Standard Specification for

Chain-Link Fence
AASHTO Designation: M 181-05
1.

SCOPE

1. l .

This specification covers materials used in the construction of fences and gates that comprise
(a) chain-link fence fabric and (b) posts, rails, ties, bands, bars, rods and other fittings, and
hardware designed to support the fabric in a vertical, taut position.

1.2.

The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard.

REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
AASHTO Standards:
W M 111 M M 1 11, Zinc (Hot-Dip Galvanized) Coatings on Iron and Steel Products
W M 120, Zinc
M 232MlM 232, Zinc Coating (Hot-Dip) on Iron and Steel Hardware
W T 65MlT 65, Mass [Weight] of Coating on Iron and Steel Articles with Zinc or Zinc-Alloy
Coatings
W T 68, Tension Testing of Metallic Materials
W T 68M, Tension Testing of Metallic Materials [Metric]
W T 213MlT 213, Mass [Weight] of Coating on Aluminum-Coated Iron or Steel Articles
ASTM Standards:
B 26, Aluminum-Alloy Sand Castings
W B 85, Aluminum-Alloy Die Castings
W B 108, Aluminum-Alloy Permanent Mold Castings
W B 117, Salt Spray (Fog) Testing
W B 209, Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate
W B 21 1, Aluminum-Alloy Bars, Rods and Wire
W B 221, Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bar, Rod, Shape and Tube
W B 429, Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Structural Pipe and Tube
W B 750, Specification for Zinc-5 Percent Aluminum Mischmetal Alloy in Ingot Form for HotDip Coatings
W D 1535, Specifying Color by the Munsell System
W D 1729, Visual Evaluation of Color Differences of Opaque Materials
W D 2247, Coated Metal Specimens at 100 Percent Relative Humidity
W E 376, Measuring Coating Thickness by Magnetic-Field or Eddy-Current (Electromagnetic)
Test Methods
W F 467, Nonferrous Nuts for General Use
W F 468, Nonferrous Bolts, Hex Cap Screws, and Studs for General Use

TS-4d

M 181-1

AASHTO

F 668, Standard Specification for Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Other Organic PolymerCoated Steel Chain-Link Fence Fabric
F 1043, Strength and Protective Coatings on Metal Industrial Chain Link Fence Framework
F 1083, Pipe, Steel, Hot-Dipped Zinc Coated (Galvanized) Welded for Fence Structures
F 1664, Standard Specification for Poly(Viny1 Chloride) (PVC) and Other Conforming
Organic Polymer-Coated Steel Tension Wire Used with Chain-Link Fence
G 152, Practice for Operating Open Flame Carbon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of
Nonmetallic Materials
G 155, Practice for Operating Xenon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic
Materials
ANSI Standards:
H35.2, Dimensional Tolerances for Aluminum Mill Products

CLASSIFICATION
Chain-link fabric, posts, rails, ties, bands, bars, rods, and other fittings and hardware covered by
this specification shall be composed of the following types of material, as specified:
Type I-Zinc-coated steel,
Type II-Aluminum-coated steel,
Type III-Aluminum alloy, and
Type IV-Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and other organic polymer-coated steel.
Zinc-5 Percent Aluminum-Mischmetal alloy meeting the requirements of ASTM B 750 may
be substituted for zinc coating (hot-dipped) at the application rate specified herein for hot-dip
zinc coating.
Metallic-coated steel posts, rails, or gate frames are furnished in two grades as follows:
Grade I-steel posts, rails, or gate frames may be round or other shapes and shall have a hot-dip
zinc interior and exterior coating as prescribed in this specification.
Grade 2-steel posts, rails, or gate frames shall be round pipe or tubing manufactured by
electric resistance welding and shall have an exterior coating of hot-dip zinc plus an organic
topcoat and a zinc-rich or hot-dip zinc interior coating, or Grade 2 posts may be aluminum-coated
inside and outside.
Type IV fabric is furnished in two classes of coating as follows:
Class A-Fabric with polymer-coated wire made by coating the wire with zinc by either the hotdip or electrolytic process, or with aluminum by the hot-dip process, prior to the wire being coated
with either an extruded polymer coating or an extruded and bonded polymer coating.
Class B-Fabric with bonded polymer-coated wire shall be made with wire coated with zinc by
either the hot-dip or electrolytic process, or with aluminum by the hot-dip process, prior to having
a polymer coating thermally fused and bonded to a primer that has been thermally cured onto the
zinc- or aluminum coated wire.
Type I fabric is furnished in two classes of coating as follows:

M 181-2

AASHTO