Reference
Fabrication Glossary
Plain-English definitions of 158 metal-fabrication terms used in gate, fence, balustrade, and drawing work. From battened gates and RHS to orthographic views and pool-fence compliance. Each entry links to the CAD60 models that use it and to the relevant Australian Standard.
Terms starting with A
- AluminiumA lightweight non-ferrous metal that doesn't rust. Used for gate battens, slats, louvres, and lightweight residential gate frames.
- Aluminium extrusionAn aluminium product made by pushing heated alloy billet through a shaped die. Source of all standard batten, slat, louvre, and rail profiles.
- Aluminium slat fenceA fence built from aluminium slat extrusions on steel or aluminium posts. Low maintenance, modern look. Ubiquitous in suburban Australia.
- Anchor boltA bolt or threaded stud designed to be cast into wet concrete, providing a fixed thread for a base plate to bolt down to once the concrete cures.
- Anti-lift bracketA steel hook on a cantilever gate that grips under the rollers. It stops anyone lifting the gate up and off its rollers.
- AS 1428.1 (disability access)The Australian standard for design for access and mobility. For pedestrian gates, sets the minimum 850 mm clear opening for compliant access.
- AS/NZS 1554 (welding of steel structures)The Australian/NZ standard for welding structural steel. Covers welder qualifications, weld procedures, inspection, and quality categories.
- AS/NZS 5131 (structural steelwork construction)The Australian/NZ standard for the construction of structural steelwork, with four construction-category levels (CC1 to CC4) of inspection rigor.
Terms starting with B
- BalustradeA protective barrier of vertical members fixed atop a balcony, deck, or stair edge to prevent falls. Minimum 1 m height in residential Australia.
- Battened gateA welded aluminium frame infilled with vertical battens at small gaps. The standard residential look in Australia: privacy without total opacity, no wind catch.
- Bi-fold gateA driveway gate that folds in half on a hinged centre joint, halving the swing arc. Used where opening width is wide but swing room is short.
- Bottom railThe bar across the base of a gate frame. On a sliding gate it is heavier because it carries the rollers; on a swing gate it matches the top rail.
- Bottom rollerA wheel fixed under a tracked sliding gate. It runs along the V-track or inside the U-track and carries the gate's weight.
- Bracing barA horizontal aluminium tube welded behind battens or slats for extra rigidity. Hidden from the gate face but stiffens the infill against wind.
- Butt hingeA pair of flat plates joined by a pin barrel, fixed to the gate stile and the post. The standard low-cost hinge for light pedestrian gates.
- Butt weldA weld that joins two members end-to-end in the same plane. The workhorse joint for splicing tubes and joining frame extensions.
Terms starting with C
- Cantilever gateA sliding gate with no track on the ground. It hangs from rollers on a post and balances on a tail. Good for a clean, clear driveway.
- Cantilever railThe strong beam along the bottom of a cantilever gate. It rides on rollers fixed to a post, so the gate hangs in the air with no track on the ground.
- Catch plateA welded plate on the latch side that stops a swing gate over-swinging past the closed position. Also a target for the latch tongue.
- Catcher postThe post on the far side of a sliding-gate opening. It catches the front edge of the gate and holds it straight when the gate is fully shut.
- Centre lineA long-dash-short-dash line showing the symmetric centre of a feature (a hole, a shaft, a symmetric gate face) or the axis of a rotation.
- Chainwire (chainlink) fenceA fence made from interwoven steel wire forming a diamond pattern, hung from posts with top and bottom tension wires. Cheap, transparent, ubiquitous.
- Chemical anchorA threaded stud bonded into a hole drilled in concrete using a two-part epoxy or vinylester resin. The strongest retrofit anchor for steel-to-concrete fixings.
- Circular Hollow Section (CHS)Cold-formed steel tube with a round cross-section. Used for handrails, posts, and any application where a circular profile suits the function.
- Clear openingThe width of the gap a gate has to cover, measured between the inside faces of the two posts. The first number you take for sizing any gate.
- Coach bolt (carriage bolt)A bolt with a domed mushroom head and a square shank under the head that bites into timber to stop the bolt rotating during tightening.
- Colorbond fenceA pre-painted steel sheet fence (BlueScope Colorbond) with sheets sliding into channelled steel posts. The standard residential boundary fence in Australia.
- Concreted postA gate post set directly into a concrete footing. The strongest and most permanent post mounting for swing and sliding gates.
