Advice from the Experts: What Concrete to Use for Fence Posts
From large commercial projects to DIY, we’ve got the answers you’re looking for.
So you needed a fence. Charlie the Chihuahua keeps escaping.
You decided to build it yourself. Free workout for the week.
You’ve dug the holes and sourced the wood or wire.
But now you need to figure out what concrete to use to fill the holes.
What concrete should you use for fence posts?
While we can’t help much with Charlie’s vanishing acts, we know just what to say to those who’ve dug themselves into a hole. We just need you to answer a couple of questions:
How big is the job?
If you have a large-scale job at a commercial operation, farm, or other industrial site:
✅Call a company like Mathews Readymix to bring one of our blue-striped trucks to help get it done!
If you have a small job at a residential home:
✅ Head to your local hardware store to get a bag of quick-setting concrete or rent a hand-held or small towable mixer.
P.S. Wondering how to figure out the amount of concrete you need for a DIY job? Head to the handy concrete calculator on our site!
How much room do you have on the job site?
If you have an itty bitty backyard, patio, or other small space:
✅You should probably rent or buy a mini mixer.
If you have oodles of space to work with:
✅You can call a reputable company like Mathews Readymix to bring in the big equipment and make the job go faster!
Pro tip: DIY job? Mix up your concrete in a steel wheelbarrow so you can move it around!
When do you plan to pour your concrete?
If there’s immediate heavy rain, snow, or hail in the forecast:
❎Try to avoid pouring concrete in less-than-optimum conditions—it can compromise the strength and durability of the material.
If there might be light rain in the next day or so:
✅Proceed with caution, and use a quick-drying concrete mix.
If the temperature is steady and above 50°F (10°C):
✅Pour away!
What kind of fence posts are you putting in?
If they’re heavy:
✅Use a high-strength concrete mix to create a solid foundation for massive posts, footers, equipment bases, and other heavy-use spots.
If they’re light fence posts or a mailbox post:
✅Use a quick-drying concrete mix—no need for concrete with super-strength.
If they’re a combination of a few different things:
✅You can’t go wrong with an all-purpose concrete mix.
Ready to get pouring? Since you’ve learned what concrete to use for fence posts, you can finish your project with confidence.