With the increasing demand for residential safety, beautiful gardens, and isolation of commercial facilities in the European and American markets, the fence system has become a stable hardware export category all year round. Although the construction of the fence seems simple, the hardware accessories involved in its system are of various types and clear specifications, which are key factors affecting the customer's installation efficiency and stability.
In order to help hardware suppliers match the needs of European and American customers more efficiently, this article has compiled a list of common hardware matching in fence projects, which is applicable to multiple system structures such as iron fences, zinc steel fences, wooden fences, and PVC fences.
When purchasing fence products, European and American customers pay attention to the integrity, versatility, and installation convenience of supporting hardware in addition to the quality of panels, posts, and coatings. The following are the most common hardware accessories in the project:
1. Installation and connectors
U-shaped clips/saddle clips (U Brackets / Saddle Brackets)
Used to fix the fence panel to the post, often made of galvanized steel or stainless steel.
Bolts & Nuts
For matching connections, commonly used are hexagonal bolts and hexagon socket bolts, and different materials correspond to different corrosion resistance levels.
Self-tapping / Wood Screws
Suitable for the direct fixing of wooden fences or PVC sheets, and must meet rust-proof standards.
L-shaped brackets (L Brackets)
Used for corner reinforcement, especially frequently used in corner column positions.
Panel Clips / Retainer Clips
Commonly used for light fences, such as temporary fences or PVC guardrails, for easy disassembly and assembly.
2. Door and opening system hardware
Hinges (Gate Hinges)
Including ordinary hinges, adjustable hinges, heavy-duty hinges, etc., suitable for single-door/double-door structures. Europe and the United States often prefer adjustable types, which are flexible to install.
Gate Wheels / Caster Wheels
Especially widely used on wrought iron gates or long sliding doors to reduce the pressure on the door body. European and American customers prefer spring-buffered styles to adapt to uneven ground.
Gate Latches / Locks
Common ones include gravity locks, sliding locks, and automatic spring locks. PVC doors mostly use plastic lock shells, and wrought iron doors are mostly metal structures and need to be compatible with padlocks or key systems.
Gate Stopper / Drop Rod
Frequently used in double doors to fix a door to prevent swinging.
3. Decoration and reinforcement parts
Decorative caps/post caps (Post Caps / Fence Caps)
There are a variety of materials, such as plastic, metal, and aluminum. They are not only waterproof and capped, but also improve the uniformity of the appearance. European and American customers prefer black and matte textures.
Rail Brackets / Support Holders
For large fences or projects with sloping terrain, installation supports at different angles are often required.
Tension Bands / Brace Bands
Mostly used in metal mesh fence or chain link fence projects, easy to tighten and adjust the tension.
4. Ground fixing and foundation parts
Base Plates
Applicable to fence structures that do not need to be buried, often used with expansion screws, mostly made of hot-dip galvanized steel.
Expansion Bolts / Ground Anchors
Essential accessories for fixing fence posts to hard ground (such as concrete floors).
Adjustable Footings
Applicable to installation projects on slopes or requiring fine-tuning of height, gradually been accepted and promoted in the European and American markets.
For suppliers, when exporting to the European and American markets, it is recommended to do the following to meet customer expectations:
Standardized packaging: Packaging by set (for example: a set of door hinges + locks + screws) is more popular, which is convenient for customers to quickly match at the construction site.
Provide English specifications, including accessory size, material, and adaptation instructions, which help customers quickly confirm installation compatibility.
Focus on corrosion resistance: It is recommended that all hardware parts be made of hot-dip galvanizing, Dacromet, electrophoresis, or stainless steel to cope with the rain, snow, humidity, and other climate environments in Europe and the United States.
Consider universality: The design should be as universal as possible, such as hole spacing and screw specifications matching the mainstream fence systems in Europe and the United States, which is conducive to batch shipments and later replenishment orders.
The success or failure of a fence project depends not only on the quality of the main material panel, but also on whether the hardware accessories are complete and whether the installation is convenient. For suppliers facing the European and American markets, being familiar with and preparing these high-frequency hardware accessories lists will greatly improve customer satisfaction and repurchase rate.
It is recommended to establish your own standard hardware list and modular supporting solutions to achieve a leap from "selling products" to "selling system solutions."
