Black Chain Link Fence: The Coat, the Parts and the Count
A black chain link fence is galvanized steel mesh with a black polymer coat over the zinc, hung on posts, rail and fittings coated to match. It counts like bare chain link: 160 ft at 5 ft tall, with one corner and a 4-ft walk gate, takes 20 posts (5 of them terminals), 15 sticks of top rail and 4 rolls of 50-ft fabric. Installed, it runs $19.80 a foot at national mid prices, against $17.80 for bare galvanized.
Updated
15 line + 5 terminal
| Brace bands | 5 |
| Rail ends | 5 |
| Loop caps | 15 |
| Post caps | 5 |
| Tie wire | 231 ft |
| Line post concrete (80 lb) | 15 bags |
| Terminal post concrete (80 lb) | 10 bags |
The calculator above is set to 160 ft of fence with one corner, 5 ft tall, with a 4-ft walk gate: 100 ft along the back of a lot and 60 ft down one side would fit it. It lists posts, top rail, fabric, bands, caps, tie wire and concrete, and a black fence gets the same list as a bare galvanized one. The general counting rules, and the parts the calculator leaves off, are on the chain link fence calculator. Other fence types are on the fence styles hub.
Galvanized wire under a black coat
The black is a plastic layer over the same zinc-coated wire a silver fence uses. Coated fabric is made to ASTM F668 in three classes: extruded (Class 1), extruded and adhered (Class 2a), or fused and adhered (Class 2b). In the 2014 ColorBond guide specification from Merchants Metals, a fence manufacturer, the buyer picks the class, and the pipe gets either a PVC coat at least 10 mils thick or a thinner polyester one, fused over the zinc. A quote that says only "black" leaves both choices open.
Which parts have to be black?
Fabric and pipe come coated as a set in that specification. Bands and tension bars are listed as galvanized pressed steel, and coated fittings matched to the fence color are a bracketed option, so the default black fence in the spec has silver bands at the end, corner and gate posts.
The corner post here has the coated option: black tension bar, bands, rail ends and dome cap. Every part in the count below has a coated version.
| Part | Count for the 160-ft fence | Black version in the guide spec |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric (50-ft rolls) | 4 rolls | ASTM F668 coated fabric, green, brown or black |
| Line posts | 15 | Coated pipe, color to match the fabric |
| Terminal posts | 5 | Coated pipe, color to match the fabric |
| Top rail (10.5-ft sticks) | 15 sticks | Coated pipe, color to match the fabric |
| Tension bars | 6 | Galvanized by default, coated fittings optional |
| Tension bands | 24 | Galvanized by default, coated fittings optional |
| Brace bands and rail ends | 5 and 5 | Galvanized by default, coated fittings optional |
| Loop caps and post caps | 15 and 5 | Coated fittings, coat at least 0.006 in |
| Tie wire | 231 ft | Coated ties to match the fabric |
Gates follow the fence: coated frames and gateposts to match the framework, and gate fabric to match the fence.
Hinges, latches and drop rods are the exception. The spec lets them be touched up on site with a liquid polymer instead of coated at the factory.
How much material does a black chain link fence take?
The gate opening comes off the 160 ft first, leaving 156 ft of fence line. Terminal posts go at the two run ends, the corner and both sides of the gate, which makes 5. Line posts fill the 156 ft at no more than 10 ft apart, 15 of them, for 20 posts in all. Fifteen sticks of 10.5-ft rail cover the line, or 8 sticks if you buy 21-ft rail and want fewer joints.
Three 50-ft rolls of fabric cover 150 ft, so the fourth roll goes in for 6 ft of fence and leaves 44 ft of black mesh over. Without the gate the fence line grows to 160 ft: still 4 rolls, one more rail stick, and 2 fewer terminal posts.
The diagram's case is a 150-ft straight run at 4 ft with one walk gate. At 4 ft, the 160-ft fence with its corner takes 1 more line post, 1 more terminal post, 1 more rail stick, the fourth roll and 2 more tension bars. Height changes only the bands and the tie wire on this fence:
| Height | Tension bands | Tie wire |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ft | 18 | 216 ft |
| 5 ft | 24 | 231 ft |
| 6 ft | 30 | 246 ft |
At 5 ft the calculator's rule sets every post in a 24-in hole and asks for 15 bags of 80-lb concrete for the line posts and 10 for the terminals. In cold climates the frost line guide may call for deeper holes, and the concrete per fence post calculator recounts bags at the depth you need.
