Bekaert Fixed-Knot Vs Woven-Wire Fence Decision Guide

Why this matters

Bekaert (formerly Bekaert Corporation, now Bekaert Fencing) is the dominant U.S. supplier of high-tensile field fence for cattle, horse, sheep, goat, and game-fence applications. The two construction families - fixed-knot and woven-wire (also called hinge-joint) - look similar on the roll but behave entirely differently under livestock pressure, in long runs across uneven terrain, and over a 25-year service life. The wrong selection puts the fence on the ground in year 3 when a cow leans on a hinge-joint that the customer needed fixed-knot for, or wastes 40 percent of the customer's budget on fixed-knot when hinge-joint would have served. This reference covers the structural difference between the two knot types, the Bekaert product nomenclature (the four-digit code that crews need to decode at the supply yard), the species-by-species selection guidance, and the run-design considerations that change with knot choice.

The knot - the only structural difference

Both fence types use the same horizontal smooth-wire stays and vertical wire intersections. The difference is at the intersection itself:

• Fixed-knot construction: a separate piece of wire is wrapped around the intersection of the horizontal stay and the vertical wire, forming a rigid knot. The vertical wire cannot slide along the horizontal stay. The fence holds its rectangular shape under pressure.
• Hinge-joint (woven-wire) construction: the vertical wire is bent around the horizontal stay, forming a hinge. Under animal pressure the hinge flexes, the rectangle deforms into a parallelogram, and the fence can return to shape when pressure is released. Repeated cycles permanently deform the hinge.

That structural choice cascades through every downstream behavior of the fence.

Bekaert product nomenclature

Bekaert codes its field fence with a four-digit pattern: the first two digits are the number of horizontal wires, the next one or two digits are the fence height in inches, and the optional letter suffix denotes wire gauge or coating.

Examples:

• 1047-6 fixed-knot: 10 horizontal wires, 47 in. tall, 6 in. vertical-wire spacing.
• 949-12.5: 9 horizontal wires, 49 in. tall, 12.5-gauge wire.
• 1348-6: 13 horizontal wires, 48 in. tall, 6 in. vertical-wire spacing.

The Solidlock product line is Bekaert's fixed-knot premium tier; Sheep & Goat is the dedicated small-stock fixed-knot configuration; Gaucho is a hinge-joint product for general-purpose livestock and game.

Coating designation matters for service life:

• Class 1 galvanized: lowest zinc weight per ASTM A641, shortest service life (15 years average).
• Class 3 galvanized: standard for Bekaert's Solidlock fixed-knot products, 25+ years service life.
• Zn-Al coating (Bezinal 3000): Bekaert's premium coating, 35+ years service life in published accelerated weathering.

Always confirm the coating at the supply yard. Class 1 on a fixed-knot product is acceptable for a temporary or rotation fence; Class 3 or Bezinal 3000 is the standard for permanent installations.

Species-by-species selection

Cattle - low-pressure, low-jumping animals. Hinge-joint Gaucho 1047 or 949 is acceptable for rotational pasture. Permanent perimeter fences benefit from fixed-knot for the 25-year service life and the resistance to bull pressure at gates.

Horses - high-flight-risk, high-leg-tangle-risk. A 49 in. minimum height is standard; 60 in. for stallions or studs. Fixed-knot Solidlock 1348-6 is the published Bekaert horse-fence spec. The 6 in. vertical-wire spacing prevents hoof penetration; the fixed-knot construction prevents the fence from deforming when a horse pushes through.

Sheep and goats - high-pressure animals that climb, push, and exploit any hinge deformation. Fixed-knot is mandatory. Bekaert Sheep & Goat (10/47/6 fixed-knot) is the published spec. Hinge-joint fence holding sheep is a documented failure within one breeding season.

Cattle plus wild deer pressure - common in southern and midwestern operations. Fixed-knot 1348-6 or higher at 60 to 96 in. height. A deer running into a hinge-joint fence collapses it; the deer either dies in the fence or escapes through.

Whitetail or elk game-fence: dedicated game fence at 96 in. or 102 in. height, fixed-knot only. Bekaert Solidlock Game is the premium product. Hinge-joint is structurally incapable of this application.

Bracing and post requirements

The knot choice changes the bracing demands at corners and gates because fixed-knot fence holds tension differently than hinge-joint:

• Fixed-knot fence holds 800 to 1200 lb of tension per stay when properly stretched. A corner brace must resist that combined tension across all stays - typically 6000 to 10000 lb of compression in the brace pipe or wood. Use H-brace construction with diagonal compression rods, post depth 42 in. minimum in frost soils, concrete-set.
• Hinge-joint fence holds 400 to 600 lb per stay typical (lower because over-tension distorts the hinge). Lighter bracing is acceptable - single in-line brace at minor corners, full H-brace only at end and 90-degree corners.

A fixed-knot fence with hinge-joint-grade bracing will pull the corners in over the first stretching cycle, leaving the field with visible sag and a permanent set in the brace assembly.

Terrain considerations

Hinge-joint fence conforms to rolling terrain because the hinges allow the fence height to vary with the ground contour at intermediate posts without binding. Fixed-knot is rigid; on hilly terrain you have to set posts at heights that follow the contour and accept some daylight at the lower wires in dips.

The break-point: terrain with grade changes over 15 percent within a 50 ft span makes hinge-joint significantly easier to install. On flat to moderate terrain, the construction difference is negligible.

Run length, stretch, and tensioning

Bekaert publishes maximum stretch lengths between corner braces:

• Fixed-knot: 1500 ft maximum between full H-braces in flat terrain; 1000 ft maximum in rolling.
• Hinge-joint: 660 ft maximum between full H-braces; the hinges accumulate set in longer runs.

Use a Bekaert in-line tensioner (the ratchet-type strainer) at the midpoint of long runs, not the post itself. Tensioning at the post pulls the post in and induces the brace set discussed above.

Decision tree

• Sheep, goats, or any small stock that pushes the fence: fixed-knot Solidlock Sheep & Goat, no exceptions.
• Horses, permanent perimeter: fixed-knot Solidlock 1348-6 at 49 to 60 in.
• Cattle, rotational pasture, 10-year service life acceptable: hinge-joint Gaucho 949 or 1047, Class 3 galvanized.
• Cattle, permanent perimeter, 25-year service life: fixed-knot Solidlock 949 or 1047.
• Deer pressure or game fence: fixed-knot only.
• Rolling terrain plus low-stress animals: hinge-joint with the higher Class 3 coating to compensate for the shorter structural life.

References

1. Bekaert Fencing Product Catalog (current edition), Solidlock and Gaucho product lines.
2. Bekaert Field Fence Installation Guide (current edition).
3. ASTM A641/A641M: Standard Specification for Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Carbon Steel Wire.
4. ASTM A116/A116M: Standard Specification for Metallic-Coated, Steel Woven Wire Fence Fabric.
5. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Practice Standard 382: Fence (livestock fence design reference).
6. Bekaert Bezinal 3000 Coating Technical Bulletin (zinc-aluminum coating service life).