How deep should the posts go?

600mm in ordinary clay for a 1.8m fence. 750mm for 2.1m. 900mm in sand, on a coastal or exposed site, or in reactive clay that moves with the seasons. Shallow posts are the single most common reason a Colorbond fence comes down in a Melbourne storm.

Can I install a Colorbond fence myself?

You can, and short runs get done that way. Where it goes wrong is the posts: not plumb across the run, or not left to cure before the rails go on. Both show as a waver in the top rail from the street. If you have already bought the materials, we offer a labour-only install and check your parts first.

How long does installation take?

A 30-metre residential fence is two days for a two-person crew: posts set and left on day one, rails, sheets, capping and gate on day two. Posts cannot be loaded the same day they are concreted.

What concrete is used for the posts?

20MPa, in a 300mm hole. Bagged rapid-set for standard jobs because the water ratio is controlled, ready-mix for large runs. The post is braced plumb and left until the concrete has taken up.

What are the rail heights on a 1.8m fence?

Three rails: top at about 1750mm, mid at about 900mm, bottom at about 150mm above ground. The exact figures move with sheet height and post spacing; what matters is that they are measured, and the same on every post.

Colorbond® Guide

Colorbond Fence Installation Melbourne

A Colorbond fence is a kit of parts, and the parts are not the hard bit. The hard bit is the fifteen minutes per post where the hole is bored to the right depth for the soil, the post is set plumb in two planes and left alone while the concrete takes up. Get that right and the sheets drop in straight and the top rail runs level to the eye. Get it wrong and no amount of adjusting the sheets will hide it. This page is the build sequence as we do it, what changes on a slope or in basalt, and an honest account of where a DIY installation usually comes apart.

Get a Quote See Pricing

2.4m post centres, 600mm footingsPosts plumb in two planes, left to cureRails at set heights, sheets clippedLabour-only option if you supply

Colorbond fence installation, step by step

The sequence below is the one that gives a fence a straight top rail and sheets that sit flat, and the order matters. Posts go in first and are given time; rails are fixed to the posts at set heights, not eyeballed; sheets are dropped into the rails and clipped; capping goes on last. On a slope the fence either steps at each post, which is quicker, or the sheets are cut to the fall so the top rail follows the ground, which looks better and costs more cutting. In the basalt soils of the west and north the holes are machine bored, and in bayside sand they go deeper. The two things that make a DIY fence look DIY are posts that are not plumb across the run, which shows as a waver in the top rail from the street, and rails fixed at different heights from post to post, which shows as sheets that do not line up.

Survey, mark out, Dial Before You Dig

Boundary confirmed, post positions marked at 2400mm centres to suit standard sheet widths, services located before anything is bored.

Bore the holes to the soil

300mm diameter. 600mm deep in clay, 750mm for a 2.1m fence, 900mm in sand or on an exposed site. Machine bored; basalt is drilled, not dug.

Set the posts, then leave them

Galvanised SHS posts set plumb in two planes in 20MPa concrete, braced, and left to take up before anything is hung on them.

Fix the rails at height

Three rails at 1.8m: top, mid and bottom, fixed at the same measured heights on every post so the sheets line up along the run.

Sheets, clips, capping

Sheets dropped into the rails and clipped so they cannot lift in wind. Cut edges sealed. Colour-matched capping across the top, post caps on.

Gate, check, hand over

Gate hung and adjusted to self-close if required. The run is sighted from both ends for line and level before we leave.

Colour, Made Real

See the colour on a real boundary, not a chip

Colorbond reads completely differently at fence scale than it does on a small sample. Tap a colour to wrap a real Melbourne backyard.

Melbourne backyard boundary ready for a Colorbond fence

Now showing: Monument®

Popular colours

Monument®

The most-installed colour in Melbourne

Order a free Monument sample

Colour names are BlueScope® Colorbond® trademarks. On-screen colours are indicative; we bring physical samples to your free measure.

Honest Pricing

Colorbond fencing cost Melbourne

What a standard residential run includes: genuine Colorbond® steel, posts in concrete and rails. We give you a firm, itemised price at your free on-site measure.

Fence profile

Height1.8m

Length20m

Your installed run

Free measure & quote

Every quote includes

Holes bored to the depth your soil needs

Galvanised SHS posts in 20MPa, cured before loading

Rails at measured heights, sheets clipped, edges sealed

Line and level checked from both ends

10-year workmanship guarantee

Get an Exact Quote

Built To Spec

Technical specifications

Fence build-upNOT TO SCALE

Steel & coating

Steel standardAS 1397 sheets; galvanised SHS posts and RHS rails

CoatingThermatech® BlueScope; cut edges sealed on site

Panel typeOverlapping sheet + rails

Fire ratingNon-combustible steel

Dimensions & install

Standard height1.8m (1.2 to 2.4m avail.)

PostsGalv. SHS in 20MPa concrete

Wind ratingAS/NZS 1170 engineered

Colour & assurance

Colour ranges22, Standard, Matt & Metallic

Guarantee10-year written workmanship

How We Build

Our installation process

Day 0 · 45min

Site survey and mark-out

Boundary confirmed, slope and soil noted, posts marked at 2400mm centres, services located.

Day 1, morning

Bore and set posts

Holes bored to the depth for your soil, posts set plumb in two planes in 20MPa concrete, braced and left.

Day 1, afternoon

Rails at measured heights

Three rails fixed at the same heights on every post, so the sheets sit level along the run.

Day 2

Sheets, clips and capping

Sheets dropped in and clipped, cut edges sealed, capping and post caps in the matched colour.

Day 2

Gate and sign-off

Gate hung and adjusted, the run sighted from both ends, site swept, guarantee in writing.

The Difference

The fence is decided at the posts. We do not rush them.

10YRGUARANTEE

Backed in writing

Installed by our own crews, guaranteed for a decade.

Not subcontracted, not a look-alike, genuine Colorbond® steel, fully insured, every time.

100%

Footings to the soil, not the schedule

Clay, sand or basalt each get the depth they need. Shallow posts are why Melbourne fences come down in storms.

10yr

Posts cured before loading

Rails go on after the concrete has taken up, not while it is wet. A post nudged during cure is a post that leans.

Rails by tape, not by eye

The same three heights measured on every post is what makes the sheets line up from the street.

1 to 2d

Labour-only, honestly

If you have bought the materials, we will install them, and we will tell you first if the posts are too short for the soil.

Full

supply & install

Colorbond® colours

Free

measure & quote

10 yr

workmanship guarantee

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers on cost, colours and how Colorbond holds up.

Ask us anything

2400mm between post centres. Standard sheets are made to that width, so it means minimal cutting and the wind load the rails are designed for. Some installations use 1800mm on exposed sites or 3000mm with heavier rails, but 2400mm is the default for a reason.

Local Coverage

Colorbond fencing across Melbourne

West and North

Known for basalt under the topsoil, so holes are machine drilled.

Same-day quotes across the region