- Continuous weldA weld that runs uninterrupted along the full length of a joint. The default for structural and load-bearing gate joints.
- Core-drilled postA balustrade or fence post fixed into a hole core-drilled through the slab and grouted in place. Strongest non-cast retrofit fixing into concrete.
- Counterweight sectionThe part of a cantilever gate that sticks out past the post when the gate is shut. It balances the gate's weight so it sits steady on the rollers.
- Crimped Spear TipA pressed-flat pyramid tip formed from the top end of a palisade spear shaft. The cheapest tip option: no separate fitting, just press and weld closed.
- Cross braceA diagonal member welded inside a gate frame to resist racking (the frame trying to deform from a rectangle into a parallelogram).
- Cutting list (BOM)A list of every steel section in the gate, with length, count, and any cut-angle. Feeds straight into the workshop cold saw.
Terms starting with D
- DAR timberDressed All Round: sawn timber machined smooth and square on all four faces. The section standard called out on every CAD60 timber picket drawing.
- Datum lineA line that is perfectly flat and level. You stretch it across an opening and measure from it, so every measurement starts from the same place.
- Detail viewA magnified view of a small region of a parent drawing, used to show fine geometry that would be cluttered or unreadable at the parent view's scale.
- Diagonal braceA single timber board running from a ledged gate's bottom hinge corner up to its top latch corner, stopping the free edge sagging over time.
- Dimension lineA line with arrowheads at each end that measures the distance between two extension lines on an engineering drawing.
- Dog earA picket head style that clips both top corners off at 45 degrees, leaving a small flat top between two angled cuts. Common on paling fences.
- Double rakeA gate built for ground where the top and the bottom both slope. You measure four heights from one level line: up to the top and down to the bottom on each side.
- Double swing gateA two-leaf swing gate where each leaf swings independently. Used to span openings wider than a single leaf can carry.
- Drawing scaleThe ratio between dimensions on the drawing and dimensions on the actual part. Common gate-trade scales are 1:50, 1:25, 1:20, 1:10.
- Drive rackA toothed steel bar fixed along the bottom of an automatic sliding gate. The motor's gear grips the teeth and walks the gate open and shut.
- Driveway gateA vehicle gate spanning a driveway entry. Built as a single swing, double swing, sliding, cantilever, or telescopic gate depending on the site.
- Drop boltA vertical bolt mounted on the leading edge of a gate that drops into a ground sleeve to lock the gate when closed.
- Drop latchA simple gravity latch where a pivoting bar drops into a slot to hold the gate closed. The cheapest and oldest gate latch design.
- Dynabolt (sleeve anchor)A mechanical anchor with a sleeve that expands against the wall of a drilled hole as the bolt is tightened. Quick to install but lower capacity than chemical anchors.
Terms starting with E
- Elevation viewA view looking horizontally at one face of the object. Front, back, left, and right elevations are the standard set, plus the top is often called the plan.
- End stopA steel block fixed to a sliding gate's track or rail. It stops the gate at the end of its travel, both when fully open and when fully shut.
- Equal angle (EA / angle iron)A steel L-section with both legs the same width. Sized as leg x leg x thickness (e.g. 50x50x5 mm). Used for brackets, ledgers, and stiffeners.
- Extension lineA line drawn perpendicular to the feature being dimensioned, extending outward to where the dimension line is placed.
Terms starting with F
- Fence panelA pre-fabricated infill panel that sits between two posts in a fencing run. Built as a rectangular frame with battens, slats, or louvres face-fixed to it, then bolted or welded to posts on site.
- Fillet weldA triangular-cross-section weld joining two surfaces meeting at an angle. Typical for hinge plates, brackets, and stiffeners.
- Flat barA solid rectangular cross-section steel bar, sized as width x thickness (e.g. 50x6 mm). Used for hinge plates, brackets, and traditional pickets.
- FootingThe concrete base into which a gate post is set. Sized by post depth and diameter to handle the post's overturning moment and hinge load.
- Footplate postA gate post bolted to a steel base plate that's anchored to a concrete pad. Used when digging a footing isn't an option.
- Form 16 (engineering certification)The Queensland building approval form on which an RPEQ (Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland) certifies design or construction compliance.
Terms starting with G
- Galvanised steelSteel coated with a layer of zinc to resist rust. Hot-dip galvanising gives 25+ years of outdoor service in most Australian climates.
