What is the Difference Between Steel Cable and Galvanized Wire?

Electric fencing can save 30-40% off costs compared with
traditional fence, due to using fewer materials and less labor. So, when
installing an electric fence, you need to first determine if your fence is
going to be permanent or temporary -because the tools, the infrastructure, and
the products are all going to be different.

Whether your project is permanent or temporary, whether your fencing in livestock or heading into the backcountry; in our How to Install Electric Fence Guide, we’ll answer questions to help you get started in your electric fencing project. It’s all doable, let’s get to work!

Not all wires are the same, you have to pay attention to the ohms resistance and gauge on each type of wire. The bigger the number on your gauge of wire, the smaller the wire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lodj4fRIZxA

Video Transcription

My name's Liam Shaw with Gallagher Animal Management, and we're talking about how to pick different wire types for electric fence.

What gauge of wire do I need for my electric fence?

Not all wires are created equal, so you have to pay attention to the ohms resistance on each type of wire and gauge of wire. The bigger the number on your gauges of wire is the smaller the wire. The smaller number is a bigger wire. That energy travels not through the wire, it travels down the wire. So the more surface area you have, the more electrons can move.

What type of wire should I use for my electric fence?

When looking at different wire types, there's galvanized, aluminum, and some people will use copper. Copper is not good in electric fence situations at all because it corrodes and doesn't get along with other metals, and it's very soft. So you never want to use copper anything. Aluminum wire is also very soft, but it's four times more conductive than steel. So in certain situations you can use it because it has high conductivity, but it's not as structurally sound as galvanized steel wire.