West of Fort Worth, horse and cattle places want welded pipe on the road frontage, around the house pasture, and at the pens. We walk the line with you, lay it out, and spec the pipe, rails, and wire for what you're holding. Then one owner-run crew builds it. Every job is priced on site. Call or text 254-716-5760, or send photos through the quote form.
What a welded pipe fence is
Steel pipe posts set deep, with pipe rails welded across them. No nails, staples, or bolts to work loose. Each post gets a welded cap to keep rain out, corners and ends get braced, and the whole line gets painted. Build it right and it stays straight a long time, with little more than paint now and then.
There are two broad shapes. All-pipe rail fence is 2, 3, or 4 pipe rails between posts and nothing else. Pipe with wire keeps the pipe posts and rails and hangs no-climb or field fence on the lower part, so foals, calves, small stock, and dogs stay put. Want one welded rail over a wire fence instead? That has its own page: pipe top rail over wire.
Texas Monthly's primer on the “drill stem” fence explains why Texas ranchers went to pipe: rot moves faster than rust, welds outlast nails, and stock can't chew steel. Upkeep is mostly paint.
We build the whole line, from layout to posts, rails, wire, braces, and gates. If the line needs clearing first, or there's a shop pad to build inside the fence, the same crew handles it.
Where pipe fence fits on a place
Pipe earns its cost where the fence takes pressure or where people see it: road frontage, the entry, the house pasture, horse traps, and the pens. Back pasture and long cross fences often do better with barbed wire or field fence, with pipe only at corners and gates. When we walk the place, we'll tell you where pipe pays and where it doesn't.
We're based in Weatherford and work from Fort Worth west to Abilene and south to Waco. We build pipe fence in every town we serve, from Parker County out to Weatherford, Aledo, Granbury, Stephenville, Mineral Wells, Abilene, and Waco.
- Horse places. A horse can see pipe easily, and there are no barbs. Add no-climb on the bottom for foals or minis.
- Cattle places. Pipe rails, or pipe with field fence, hold cows along the road and around working areas. They pair well with pipe corrals and pens.
- Entries and frontage. Anyone driving up sees the straight, painted pipe line running to your ranch entry gate first.
- Creek and draw crossings. Where the line crosses a draw, you need a water gap that holds stock and lets floodwater through.
- Deer and exotics. They'll clear a 5 ft pipe fence. That job calls for high fence and game fence.
Rails, wire, and height
A pipe fence comes down to three calls: how many rails, whether wire goes on, and how tall it stands. Your stock settles most of that. Looks and budget settle the rest.
2-rail is the lightest look and uses the least pipe. It suits cattle frontage and makes a good frame for wire. 3-rail is the common middle ground on horse and cattle places. 4-rail closes the gaps further and looks heavier from the road, which fits stallion pens, small traps, and entries. Each added rail means more pipe and more welds, so rail count moves the price.
Height depends on the stock and the spot. Extension guidance for horses runs 54 to 60 inches, and cattle road frontage often lands in the same range. We'll settle the height with you when we walk the line.
Horses vs cattle
University of Georgia Extension's horse fencing guide recommends a 60-inch perimeter fence, 54 inches for cross fence, and a bottom rail about 6 inches off the ground. It advises avoiding barbed and high-tensile wire where you can, since horses have trouble seeing it. Bekaert's horse fence guidance sets 48 inches as a minimum, wants something visible along the top, and recommends 2x4 or 2x2 inch openings on no-climb. The NRCS Texas fence standard also says to consider avoiding barbed wire and steel T-posts for horses.
Cattle are a different problem. For cost-share fence, the NRCS Texas fence specification sets a minimum of 4 barbed strands with the top wire at 44 inches. That's a floor, not what you want on a road. With cattle, pipe is about strength where they lean: corners, gates, pens, and frontage.
Run both? Build to the horse. A fence that suits a horse will hold a cow, but it doesn't always work the other way. There's more in pipe fence for horses vs cattle.
Pipe with no-climb
No-climb is woven wire with small openings, usually 2 by 4 inches. A hoof can't go through it and a horse can't climb it. Hung inside a pipe fence below the upper rail, it holds foals, minis, goats, sheep, and dogs that would walk right through open rails.
The pipe carries the load and the wire fills the space. We stretch the wire tight from braced ends and tie it to every post. The rail above keeps horses off the wire and gives them a line they can see. A low bottom rail or a tight bottom edge keeps the wire from getting pushed out at the ground.
- Good for horse traps, foaling pastures, the house pasture, and anywhere dogs or small stock run.
- 2x4 inch openings follow the UGA and Bekaert guidance. Wider 4 to 6 inch cattle mesh doesn't make a horse fence.
- It costs more than open rail, since it adds wire, stretching, and ties on every post.