- Gate motor (operator)An electric motor that opens and closes a gate for you. There are types for sliding gates, swing gates, and ones hidden underground.
- Gate stopA small steel block or angle fixed to the ground or post that physically stops the gate at its open or closed position.
- Ground clearanceThe gap between the bottom of a gate and the ground. Too small and the gate catches on dirt and leaves; too big and it is easy to crawl under.
Terms starting with H
- Heat-affected zone (HAZ)The strip of parent metal next to a weld whose microstructure has been changed by the heat of welding. Often the weakest part of the joint.
- Hex boltA bolt with a hexagonal head, fully or partially threaded, tightened with a spanner. The universal structural fastener.
- Hidden lineA dashed line on a drawing showing edges that exist on the object but are hidden from view by a closer surface. Drawn as short evenly-spaced dashes.
- Hinge offsetThe horizontal distance from the gate-stile face to the centre of the hinge pin. Sets where the gate pivots and how much swing clearance you need.
- Hinge stileThe vertical gate member on the hinge side. Carries all the gate's weight in shear and the wind moment in bending. The most heavily loaded part of the frame.
- Hot-dip galvanisingDipping fabricated steel into molten zinc at ~450 °C, forming a metallurgically-bonded zinc coating 60–100 μm thick.
- Hydraulic gate closerA piston-style closer with adjustable damping that returns a heavy gate softly to closed. Used where self-closing hinges aren't strong enough.
Terms starting with I
Terms starting with J
Terms starting with K
Terms starting with L
- Latch stileThe vertical gate member on the latch side. Carries the latch hardware and stops against the catch plate or latch post when closed.
- LedgeA horizontal timber rail on a hung gate leaf that doubles as the mounting point for the hinges, in place of a vertical hinge stile.
- Lever-handle latchA latch with a lever or ball handle that retracts the latch tongue when pressed. Used on pedestrian gates that need to be opened from either side.
- Lock surround plateA solid plate welded flush to the front face of a battened gate around the lockbox. It closes the gap between battens so a hand can't reach through to the lock.
- LockboxA welded steel housing on the latch stile that holds the lock body and protects it from weather and tampering.
- Loop detectorAn induction loop buried in the driveway that senses metal vehicles and triggers the gate to open or hold open. Standard for vehicle-only gate operation.
- Loop-top fenceA tubular fence where the top of each vertical bar bends back over the top rail in a smooth loop. No graspable top, no climb point, no spear.
- Louvred gateA gate filled with angled overlapping horizontal slats (louvres) that block the line of sight while letting airflow through.
Terms starting with M
- Magna LatchA magnetic, key-lockable, top-pull pool-gate latch made by D&D Technologies. The de-facto standard for AS1926.1-compliant pool gates in Australia.
- Manual releaseA keyed lever on a gate motor that disengages the drive so the gate can be pushed by hand. Required by AS/NZS 4505 for power-fail emergencies.
- Marine-grade aluminiumAluminium alloys (5052, 5083, 6061-T6) chosen for high corrosion resistance in saltwater environments. Used within 1 km of coast.
- Mid railA horizontal member added between top and bottom rails for stiffness or batten anchoring. Optional on short gates, common on tall ones.
- MIG welding (GMAW)Gas Metal Arc Welding. A continuous wire electrode feeds through a gun, melts in an inert gas shield, and lays a fast clean weld bead. The default for steel gate fabrication.
- Mild steelPlain low-carbon structural steel, the default material for gate frames and posts. Cheap, weldable, but rusts without coating.
- Mitre jointA joint between two members cut at matching angles (typically 45°) so they meet at a 90° corner with no exposed end-grain.
Terms starting with N
Terms starting with O
- Orthographic viewA 2D drawing showing one face of a 3D object as if projected perpendicularly onto the drawing plane (front, side, or top).
- Overlap allowanceExtra width added to each side of a sliding gate so the closed gate laps over the post or fence and leaves no gap. Usually 50 to 150 mm per side.
Terms starting with P
- PalingA timber picket fixed with no gap to its neighbours, boards butted edge to edge for a fully private fence. Same board, same fixing, zero gap.
- Palisade FenceA perimeter fence of vertical spear shafts welded between horizontal rails, with pointed tips at the top. Heritage security style, common on schools, substations, and commercial yards.
- Parallel Flange Channel (PFC)A steel C-shaped section with flat parallel flanges. Sized by web height (e.g. PFC 100, PFC 150). Used as posts, beams, and heavy ledgers.
