East Coast Fencing manufactures this 5ft 6in Ultra Heavy Duty Closeboard Fence Panel in-house with 5 backing rails to provide more support than the standard panel at the same height. The finished panel is 1830mm wide, 1650mm high and 45mm deep, with a green/natural pressure-treated finish. It suits gardens that need a high level of privacy while keeping the fence 150mm below the full-height 1800mm option, making it a useful intermediate size when 1.5m is not quite enough, particularly where the buyer wants the traditional solid closeboard face but prefers a more heavily supported panel construction.
This 1650mm Ultra panel moves to five backing rails, one more than the standard panel at the same height. Near-full-height fencing has more area exposed to wind and more leverage between its top and bottom edges, so the extra fixing line is most meaningful here as part of a complete fence with correctly set posts. It is a construction upgrade, not permission to use undersized or poorly installed posts.
The panel uses overlapping feather edge boards fixed to 5 rails measuring 75 x 32mm. By comparison, our standard 5ft 6in panel uses 4 rails. That difference matters because the boards are supported at more points through the height of the Ultra panel, reducing the distance they span between rails and increasing the stiffness of the assembled panel. It is still an unframed design, so the stronger rail specification does not add bulky side framing. A capping strip runs along the top to finish and protect the exposed upper edge.
The green/natural treatment colour is useful when matching other similarly treated timber in the fence. It should not be confused with a separate structural grade: the reason to choose this product over the standard green/natural closeboard panel is the 5-rail construction. The complete range of closeboard fence panels lets you compare heights, colours and standard versus Ultra support without relying on product names alone.
For installation, plan the whole bay rather than treating the panel in isolation. The extra height means careful post setting and support at the base become increasingly important. Plan the complete bay, including any gravel board, before choosing post length so the finished visible height and below-ground fixing are considered together. Suitable fence posts must support the chosen height, and the actual opening should be checked before installation, especially when replacing panels between existing posts. A stronger panel cannot compensate for posts that are loose, out of plumb or set at inconsistent centres.
A gravel board is also worth considering where the fence runs over soil or another damp surface. Separating the panel from ground contact reduces repeated wetting and splashback at the bottom of the feather edge boards, while giving the run a defined base. If you have an exposed boundary or simply want the extra rail support at this height, the Ultra specification is the relevant upgrade; if the site is sheltered and the extra support is unnecessary, the standard panel may be the more proportionate choice.
