What is a chain link temporary fence panel?
A chain link temporary fence panel is a rectangular steel frame with woven chain link fabric stretched inside it, built to stand in a portable base rather than on posts set in the ground. Nothing is dug, nothing is concreted, and the whole line comes apart in the reverse order it went up.
That freestanding design is why it suits Philadelphia. Under a rowhouse block you have old cellar vaults, brick fill, abandoned services and no reliable record of any of it. A fence that needs no post holes avoids all of that. The wider picture is on temporary fence rental.
Panel specification
| Element | Typical spec |
|---|---|
| Panel size | 6 ft high x 12 ft wide |
| Alternative size | 6 ft high x 10 ft wide |
| Frame tube | About 1 and 3/8 in outside diameter |
| Fabric gauge | 11.5 to 12.5 |
| Mesh | 2 in diamond |
| Panel weight | 40 to 45 lb |
| Base weight | 30 to 35 lb, concrete or filled plastic |
| Panel area | 72 sq ft at 6 by 12 |
Zinc coating on chain link fabric is governed by ASTM A392, the standard covering zinc-coated steel chain link fence fabric, and the framework side is covered by ASTM F1043. Those two standards are the difference between a panel that survives ten seasons outdoors and one that turns to rust in three.
The 2 inch diamond mesh is the part that decides whether a fence deters anyone. It is too tight to get a boot into and too tight to pass most tools through, and it is why chain link is still the site fence of choice thirty years after cheaper alternatives arrived.
Is a 6 x 10 panel different from a 6 x 12?
Only in length, and in what that length does to your panel count. A 6 by 12 covers 12 feet of line and presents 72 square feet. A 6 by 10 covers 10 feet and presents 60 square feet, which makes it lighter to handle and easier to fit into a run that has to step around a stoop or a tree pit.
Where the shorter panel earns its place:
- Rowhouse frontages, where a 12 foot module never lands neatly
- Corners, where a shorter panel turns tighter
- Runs that have to thread past parked cars
- Anywhere two people have to carry panels a long way by hand
For a straight perimeter around a cleared lot, the 12 foot panel is fewer joints, fewer bases and a faster install. Count on one more base than panel, since both ends of a run need a foot. Panel counts by perimeter are worked out on the fence rental page.
Why people call it cyclone fence
Because a brand name became the generic term. Chain link fencing was sold in the United States under the Cyclone name early in its history and the word stuck, the same way people say pods when they mean a storage container. If you ask us for cyclone panels, we know exactly what you want and we will send chain link.
There is no separate cyclone product and no difference in specification. Anyone quoting cyclone panels at a premium over chain link is selling you a word.
Coatings, corrosion and a Philadelphia winter
Panels live outdoors, and this city puts salt on the roads from December through March. Galvanised fabric to ASTM A392 handles it. What does not handle it is a panel with a cut edge left bare, or a base sitting in a salt puddle at the curb line all winter.
What we watch for on long standing runs:
- Bases sitting in standing water where a gutter drains
- Cut ends from a site modification, which should be capped
- Screen ties abrading the coating at every gust
- Panels stacked wet at the end of a job, which is how rust starts
If a fence is going to stand through a full winter on a Philadelphia street, say so when you book. It changes which panels we send and where we set the bases. Winter notes on the sanitation side are on porta potty in winter.
Bases, couplers and what actually holds it up
Three parts do the work: the base takes the weight, the coupler makes two panels behave as one, and the stabiliser strut resists wind on anything screened. Miss the coupler and you have a row of panels that hinges over in the first gust.
A 6 by 12 panel is 72 square feet of area. Open chain link lets most of the wind through, so an unscreened line is stable in ordinary weather. Wrap that panel in solid privacy screen and you have built 72 square feet of sail, and pressure rises with the square of the wind speed. Screened runs get stabiliser struts as standard from us, and they should from anyone.
What does a chain link temporary fence cost?
Published market data for this region puts temporary fencing at roughly $30 to $75 a day with $50 the typical figure, and delivery and collection at $50 to $150. Ranges reviewed July 2026, not a quote.
| Line | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Temporary fence, per day | $30 to $75, typically $50 |
| Delivery and collection | $50 to $150 |
| Screen, gates and struts | Quoted as extras |
Length of run, term, gates, screen and drive distance all move it. The full breakdown is on temporary fence cost. Site equipment on the same order usually prices better, which is the logic behind storage container rental cost too.
Where we deliver
We serve Philadelphia and the ring around it, and nowhere else. Searches for panels in California or Texas land here from time to time, and the honest answer is that a yard near your site will always beat us, because the haul is most of the cost of fencing.
Locally we run out to King of Prussia, Norristown, Bensalem, Upper Darby and the rest of the towns listed on service areas. Inside the city, the narrow rowhouse streets are the constraint, and one car parked across the line will hold up an install.
Questions about chain link temporary fence panels
Do the panels come with bases?Yes, one per panel plus one extra to close the run. Couplers come as standard.
Can I get 8 foot panels?Yes, where the site or the code calls for a taller barrier. Chapter 33 of the International Building Code, adopted here through Title 4 of the city code, is what governs pedestrian protection where a site meets a sidewalk.
Can panels be installed on a sidewalk?Only with right of way approvals from the Department of Licenses and Inspections, and only if the pedestrian route still holds its width. Note that portable sanitation permits in Philadelphia route differently, through the Department of Public Health, as set out on porta potty permit requirements.
Is chain link better than a solid barricade?For a site perimeter, yes. For holding a crowd line at a stage, no. That is crowd control barrier rental.
What else goes out on the same truck?Usually portable toilet rental, construction dumpsters, 20ft storage containers, light tower rental and construction site services.
Book chain link panels
What size are chain link temporary fence panels?
The standard 6 x 10 chain link temporary fence panel is the one nearly every Philadelphia site uses.
Is temporary chain link fence rental priced by panel?
Yes. Temporary chain link fence rental cost is per panel per month, plus delivery and setup.
Send the perimeter length, the number of gates and the term, with a photo of the frontage if it is a city block. Request a quote or contact us. Also read mobile office trailer rental, porta potty rental cost, porta potty rental in Philadelphia, the FAQ and the home page.
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