Products · Ultra Aluminum · Grades Guide
Ultra Aluminum grades: residential vs. commercial vs. industrial, spec by spec.
Every Ultra grade shares the same 6-foot panel length and the same style family — spear point, staggered spear, flat top, flat top with spear, concave, convex. What changes is the metal: rail section, picket size, post sizes, and wall thickness step up at each grade. This guide pulls the specifications straight from the March 2026 Ultra book so you can match grade to job without guessing.
The three grades at a glance
| Spec | Residential | Commercial | Industrial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel length | 72″ | 72″ | 72″ |
| Rail | 1-1/8″w × 1″h | 1-3/8″w × 1-1/4″h | 1-5/8″ × 1-5/8″ |
| Picket | 5/8″ × 5/8″ | 3/4″ × 3/4″ | 1″ × 1″ |
| Posts | 2″ or 2-1/2″ square | 2″, 2-1/2″, 3″, 4″ square | 2-1/2″, 3″, 4″ square |
| Post walls | .060 / .080 / .125 (2″), .100 (2-1/2″) | .080 / .125 (2″), .100 (2-1/2″), .125 (3″, 4″) | .100 (2-1/2″), .125 (3″, 4″) |
| Panel heights priced | 36″–72″ (2/3/4-rail) | 48″, 60″, 72″ (3-rail) | 48″–120″ (3-rail to 72″, 4-rail 84″+) |
| Standard picket spacing | 3-13/16″ | 3-5/8″ | 3-5/8″ |
| Optional close spacing | 1-5/8″ (-01/-51 series) | 1-1/2″ (-01/-51 series) | 1-1/2″ (-01/-51 series) |
| Double-gate max width | 12′ | 16′ | 28′ |
| Short-picket add | $57.00/section or leaf (16″) | $62.25/section or leaf (16″) | $72.50/section or leaf (24″) |
| Panels from (book) | $153.00 | $231.50 | $297.75 |
All prices on this page are Ultra book (list) prices from the March 2026 book and are subject to change. Account holders take 10% off book on every order.
Residential grade — homes, yards, and pool enclosures
Residential is the lightest section: 1-1/8″ × 1″ rails, 5/8″ pickets, 2″ square posts (2-1/2″ optional). It prices in heights from 36″ to 72″, including 2-rail 42″ and 48″ options on select styles, and it is the only grade with a 36″ height and the flush-bottom UAB-200 style in the residential style chart. The 2″ post comes in three walls — .060 for light line work, .080 as the workhorse, .125 where gates hang or spans load up.
Choose residential when the fence is a boundary, a pool enclosure, or a decorative front line for a home: it carries the styling of the heavier grades at the lowest cost per panel (from $153.00 book for a 42″ 2-rail flat top).
Commercial grade — HOAs, multifamily, storefront perimeter
Commercial steps every member up: 1-3/8″ × 1-1/4″ rails and 3/4″ pickets, priced in 48″, 60″, and 72″ 3-rail panels. The post lineup widens to 3″ (.125 wall) and 4″ blanks (.125 wall) for gate duty, and double gates are priced to 16 feet wide. Standard picket spacing tightens slightly to 3-5/8″, and the optional close-picket series tightens to 1-1/2″.
Specify commercial where the fence works for a living but isn’t a security perimeter: common areas, apartment and office frontage, schools and churches, and any residential job where the owner wants a stiffer panel. Note Ultra’s limited warranty runs 10 years for commercial applications versus lifetime for residential.
Industrial grade — institutional and secure perimeters
Industrial is a different animal: full 1″ × 1″ pickets in a 1-5/8″ × 1-5/8″ rail, panel heights to 120″, and 4-rail construction from 84″ up. Posts are 2-1/2″, 3″, and 4″, with post lengths priced to 144″. Single gates price to 96″ wide, double gates to 28 feet, and short pickets run 24″ (versus 16″ on the lighter grades). Industrial’s spacing note matters for spec work: adding circles increases picket spacing to 4″.
This is the grade for municipal, utility, institutional, and secure-perimeter drawings — anywhere the spec calls out heavy-wall ornamental aluminum or heights beyond 72″.
Defender — the security extension
Defender Industrial shares industrial’s section (1-5/8″ rail, 1″ picket, 2-1/2″/3″/4″ posts) in spear-point styles UAD-100 and UAD-101, with gates priced at 84″ and 96″ heights and an extra-tight 1-5/16″ optional picket spacing. Defender freight often ships private truck; additional freight charges may apply.
Premium grade and options that cross all grades
Any of the three main grades can be ordered as Premium for a 25% upcharge per panel or gate. Rackable panels are standard across the line — roughly 6″ of rack from the standard punch, with free double-punching to about 20″ and triple-punching to about 36″ of rack. Custom-width panels carry a $25 setup fee, and custom post routing runs $9.25 per hole. All grades share the same color card — see the Ultra colors guide.
Which grade is right?
- Backyard, pool, decorative frontage: residential — upgrade post walls at gates and corners.
- HOA, multifamily, light commercial, wind-exposed residential: commercial.
- Spec work calling heavy-wall aluminum, heights over 72″, wide drive gates: industrial.
- Security perimeter: Defender.
Send us the drawing or the footage and we’ll return a graded take-off priced off the book — panels, posts and gates, and hardware. Fencing a pool? Read the BOCA pool code buyer’s guide first.
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