Parts of a Wrought Iron Fence – Pickets, Rails, Scrolls

All 12 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 5 main parts 5

Panel One section of fence, made up and hung between two posts.
Corner post A heavier post set where the fence ends or turns.
Line post A lighter post that stands between two panels.
Picket One of the upright bars that fill a panel.
Picket top (spear point) The pointed head fixed on top of a picket.

A run of fence 3

Brace A rod that props a post against leaning.
Base The iron footing in the ground that a post stands in.
Center support A short leg under the middle of a panel; it stops sagging.

One panel, close up 4

Rail (channel rail) A long horizontal bar that the pickets pass through.
Ring A circle of iron set between two rails as ornament.
Scroll A strip of iron bent into a curl, fixed between pickets.
Rosette A small round cast ornament, like a flower.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-30, for names only; a name is kept only where two unrelated sources use it. Makers are not named on the page. (1) An iron fence maker's catalogs of 1910 and 1963, https://archive.org/details/StewartIronWorksCo.Cat.35C and https://archive.org/details/StewartIronWorksCatSP84 : pickets, channel rail, spears and picket tops, scrolls, rings (the rings impart an ornamental character), rosettes, line posts, end, corner and gate posts, foundation base, brace, fence made in panels with a center support under each. (2) A second maker's catalog (1910), https://archive.org/details/enterprise-foundry-and-fence-co-1910 : pickets, rails of channel steel, spears, rosettes, rings, scrolls, line posts with brace rods and cast iron bases. Two sentences of its terms repeat the first maker's; where a name rests on these two alone a third source is given. (3) A third maker's catalogue (1915), https://archive.org/details/AnchorPostIronWorksCat.50 : pickets, channel rails, top and bottom rails, scroll ornaments, line posts, end and corner posts, cast-iron bases, brace, panels. (4) A mail-order catalog of ornamental fencing (1931), https://archive.org/details/SearsAndRobuckOrnamentalFencing : spear head picket tops, channel rails, line posts, corner posts, post bases for setting in the ground, braces, the adjustable support under the center picket of the panel. (5) A fifth maker's catalog (1911), https://archive.org/details/CycloneOrnamentalFenceAndGates : scroll work, line posts, corner posts, anchor bases, braces. (6) Good Practice in Ornamental Iron Work (1930), https://archive.org/details/GoodPracticeInOrnamentalIronWork : scrolls, rings, rosettes, finial. (7) Wikipedia: Fence (wrought iron fencing, or ornamental iron), Finial (railings often end in finials), Wrought iron. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

An iron fence is made in panels hung between posts. The first view names how a run stands up; the second names the bars and ornaments in one panel.

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A run of fence

Each panel hangs between two posts. A heavy corner post stands where the fence ends or turns, and lighter line posts stand between panels. A brace props a post, and each post stands in a base in the ground. A center support holds up the middle of a panel.

One panel

Pickets are the upright bars. They pass through the rails, and each ends in a picket top, often a spear point. Rings, scrolls and rosettes are ornaments: rings sit between two rails, scrolls are curled strips between pickets, and a rosette is a small cast flower.

Picket tops are also called spear points or finials.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a wrought iron fence called?

The uprights are pickets, held by horizontal rails and ending in picket tops. Rings, scrolls and rosettes are the ornaments. The fence is made in panels hung between line posts and heavier corner posts, which stand in bases in the ground.

What are the points on top of an iron fence called?

Picket tops. The pointed kind is a spear point or spear head, and it is also called a finial. On many fences they are cast separately and fastened to the picket.

What are the curls on an iron fence called?

Scrolls. A scroll is a strip of iron bent into a curl and fixed between the pickets or on a rail. The small round flowers often found with them are rosettes.

What is the difference between a line post and a corner post?

A line post is the lighter post between two panels along a straight run. A corner post is heavier and stands where the fence turns; the same heavy post is used at an end or a gate.