Choosing the right steel section for your gate

Section size, infill type and hardware all decide whether a gate stays square for years or begins to sag. Here is how we approach the specification.

A gate is a moving structure. Its frame carries its own weight, the weight of the infill and the load of daily use, all through a small number of hinge points. That is why the frame section is chosen before anything decorative is considered.

For most residential leaves we work from the clear opening, the infill weight and the fixing substrate. A laser-cut panel infill behaves very differently from slatted infill in wind, and a gate hung on a block pillar needs a different fixing approach from one hung on a reinforced concrete column.

Hardware is specified alongside the frame, not after it. Hinges, rollers and locks are matched to the leaf weight, and the finish system is chosen for the exposure the gate will actually see.