Pipe with field fence
Field fence, also called woven wire or net wire, has wider openings than no-climb: tighter at the bottom, wider at the top. On a pipe frame, it's the usual pick for cattle, goats, and sheep when no-climb is more than the job needs.
For cattle, the NRCS Texas specification calls for woven wire at least 32 inches tall, with heavier 11-gauge top and bottom wires, 14.5-gauge wires between, and stays 12 inches apart or closer. Plenty of cattle places hang field fence on pipe posts with one or two rails above. Horses belong behind no-climb.
Pipe, posts, caps, and paint
Pipe is sold by outside diameter and wall thickness. Drovers reports 2-1/2 inch as the size most ranchers choose, with 2-3/8 and 2-1/4 inch more common on the used market. Wall thickness is what really sets the price per foot and how long the pipe lasts. New pipe comes in grades (good, seconds, and reject), and the grade changes both the price and what you get.
We'll spec pipe size, wall, and grade with you for the stock and the spot. Corners, gate posts, and pens can take heavier pipe than a straight run of line posts.
New pipe vs used “drill stem” pipe
Most “drill stem” fence isn't drill stem at all. As Texas Monthly points out, true drill stem is far too heavy for fence. What goes in the ground is used production tubing, usually 2-3/8 inch, often with sucker rod for the lower rails.
Used pipe can be a fair buy, but you have to check it joint by joint. Drovers lists what to watch for: rust, holes, pitting, flaking, internal wear from sucker rods, and thin walls. It quotes one rancher who replaced a whole fence after a few years once his cattle found the weak spots. New galvanized fence pipe is made to a published standard, ASTM F1083.
We'll talk through both and can price it either way so you can compare. More in new pipe vs used drill stem pipe.
Post depth, caps, and brace corners
The NRCS Texas fence standard (2021) calls for every post to be buried at least 3 feet deep, deeper in sandy or wet ground, and to stand at least 2 inches above the top wire. It's written for cost-share fence, but it's a good reference for any line.
Welded caps keep rain from sitting inside the posts and rusting them from within. Corners, ends, and gate posts take the most load, so they get brace assemblies: a horizontal pipe welded between the corner post and the next one in line, plus a diagonal where the pull calls for it. A fence is only as good as its corners.
Paint
Paint goes on after the welding, for looks and to slow rust. Color is your call. Black, white, and green all show up on ranch frontage. Paint is also the main upkeep, so plan on touching it up over time.
How a pipe fence goes up
It starts with walking the line. We look at the ground, the corners, the draws, the trees, and where the gates go. We ask what you're holding and what you want to see from the road. Then we lay it out, spec it, and price it on site.
Time on the job depends on footage, rock, how much clearing the line needs, and the weather. You'll get a schedule with the quote. Here's the order of work:
- Clear the line. Brush, cedar, and mesquite come out first. Our fence-line clearing is mechanical: mulching, dozing, and grubbing.
- Lay it out. We mark corners, ends, and gate openings, then string the line between them.
- Set posts. Posts go in to depth on a string line, plumb, with tops set so the rails run true.
- Cap and brace. We weld on the caps and brace the corners, ends, and gate posts.
- Weld the rails. Rails go on post to post. On rolling ground they follow the land or step, depending on the look you want.
- Hang the wire. No-climb or field fence gets stretched from braced ends and tied off at every post.
- Gates, paint, cleanup. We hang the gates, paint the line, and clean up the job.
What moves the price
Pipe fence is priced on site, after we've walked the line. A per-foot number off the internet can't see your ground. Each driver is written up in pipe fence cost drivers west of Fort Worth. Here's what moves it:
- Footage, plus the number of corners and ends. Each corner is a brace.
- Rail count: 2, 3, or 4.
- Pipe size, wall thickness, and new or used.
- Wire: none, field fence, or no-climb.
- Height, post depth, and how much rock is in the way.
- Terrain, draws, and clearing on the line.
- Gates: how many, how wide, walk or drive, and whether an opener goes on.
Gates, entries, and tie-ins
Gates get used every day, so they get the heaviest posts and bracing on the line. UGA's horse guidance puts main gates at 12 to 16 feet and handler gates at 4 to 5 feet. Size a drive gate for the biggest thing coming through: a gooseneck, a hay truck, or a tractor pulling a shredder.
We build custom pipe ranch gates and entries and install solar or hardwired gate openers on posts set with the fence. The entry matches the line.
A pipe fence has to meet everything else on the place: an old barbed wire fence, a water gap at the creek, a corral or pen, or a neighbor's line. We tie in with braced ends. Toward the back, frontage pipe can step down to barbed wire or field fence or a pipe top rail over wire. In deer country, part of the perimeter may call for high fence. Around the house, some owners want cedar rail or board fence instead.
