“What size is a standard fence panel?” sounds simple, but it can cause expensive mistakes when replacing an existing panel. In the Wern-Wood range, several products use familiar 3ft, 4ft, 5ft and 6ft descriptions, but the listed metric dimensions are not identical across every style.
The safest rule is simple: measure the actual opening you need to fill and check the stated dimensions of the exact panel before ordering.
Browse the live range in our Fence Panels collection.
Wern-Wood fence panel sizes
| Panel | Width | Available heights |
|---|---|---|
| Super Lap Fence Panels | Sold as 6ft wide | 3ft, 4ft, 5ft and 6ft in Natural Green; Autumn Gold 6ft × 6ft |
| Featheredge / Closeboard Panels | Sold as standard 6ft wide | 4ft, 5ft and 6ft |
| Horizontal Hit & Miss | 1800mm | 1200mm and 1800mm |
| Golden Florence | 1800mm | 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm |
Trellis is different again. Our rectangular, convex and Omega diamond lattice panels are 1830mm wide. That is why “6ft panel” should not be treated as one universal exact metric dimension across every product type.
3ft, 4ft, 5ft or 6ft: which height are you actually buying?
Height changes the job a panel can do. In our current fence-panel range:
- 3ft / around 900mm: available in Super Lap and Golden Florence for lower garden boundaries.
- 4ft / around 1200mm: available across Lap, Featheredge, Hit & Miss and Florence ranges.
- 5ft / around 1500mm: available in Lap, Featheredge and Golden Florence.
- 6ft / around 1800mm: available across the main full-height panel ranges.
Those familiar imperial descriptions are useful for choosing the general height, but the exact product dimensions should be the final reference before ordering.
How we measure a replacement fence panel
If the posts are already in place, measure the clear opening between the posts. That opening is more useful than measuring the old panel or assuming the original installer used a standard bay.
We normally allow roughly 5–10mm total clearance across the bay so the panel is not wedged tightly between the posts and has a little room for normal timber movement and expansion. Keep that allowance sensible: the larger the visible gap beside the panel, the more privacy you lose.
If one of the existing posts is leaning, fix the post before fitting the replacement panel. Do not use a smaller panel, force the new panel into a distorted opening or treat a leaning post as the correct finished position.
Why “6ft” causes confusion on replacement jobs
“6ft” is often a nominal description rather than a guarantee that every panel is exactly the same metric width. Some panels are 1830mm wide — approximately 6ft — while others are supplied at 1800mm. That 30mm difference can matter when the posts are already fixed.
Do not assume 1800mm, 1830mm and “6ft” are interchangeable. Check the exact stated width of the panel before ordering and compare it with the measured post-to-post opening.
Replacement-panel checklist
- Measure between the existing posts.
- Check the opening at the point the new panel will sit.
- Allow roughly 5–10mm total clearance rather than fitting the panel tight; a larger visible gap reduces privacy.
- Correct a leaning post before fitting the new panel.
- Check whether the panel you are buying is 1800mm, 1830mm or another stated width.
Remember the gravel board when checking finished height
If the fence uses a gravel board, the panel height is not the same as the total finished fence height. The gravel board sits below the timber panel and adds to the overall height of the bay.
Someone replacing only the timber panel needs to measure the panel opening. Someone planning an entire new run needs to think about the combined height of the gravel board and panel.
Compare Timber Gravel Boards and Concrete Gravel Boards if the base of the fence is also being replaced.
Planning a complete new fence run
Panel width is only one part of a complete run. Posts, end positions and any changes in direction all affect the material list. Our How Many Fence Posts Do I Need? guide covers the post-count question separately.
For the products themselves, browse Fence Panels, Timber Fence Posts and Gravel Boards.
