Robinia fencing and cleft palings – choosing by use
Robinia series · Article 1 – Need: “fencing”
Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia) – also known as black locust, and often sold as acacia – is a timber of durability class 1-2 (EN 350), naturally resistant without treatment, which makes it a first-choice material for any outdoor fence that is meant to last. But not all fences are equal: the right choice depends on what you want to contain, mark out or show off. Let us go through the four main families, from the cheapest to the most expensive.
To understand why this timber lasts without treatment (heartwood vs sapwood, flavonoids, use classes), see the complete guide “Robinia outdoors – the complete guide”. Here, we focus on choosing and installing.
1. Agricultural fencing – split and sawn stakes (the entry level)
Security / barrier function. The sawn stake (half-round or quartered, pointed, with or without bark) supports wire mesh, plain wire or electric tape. It is not a barrier in itself: it is the wire-plus-stake system that holds livestock, marks out a vineyard plot or protects a young plantation. It is the supporting structure, not the obstacle.
Appearance. Rustic and unobtrusive. The sawn stake disappears visually behind its function – you want it strong and inexpensive, not decorative. Perfectly suited to farming, where usefulness comes first.
Practicalities. Versatile: vineyards (end of row), orchards (tree staking), field boundaries. Light to handle, easy to drive in. Lengths from 1.5 to 3.5 m, circumferences from 15 to 45 cm – these are the dimensions of the fencing stake; vine stakes and vineyard posts are shorter and have their own sections, covered in “Robinia vine stakes – trellising, vine stakes and end posts”.
Cost. The entry level. The cheapest is the sawn stake, produced in very large volumes; contrary to popular belief, the split stake costs about 50 % more – robinia, being very hard, splits poorly and the loss of material is high. In both cases these are slender, lightly finished pieces: this family remains the entry level of robinia fencing. It is robinia’s historic – and still number one – market, making use of timber from thinnings. Tip: for the same cross-section, the way a stake is made changes its service life – see our article “Round, sawn or split stakes – which to choose (sapwood and durability)”.
2. Forest fencing – debarked round stakes (the robust standard)
Security / barrier function. Like the sawn stake, the round stake supports a fence (mesh, wire), but its full cross-section and larger diameter give it much greater mechanical strength. It is the stake for a fence that has to hold: pressure from livestock, tension from forest mesh, corners and strainers.
Appearance. Debarked and pointed, the round stake gives a cleaner, more regular line than the sawn one. Its natural, uniform look suits woodland edges, enclosures and visible fences where you want a neat finish without going decorative.
Practicalities. Ideal for pasture fencing, vineyards (end of row) and orchards (tree staking). Diameters from 6-8 cm up to 28-30 cm, lengths up to 3.5 m – choose the diameter according to the load it has to take: corner and straining stakes in large diameters, line stakes thinner.
Cost. One step up from the entry level: larger diameter and debarking. Beware of the small 6-8 cm round stake: cut from a young tree, it is rich in sapwood and less durable than a sawn stake of the same cross-section (we explain why in the dedicated article). The large round stake, by contrast, comes from a mature tree – its heartwood core dominates – and offers excellent value in terms of durability for the price.
3. Equestrian fencing – posts & rails (the fence as a barrier)
Appearance and no metal. This is the first reason people choose a posts & rails fence. No wire, no mesh, no visible metalwork: mortised robinia posts into which two or three rows of rails slot. The regular geometry of posts and rails is the signature of the paddock, the stud farm, the well-kept property – as much a landscape feature as a fence, and the most attractive of the working fences.
Safety: visibility, not brute strength. To be precise: in terms of pure mechanical restraint, well-tensioned knotted mesh (Ursus type) will also hold heavy animals. The advantage of posts & rails for horses lies elsewhere: a horse sees a solid timber barrier, whereas it struggles to make out wires – less risk of hitting the fence at full gallop, and no wire to cut itself on or get tangled in.
Practicalities. Mortise-and-tenon assembly with no mesh: clean installation, little maintenance, repairs by simply replacing a rail. Round or half-round rails (2.5 to 3.5 m). Suitable for fields with horses, cattle, sheep and goats.
Cost. Considerably higher: on top of the cost of the posts comes the machining of the mortises, the production of calibrated rails and a much larger volume of timber per linear metre than a simple line of stakes. You are paying for a complete fence, not just supports.
4. Parks and gardens – cleft palings (the decorative top of the range)
Security / barrier function. Cleft paling fence (sawn pales held together by a double twist of galvanised wire) – the robinia equivalent of the British chestnut paling – forms a flexible barrier: it channels foot traffic, protects planting, holds sand (dune stabilisation) and marks out a space without closing it in. Depending on the spacing – tight (dense, screening) or open – it acts more as a visual screen or as a simple boundary marker.
Appearance. The most decorative of them all. A flexible roll that follows curves, a natural grey patina with time, a seaside and landscape-garden feel. It is chosen first and foremost for its look: parks, public gardens, property entrances, urban landscaping.
Practicalities. Supplied in rolls, heights from 0.5 to 2 m – quick to install, adaptable to the ground, movable. Support stakes spaced 1.8 to 2 m apart (reduce to ~1.5 m on windy sites), with the bottom edge slightly raised to prevent water standing at the base. Pairs well with a robinia garden gate to enclose a vegetable garden or a pen. Two tips when ordering: cleft palings without pointed tops cost 5 to 20 % less depending on the height – remember to specify this, as the factory needs to know at the production stage. And on low models (50 cm), install the points downwards: nobody will get hurt falling on them.
Cost. The highest per linear metre. Each roll of cleft paling combines many thin sawn pales with galvanised wire twisting: manufacturing labour and hardware come on top of the timber. The price reflects the finished product and its decorative positioning.