Black vs galvanized
The labor rate is the same for both, so the whole difference per foot is in the coated material. Priced in full with the gate and permit allowance, the black version of the 160-ft fence comes to 11% more than the galvanized one, and the chain link fence cost calculator gives both totals at your height and in your state. A black fence with pickets instead of mesh is a different price class: a wrought iron fence at 5 ft costs 6.4 times the coated chain link rate per foot.
Green and brown chain link
Green and brown are the same build in a different pigment. The colors come from ASTM F934, which names four standard polymer colors (dark green, olive green, brown and black) and applies to fabric, tension wire, posts, rails, gate frames and fittings alike. The spec matches the pipe to whatever color is picked for the fabric, and the 160-ft fence takes the same 20 posts and 4 rolls in green.
Chain link fence slats and wind
Bare mesh, black or not, hides nothing. Privacy slats are strips woven down through the diamonds, and how much they block depends on the slat and the mesh. PrivacyLink, a slat manufacturer, rates its bottom-locking double-wall slats at about 75% and its Winged slats, made for 2-in mesh, at about 95%, each figure published as one "Wind Load and Privacy Factor." The more a slat blocks the view, the more wind the fence has to stand up to. For fences carrying privacy slats or windscreens, the Merchants Metals spec recommends a wind load analysis to choose posts and post spacing, and steel ties in place of the standard aluminum ones. The calculator keeps line posts up to 10 ft apart whether or not slats go in, and it does not count the slats.
Where the aim is a solid screen from the start, a vinyl privacy fence blocks the view with its panels alone.
Key Takeaways
- PrivacyLink sells its Winged slats for fences 4 to 8 ft tall and recommends two half-size slats stacked for fences over 7 ft.
- PrivacyLink's slats are cut shorter than the fence: bottom-locking slats by 3 1/2 in, Winged slats by 2 in.
- Each tension bar in the ColorBond spec is one piece, 2 in shorter than the fabric is tall.
- With 50-lb bags of concrete, the 5-ft example takes 30 bags for the line posts and 10 for the terminals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is black chain link thicker than galvanized?
The steel is the same. The gauge quoted for coated fabric is the gauge of the steel core wire, so a black 11.5-gauge mesh has the same steel as a bare 11.5-gauge one, with the plastic on top.
Is black vinyl coated chain link the same as black chain link?
Yes. Vinyl is the PVC in the coat, so "vinyl coated" names the material and "black" the color. The pipe may carry a polyester coat instead, and a seller may still list it as black chain link.
Does the calculator count the gate itself?
It counts the two terminal posts, the tension bars and the bands each gate opening needs, and it takes the gate width off the fence line. The gate frame is bought as one unit.
Can I add black slats to a galvanized fence?
Yes. Slats go into mesh of the size they are made for, whatever its color, and the slat photo shows dark slats in a galvanized fence. The posts, rail and fittings stay silver.
Is green chain link cheaper than black?
Not in the cost data behind the cost calculator, which prices every color at one vinyl-coated rate. A local supplier's price list is the place to see a difference between the two.
Sources
- Merchants Metals, "Section 32 31 13 ColorBond Chain Link Fence and Gates" (guide specification), 2014, accessed November 1, 2026: merchantsmetals.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ColorBond®-Polymer-Coated-Chain-Link-Fence-and-Gates-spec.pdf
- ASTM International, "ASTM F934-96(2022) Standard Specification for Standard Colors for Polymer-Coated Chain Link Fence Materials", abstract, accessed November 1, 2026: store.astm.org/f0934-96r22.html
- PrivacyLink, "Decorative Chain Link Fence Privacy Slats: Bottom-Locking Double-Wall Slats", Sweets product listing, no date, accessed November 1, 2026: sweets.construction.com/manufacturer/privacylink-nst44214
- PrivacyLink, "Decorative Chain Link Fence Privacy Slats: Winged Slats", Sweets product listing, no date, accessed November 1, 2026: sweets.construction.com/manufacturer/privacylink-nst44214