- Patterned battensA custom batten layout where width, profile, and spacing vary across the gate to make a deliberate visual rhythm.
- Pedestrian gateA single-leaf gate sized for foot traffic. Standard residential widths in Australia are 900, 1000, or 1100 mm. Heights run 1200 to 2100 mm.
- Photo eye (safety beam)A pair of infrared sensors across a gate opening. Breaks the beam and the gate motor stops or reverses. Standard automated-gate safety device.
- Picket fenceA fence with vertical pickets (slim flat or tubular bars) running between two horizontal rails. Open structure, classical look.
- Pipe (vs tube)A round hollow section sized by nominal bore (NB) for fluid flow. Different sizing convention from tube, which is sized by outside diameter.
- Plan viewA view looking straight down at the object from above. Shows the footprint and any horizontal arrangement of features.
- PlateFlat steel sheet thicker than 5 mm, supplied in standard widths and lengths. Used for footplates, hinge plates, gussets, and reinforcement.
- Plug weldA weld made by drilling a hole in one part, then filling the hole with weld metal that bonds to the part underneath. Used to fix overlapping plates.
- PlumbVertical, true to gravity. A plumb post stands at exactly 90 degrees to a level horizontal datum. Out-of-plumb is the most common gate-install fault.
- Pool fenceA barrier surrounding a private pool. In Australia, AS1926.1 mandates ≥1200 mm height, ≤100 mm gaps, and self-closing self-latching gates.
- Pop rivet (blind rivet)A two-part rivet installed from one side using a pull-mandrel rivet gun. Used for sheet-metal and aluminium-on-aluminium fixings.
- Powder coatA dry paint finish that's electrostatically applied and cured under heat. Standard colour finish over galvanised steel for gates and fences in Australia.
- Pre-galvanised steelSteel that's been galvanised in coil form before being shaped. Coating is thinner than hot-dip galvanise but the steel is ready to use straight from stock.
- Privacy screenA fixed panel of battens, slats, or louvres used as a free-standing or wall-mounted screen for visual privacy.
Terms starting with R
- RakeRake means the ground is not flat. It slopes up or down. For a sliding gate, the slope changes how you measure the opening and how the gate is built.
- Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS)Cold-formed steel tube with a rectangular cross-section, used as gate-frame stiles and rails. Common sizes 50×25 mm to 100×50 mm.
Terms starting with S
- Sag (gate sag)The drop of the leading edge of a swing gate over time, caused by gate weight, wind load, and any out-of-plumb in the hinge stile.
- Scalloped picket topA picket fence top where the individual picket lengths trace a dip or arch across the span while the rails stay perfectly level underneath.
- Section viewA view created by imagining a cutting plane through the part and drawing what would be exposed on the cut face. Shows internal structure that elevations can't.
- Self-closingA gate behaviour: when released from any open position, the gate returns to closed automatically without manual help. Required on pool gates by AS1926.1.
- Self-closing hingeA hinge with a built-in spring or hydraulic cartridge that pulls the gate closed automatically. Required on pool gates by AS1926.1.
- Self-latchingA gate behaviour: when the gate reaches its closed position, the latch engages automatically without anyone pressing or pulling it. Required on pool gates.
- SetoutMarking where the posts, gates, and panels will go on the real ground before any digging starts. The last chance to catch a measuring mistake.
- Side panelA fixed (non-opening) panel adjacent to a gate, used to fill the remainder of an opening that is wider than the gate leaf.
- Side-mount postA balustrade post bolted to the side face of a slab or beam (not the top), using a heavy bracket. Used to gain headroom or skirt the slab edge.
- Single rakeA gate built for ground that slopes one way. The top stays flat and level; the bottom follows the slope. You measure one height on each side.
- Single swing gateA one-leaf swing gate. Practical up to about 3.5 m wide before the leverage on the hinges starts pulling the leading edge out of plumb.
- Slatted gateA gate filled with wide solid slats arranged tight or with a minimal gap, blocking sight lines for a privacy finish.
- Sliding gateA gate that slides sideways to open, instead of swinging out. Picked when there is no room out front for a gate to swing.
- Spear (Palisade)A vertical shaft (typically 25x25x1.2 SHS) running between top and bottom rails of a palisade gate or fence panel, finished in a crimped or cast tip.
