What Are the Plastic Fences Made Out Of?

Basic Chemicals

• Ethylene and chlorine are the two primary chemicals found in plastic fences. Chlorine is produced from salt. Ethylene is produced from natural gas or crude oil. Manufacturers react these chemicals, which are gas form, to produce ethylene dichloride. The ethylene dichloride is then heated or cracked to produce hydrogen chloride and vinyl chloride monomer. The PVC found in plastic fences is a combination of many molecules of vinyl chloride. These vinyl chloride molecules are used to make PVC resin, a white powder that serves as a building block for PVC items.

Processing PVC Resin

• Once the vinyl chloride has been chemically converted into PVC resin, manufacturers blend the powder with various ingredients such as stabilizers, colors and processing aids. The compound undergoes heat, pressure and mixing to produce a vinyl product that is capable of being molded and shaped. Engineers then feed the vinyl product into dies that shape the vinyl into the pieces that are used to construct a fence. Water cools the vinyl so that it assumes its final shape.

Assembly

• Vinyl fences are put together in various ways, depending on the particular brand of fence material. Some fences are fastened using rails that fit into notches on posts. These notches are then crimped to hold the rails in place. Other types of plastic fences require glue, screws and brackets to hold the pieces in place. Sometimes foreign items such as screws, brackets and glue can compromise the integrity of the PVC material, leading to a shorter life for the fence.

Advantages of Plastic Fence Composition

• The vinyl that is used to make plastic fences makes these types of fences more resistant to corrosion and general wear and tear that other fences might experience. Metal fences tend to rust. Wood fences sometimes rot, and the paint peels. Plastic fences, on the other hand, do not require paint and tend to withstand weathering for a longer span than other fence materials. The cost of a plastic fence usually is greater than that of a metal or wooden fence, but the investment usually lasts longer.