How to Choose and Fit a Metal Side Gate
To fit a metal side gate, you measure the opening, decide which side it hinges on and which way it swings, fix heavy-duty hinges to a solid post or wall, hang the gate with even gaps, then fit the latch. The key is getting the measurements and the gaps right before you order. This guide walks through choosing a plasma-cut steel side gate and hanging it so it swings freely and closes cleanly.
Complete gate or infill panel?
Our side gates come two ways.
Complete welded gate: the plasma-cut 3 mm infill is fabricated and welded in our workshop into a steel box-section frame, ready to hang on your own hinges.
Infill panel only: just the 3 mm patterned plate, sized to weld or bolt into your own frame. This suits you if you have an existing frame, or a local fabricator building one.
Hinges and a latch are not included with either option, so you can choose hardware to suit your posts or brickwork.
Choosing a design
A side gate is often the first thing visitors see, so the pattern sets the tone for the whole garden. Our full-height side gates are 1800 mm high in 900 mm or 1000 mm widths:
the Hawthorn Metal Side Gate, with winding branches, leaves and haws, for a country-lane feel;
the Tidewater Metal Side Gate, with rolling waves for coastal and contemporary homes;
the Fellside Metal Side Gate, with layered fell ridges, a low sun and a pine forest;
the Daybreak Metal Side Gate, with a rising-sun pattern.
For a front path, the Saltmarsh Low Front Garden Gate is 900 × 1000 mm, with an infill of reeds and grasses. Add a Personalised Gate Name Plate to finish the entrance.
Step 1: measure the opening
Measure the width between the two posts or pillars at the top, middle and bottom. Walls and posts are rarely perfectly straight, so take the smallest figure. Measure the height you want too, bearing in mind that the ground under the gate may slope.
The gate needs to be narrower than the opening to leave room for the hinges on one side and the latch on the other. How much depends on the hinges and latch you choose, so check their fitting instructions before you order. If your opening doesn't suit a 900 or 1000 mm gate once the gaps are allowed for, we can make a gate to your size. Send your measurements through our custom metalwork form.
Step 2: decide the hinge side and swing
Which side hinges? Usually the side that lets the gate open back against a wall or fence, out of the way of the path.
Which way does it open? Most side gates open into the garden, not out onto the drive or pavement.
Check the ground. If the path rises in the direction the gate swings, the bottom will catch. Allow extra clearance, or choose rising hinges.
Step 3: check your posts
A full-height steel side gate is heavy, and all of its weight hangs off one side. Each product page shows the approximate weight. The hinge post needs to be solid:
Brick or block pillars are ideal. Use hinges designed for masonry with suitable anchors.
Steel posts set in concrete are also strong.
Timber posts should be substantial and well concreted in. A thin fence post may lean over time.
Step 4: hang the gate
Wear gloves, and have a second person to hold the gate. Don't try to hang a full-height steel gate alone.
Prop the gate in the opening on packers or offcuts of timber to set the ground clearance.
Check it's level and plumb, and that the gaps each side are even.
Mark and fix the hinges to the frame and the post, following the hinge maker's instructions. Check for cables and pipes before drilling into walls.
Remove the packers and swing the gate. It should open and close without catching.
Fit the latch, and a gate stop if your latch needs one, so the gate closes in the same place each time.
More tips are in our assembly and fixing guides.
Choosing a finish
Satin black and anthracite grey are powder coated for a durable coloured finish. Satin black is the traditional gate look, while anthracite grey suits modern grey windows and fencing. Raw steel will rust outdoors to an orange-brown patina. It suits a rustic cottage or farm setting, but rust run-off can stain a pale path or step below. If you drill new holes in a powder-coated gate, seal the bare edges with touch-up paint. See raw steel vs powder coat outdoors.
Height and planning
In England, gates, fences and walls over 2 m high, or over 1 m next to a road used by vehicles, usually need planning permission, and the rules differ for listed buildings and conservation areas. Our side gates are 1800 mm high and the front gate is 1000 mm, but check with your local council if your gate sits on raised ground or next to a road.
Looking after your gate
Keep hinges oiled so they swing smoothly, and wash coated gates now and then with warm soapy water. Touch up any chips through to bare steel promptly.
Delivery
Complete gates are large and heavy, so they travel on a pallet. Make sure someone is at home who can help move the gate. Details are on our delivery page. Every gate is made to order in our Knowsley workshop, and we'll confirm your dispatch date by email. Browse the Metalwork shop for the full range.