- Spear ArrowheadA cast or fabricated decorative tip welded to the top of a palisade spear shaft. Heritage style, typically 120 mm tall with a 40 mm base and an optional decorative collar.
- Spear-top fenceA picket or tubular fence where each vertical bar finishes in a pointed spearhead. Standard security/anti-climb top.
- Spigot-mount post (balustrade)A balustrade post fixed by inserting a spigot (a stub shaft) into a sleeve cast into the slab. Lets the post be removed without breaking concrete.
- Spirit levelA hand tool with a bubble in a liquid tube that shows when something is perfectly flat (level) or upright (plumb). Used to set a level datum line.
- SquareAt exactly 90 degrees to a reference. A square gate frame has all four corners at right angles. Out-of-square frames don't sit right and bind on hardware.
- Square bar (solid bar)A solid square-cross-section steel bar (e.g. 12x12, 16x16, 20x20 mm). Used for traditional pickets, balustrade balusters, and decorative work.
- Square Hollow Section (SHS)Cold-formed steel tube with a square cross-section, used as gate posts and frames. Common sizes 25×25 mm to 100×100 mm.
- Stainless steelA steel alloy with at least 10.5% chromium for natural corrosion resistance. Used on marine, pool, and architectural gate hardware.
- STEP fileStandard for the Exchange of Product Model Data (ISO 10303). A neutral 3D file format for moving CAD geometry between programs.
- Stick welding (MMAW)Manual Metal Arc Welding. A flux-coated electrode burns down as it welds, with the flux producing its own gas shield. Tough, portable, no gas bottle needed.
- StileA vertical member of a gate frame. The hinge stile carries the hinges; the latch stile carries the latch. Together with the rails they form the gate perimeter.
- Stitch weldA series of short welds with gaps between them, instead of one continuous weld. Used to control distortion and reduce weld metal on long joints.
- Strap hinge (T-hinge)A long-armed hinge with a strap that bolts across the face of the gate, giving a wider lever arm and more visible structure than a butt hinge.
- String lineA thin line pulled tight between two points to mark a straight edge or a level line on site. The cheapest and most trusted setting-out tool.
- Swing gateA gate that pivots on hinges to open and close. Used where there is room out front for the swing arc.
Terms starting with T
- Tack weldA short, light weld used to hold parts in position before laying the structural welds. Quick, cheap, removable if the alignment is wrong.
- Tek screw (self-drilling screw)A self-drilling, self-tapping screw with a drill point. Bites straight into steel up to about 5 mm thick without a pilot hole.
- Telescopic gateA multi-section sliding gate where panels slide and overlap, allowing a long gate to fit a runout shorter than the opening width.
- TIG welding (GTAW)Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. A non-consumable tungsten electrode strikes an arc, optionally with a separate filler rod. Slow, beautiful, used on stainless and detail welds.
- Timber picketA dressed timber board face-fixed to a fence or gate's rails, its top end cut into a shaped head. The classic Australian cottage-fence infill board.
- Title blockThe bordered information block at the corner of an engineering drawing containing job name, date, scale, revision, and originator.
- Top railThe bar running across the top of a gate frame, joining the two side bars. It caps the gate and holds the tops of the battens or slats.
- Top roller (guide roller)On a cantilever gate, a pair of rollers fixed to the post. They hold up the cantilever rail and let the gate slide, and they carry the gate's weight.
- Tubular fenceA fence built from tube (square or round, aluminium or steel), welded into panels with vertical infill bars between top and bottom rails.
Terms starting with U
Terms starting with V
Terms starting with W
- Wall-bolted postA gate post bolted to an existing brick, block, or concrete wall. Used where a hinge stile lands on a building face.
- Weld penetrationHow deeply weld metal fuses into the parent metal. Full penetration develops the full strength of the joint; partial penetration is sized to the load.
- Weld throat thicknessThe shortest distance from the root of a fillet weld to its theoretical face. Determines the shear capacity of the weld.
- Weld-on hingeA hinge with a steel barrel that gets welded directly to the gate stile and post, no bolts or plates. Standard for medium and heavy steel gates.
- Welded mesh fenceA fence panel made from horizontal and vertical wires welded into a rigid grid. Common for security, schools, and animal enclosures.
- Wicket gateA small pedestrian gate built into a larger driveway gate, letting one person walk through without opening the full gate.
- Wrought ironA traditional ferrous material with a fibrous internal structure, hand-forged into decorative gates and railings. Mostly replaced by mild steel today.