We build barbed wire fence the way it holds: heavy corners, proper bracing, even tension across the whole run, and post spacing matched to the ground underneath.
Where barbed wire is the right answer
Cattle pasture, boundary lines, cross fencing, and large acreage where cost per foot matters. It is also the practical choice for leased hunting land and for holding a line through country where you cannot drive a post every eight feet. It is not the right fence for goats, sheep, hogs, or anything that goes under or through a gap, and we will say so rather than sell you a line you will be repairing.
Strand count, spacing, and wire gauge
Four strands holds gentle cattle in light pressure. Five is the working standard. Six is for bulls, highway frontage, and boundaries that get leaned on. Gauge matters too: a 12.5-gauge wire at the same strand count will outlast 14-gauge by years, and the price difference per roll is small next to the labor of restringing. We will quote the gauge and strand count in writing so a competing bid can be compared honestly.
Bracing, tension, and the parts nobody sees
Every corner, gate post, and end post gets a brace assembly designed to hold the tension of the entire adjacent runs, not just the wire touching it. We set corners in concrete in sandy ground where a driven post will walk, and we use a stretcher with a tension indicator rather than pulling by feel. Wire is clipped to posts at every post on the line, not every third, because a loose clip is how a fence starts to sag between posts.
Repairs and rebuilding existing barbed wire lines
A lot of our barbed wire work is not new fence. It is a line that has been patched for fifteen years and now needs corners reset, posts replaced, and wire pulled back to tension. We will tell you when a section can be salvaged and when money spent repairing it is better spent replacing it, and we will not rebuild around a corner that has already failed.
Barbed Wire Fencing from our own jobs.
Every photo below is from work we built. Open any image to see it full size.
Common questions about barbed wire fencing.
How much does barbed wire fence cost per foot?
Pricing depends on strand count, wire gauge, post spacing, and how many corners and gates the line carries. Barbed wire is the lowest cost per foot of the fence types we build, but corners and clearing can change the total significantly, so we quote from the property.
How far apart should barbed wire posts be?
On straight run with steel T-posts, typical spacing is 10 to 12 feet, tighter on soft ground or where livestock pressure is high. Corners and gate posts are set separately and built much heavier because they carry the tension.
Is barbed wire legal to install in Texas?
Barbed wire is legal and standard for agricultural and boundary fencing in Texas. Municipal and subdivision rules can differ for property line fencing inside city limits, so if your line is in or near a town, check local requirements before we set posts.
Can barbed wire hold goats or hogs?
No. Goats go through it and hogs go under it. Those animals need woven wire, hog panel, or a combination with an apron at the ground line. We build those too and will steer you to the right spec.
Do you repair existing barbed wire fence?
Yes. We reset corners, replace posts, restring sections, and rebuild gates. On badly deteriorated lines we will price repair and replacement side by side so you can decide with real numbers.
Let's talk about your project.
Tell us what you're building, where it is, and what you need. We'll come look at it and give you a straight answer.