Should you put caps on fence posts?
Yes. A COLORBOND® steel fence post is hollow, so an uncapped post collects rainwater in the open top, and that water sits inside the cavity where it cannot dry out and cannot be seen. Over time that is what corrodes a post from the inside, long before anything shows on the outside. Capping matters most on posts with fully exposed tops, on end and corner posts, and anywhere near the coast where salt and moisture are already working harder on the steel. At $1.60 a cap, it is the cheapest protection on the whole fence.Are fence post caps worth it?
On cost alone the maths is straightforward. Caps are $1.60 for a single, $1.70 for a double and $2.90 for a 65mm gate post cap, against $11.40 for a replacement fence post plus the work of digging out and resetting one that has rusted through. You need one cap per exposed post top, so even a long boundary run comes to a few dollars. The second return is appearance, since an open post top reads as unfinished no matter how neat the rest of the fence looks.What sizes do Colorbond fence post caps come in?
ClickSteel stocks three: a single cap sized for standard 50 x 50mm C-channel fence posts, a double cap for where two posts meet, and a 65mm cap for the heavier gate posts. Match the cap to the post rather than assuming, because an oversized cap will not sit down properly and will let water track past the rim. If your fence includes a gate you will usually need a mix, with single caps along the run and 65mm caps on the gate posts. Check your post dimensions before adding caps to the cart.How do I attach fence post caps?
Post caps fit over the open top of the post and sit down onto the rim, so adhesive is not normally needed. Clean the post top first and knock back any burrs left from cutting, so the cap seats flat and there is no gap for water to track underneath. If a cap sits loose, or the fence is in an exposed windy position, a small self-tapping screw through the side of the cap will hold it without affecting how it sheds water. Check the fitting detail on the listing for the cap you have ordered, since the gate post cap is a different size to the fence post caps.What is the cap on top of a fence post called?
It is called a post cap, and you will also see it listed as fence capping or a post cover. On a COLORBOND® steel fence it is a purpose-made steel cover that closes the open top of a hollow post, rather than a generic plastic insert. ClickSteel’s are named by what they fit: a single cap for one post, a double cap where two posts meet, and a gate post cap for the heavier 65mm gate posts. All three are finished in black, which reads as a deliberate contrast against the fence colour rather than a match.Where can I buy fence post caps?
ClickSteel sells post caps online from $1.60 for a single, with delivery Australia-wide or Click and Collect. The practical reason to buy them alongside the rest of the fence is that caps are the part most often forgotten until the posts are already in the ground, and a generic hardware store cap is unlikely to seat properly on a 50 x 50mm C-channel post. Add them to the same order as your posts, rails and infill sheets so the whole job arrives together. Pricing is set by your delivery state and shown on each product listing.