We also do dirt work and buildings, so the fence, shop pad, barn, or new drive can go in one plan with one crew.
Repair and upkeep
Pipe fence asks for little: paint now and then, a check on gate hinges and latches, and a look down the line after a storm. Fallen trees and vehicles off the road do the usual damage.
We cut out and re-weld bent rails and posts, reset leaning posts, re-hang sagging gates, and repaint. When an old used-pipe fence has rusted through in too many spots, rebuilding the run can make more sense than patching it. See fence repair and rebuilds.
Got a fence someone else built, or one that came with the place? Send photos through the quote form and we'll tell you what we see.
Questions about pipe fence
How much does pipe fence cost per foot?
Every job is priced on site, after we walk the line. Footage, corners, rail count, pipe size and wall, new or used pipe, wire, height and post depth, rock, clearing, and gates all move it. A per-foot figure that skips those doesn't tell you much.
Each one is explained in pipe fence cost drivers. Call or text 254-716-5760 to set up a visit.
Do I need 2, 3, or 4 rails?
That depends on what you're holding and the look you want. 2-rail is common on cattle frontage and as a frame for wire. 3-rail is the usual middle ground for horses and cattle. 4-rail closes the gaps for small traps, stallion pens, and entries, and uses the most pipe. With small stock or foals in the mix, wire on the bottom matters more than another rail.
What's the right pipe fence for horses?
University of Georgia Extension guidance calls for a 60-inch perimeter, a bottom rail about 6 inches up, and no barbed wire. If wire goes on, Bekaert recommends 2x4 inch no-climb. A 3 or 4-rail pipe fence, or pipe with no-climb under the upper rail, fits that well. More in pipe fence for horses vs cattle.
Is used “drill stem” pipe good enough?
It can be, if it's sound. Most of it is used production tubing, and Drovers warns about pitting, holes, internal wear, and thin walls. Stock break through at those weak spots. New pipe costs more and comes in grades with a known wall. We can price both for comparison. See new vs used drill stem pipe.
Can you build with pipe I already have?
Tell us about it when you reach out and we'll say whether it fits. Any pipe headed for a fence should be checked first for rust, pitting, holes, and thin walls, the weak spots Drovers warns about. Joints that fail go in the scrap pile, not the line.
How deep do the posts go?
The NRCS Texas fence standard (2021) calls for posts buried at least 3 feet, deeper in sandy or wet ground, and standing at least 2 inches above the top wire. Corners and gate posts carry the most load, so they get braced.
Do I need a permit for a pipe fence?
Depends where the place sits. Inside Weatherford or Aledo city limits, the city requires a fence permit. Unincorporated Parker County doesn't issue building permits, though the county does regulate septic and floodplain work.
Anywhere else, check with the city or county before we start. We'll ask where the place sits when we walk the line, so it's settled before the first post goes in.
How long does a pipe fence take?
That comes down to footage, rock, clearing on the line, how many gates go in, and the weather. You'll get a schedule with the quote, not a guess over the phone.
What do you need from me to quote it?
A rough footage or a pin on a map, what you're holding (horses, cattle, goats, deer), how many gates and how wide, and a few photos of the line, the corners, and any creek or draw it crosses. Send it through the quote form or text 254-716-5760.
It also helps to know where your property line is, where any buried water, gas, or power lines run, and whether you want to be there for the walk. Then we come out, walk it with you, and price it on site.
Do you clear the fence line?
Yes. Cedar, mesquite, and brush come off the line before posts go in. Our land clearing is mechanical: mulching, dozing, and grubbing. It's priced with the fence.
Do you build the gates and openers too?
Yes. We build custom pipe gates and entries, hang them on posts set with the fence, and install solar or hardwired openers.
Where do you build pipe fence?
Out of Weatherford, from Fort Worth west to Abilene and south to Waco. That covers Weatherford, Aledo, Granbury, Stephenville, Mineral Wells, Abilene, and Waco. Every town is listed on service areas.
Where we build it
Pipe fence is on the list for these towns. Not on the list? Ask us.
Guides
Sources
- USDA NRCS Texas, Conservation Practice Standard 382: Fence (2021)
- USDA NRCS Texas, Fence (382) Specification, revised 2015
- University of Georgia Extension, Elevated Equine: Fencing for Horses (2022)
- Bekaert, Equine & Horse Fence Requirements
- Texas Monthly, Texas Primer: The Drill-Stem Fence
- Drovers, Choose the Right Pipe for Your Fencing Needs
- ASTM F1083, Standard Specification for Pipe, Steel, Hot-Dipped Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Welded, for Fence Structures
- City of Weatherford, Residential permits
- City of Aledo, Permit forms
- Parker County, Permitting
