Iron Fence vs Aluminum Fence - Which is Better?

By far, the question we get asked most by people shopping for fence and gates is:

Which one is better – Iron or Aluminum fence and gates?

We will go though the most common scenarios and questions to show where one material outshines the other or they are equal.

One thing I do want to stress before we start is that there is not one clear ‘better’ choice. When deciding between iron and aluminum fence, its really going to come down to your preferences and project needs rather than one material being superior to the other.

Let’s compare 7 main areas of the two types of fence:

Looks and Appearance

Other than a difference in the connection from the picket to the rail and the height of the rails, both iron and aluminum are very similar in appearance. There is no clear winner in terms of looks.

Maintenance

While we go the extra mile to protect our iron, it will rust is scraped to bare metal. The aluminum will not, so it’s the winner in terms of maintenance.

Finish

Both our iron and aluminum pieces are powder coated with the same high-quality TGIC powder coating, so there is no clear winner here. Both are equally good.

Strength and Durability

Iron will hands down be stronger than aluminum. A lighter duty iron panel will be stronger than a heavy-duty aluminum fence panel. Iron is the winner here.

Ease of Installation

While installation differs slightly between the two, they are both equally easy to install. There is no clear winner here.

Versatility

Aluminum fence’s ability to rack to follow grade makes it a more versatile fence than its iron counterpart.

Security

Iron’s solid welded panels and ability to be welded to the posts if wanted make it the winner in terms of security.


Out of 7 possible areas, Aluminum came out on top for Maintenance and Versatility. Iron came out on top for Strength and Security. The other 3 areas of Appearance, Ease of Installation and Finish all came out as a draw. So all in all, there is not one clear material between iron and aluminum fences that trump all categories over the other.

I hope this video has not only shown where iron and aluminum perform outperform each other, but also that one is just as good as each other in many ways as well.

If you have any other questions about using either iron or aluminum for your fence and gate project, give us a call at 800-261-2729 or shoot an email to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

Jason Kauffman
Iron Fence Shop®
800-261-2729 Toll Free
[email protected]
www.ironfenceshop.com