Soil bioengineering. Cleft paling is not just a garden item: it is a tool for gentle coastal management. In France, the national forestry office (ONF, which manages 378 km of dune ridges) installs it along the coast to slow the wind, trap sand and let the dune rebuild naturally before marram grass recolonises it. A technique inherited from the 19th century, simple and reliable. The ONF traditionally uses sweet chestnut: in robinia, cleft paling lasts longer in the permanent humidity of the seashore.
Summary table
Family | Acts as a barrier to | Aesthetic positioning | Purpose | Price |
Agricultural (sawn stakes) | Nothing on its own – supports wire/mesh | Rustic, unobtrusive | Economy, versatility | € |
Forest (debarked round stakes) | Nothing on its own – robust support | Natural, neat | Service life, mechanical strength | €€ |
Equestrian (posts & rails) | Horses, cattle – visible barrier | Structured, attractive | Safety through visibility, prestige – no metal | €€€ |
Parks & gardens (cleft palings) | Foot traffic, sand, light crossing | Decorative, landscape | Mark out and enhance | €€€€ |
Key point. The further up the range you go, the more the fence stops being a mere support and becomes the barrier and the aesthetic feature itself. The price follows the processing of the wood – from the split log to the assembled finished product – and the added value of machining.
Installing a robinia fence properly: the details that determine its service life
Whatever type you choose, a few installation steps make all the difference over time:
Point the narrow end. Cut the point at the end with the smaller diameter: once driven in, the stake wedges itself tight instead of working its way back up.
Cut the top at an angle. A bevelled top sheds rainwater instead of holding it on the cut face – less cracking at the top.
Follow the one-third rule. Allow about one third of the stake’s length in the ground for stable anchoring (more for corner and straining stakes).
Drive rather than set in concrete. Concrete surrounding the foot holds water and speeds up rot. Driving (which compacts the surrounding soil) or a bed of free-draining gravel often holds better.
If you do use concrete: a collar, not a plug. Pour the concrete as a collar around the stake, sloping outwards so that water runs off, and leave the tip of the stake in the soil beneath the concrete – never the foot sunk in a cup of concrete that holds water.
Pre-drill before nailing or screwing. Robinia is a dense, lively wood, known for splitting: a pilot hole prevents splits, especially near the ends.
Anti-split plate and corner bracing. A plate on the top limits drying splits; corners and ends are reinforced with a strut to take the wire tension.
Stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised hardware. Robinia is slightly acidic (pH ~4.5): it corrodes ordinary steel (black stains, fixings working loose). Screws, bolts and wire must be stainless steel (A2/A4) or hot-dip galvanised.
Frequently asked questions
Robinia or sweet chestnut: which should I choose?
Robinia. For a similar density, it is much harder and more durable. In the French Monnin test (NF B 51-013), robinia scores ~9.5, against ~2.9 for sweet chestnut and ~4.2 for oak; on the Janka scale, robinia comes out at around 7,560 N, against about 3,010 N for sweet chestnut – about two and a half times as hard – and about 4,980 N for oak, making it about 50 % harder than oak. In practice, a robinia cleft paling does not break the way a chestnut one does, and a stake lasts longer.
How deep should the stakes go into the ground?
About one third of their length, more for corner and straining stakes, which take the most load.
Which fence for horses?
A robinia posts & rails fence – not because it would hold “more” than well-tensioned knotted mesh (a properly installed Ursus fence also holds large animals), but because a horse can see it: solid, highly visible timber rails, with no wire to get hurt on or tangled in. Two or three rails depending on the animals, mortised posts, no visible metal – and the look of a stud farm. For cattle or on a tight budget, wire mesh on round robinia stakes remains a perfectly reliable solution.
Is robinia toxic to horses? Is a debarked stake safe?
The bark and fresh leaves of robinia are toxic to horses (the toxalbumin robin): a horse that chews a living tree or pruned branches can be poisoned. Fencing timber is another matter: the risk is concentrated in the bark, and our round stakes and rails are supplied debarked – check this when ordering, as debarking is an option on sawn agricultural stakes – and debarked fencing is considered safe by equestrian equipment specialists. Three good practices complete the picture: never leave robinia prunings in a pasture, make sure horses have enough grass and forage (a horse that chews wood is bored or short of fibre), and if necessary provide safe wood for chewing. If bark has been eaten and symptoms follow (lethargy, colic), call your vet.
Do cleft palings really protect dunes?
Yes. It is a soil bioengineering technique used by France’s ONF on the coast: the cleft paling slows the wind, traps sand and lets the dune rebuild itself. In robinia, it withstands seaside humidity for longer than sweet chestnut.
Further reading
Reference guide: “Robinia outdoors – the complete guide” (durability, figures, comparisons).
See also: “Round, sawn or split stakes – which to choose (sapwood and durability)” – why small 6-8 cm round stakes full of sapwood do not last long.
Our fencing products: Round stakes · Agricultural posts · Split stakes · Square stakes · Posts & rails · Half-round rails · Cleft palings · Garden gate.
Contact: Need a price for a length of fencing? Send us the lengths and the use, and the quotation will specify the sections and heights.
Disclaimer. Non-contractual article, provided for information only (photos and drawings included). Robinia is a natural material: the values given are orders of magnitude and may change without notice; in case of discrepancy, only the product’s technical data sheet and the general terms of sale apply. Always check the regulations that apply to your project.
© Xylo Impact SRL — all rights reserved, products marketed under the Acacia Poles brand. Any reproduction, even partial, is prohibited without prior authorisation.
Comments