7 Fence Staples For Cedar Posts That Old Farmers Swear By

You’ve spent good money on cedar posts for their longevity and natural rot resistance, and you’ve stretched your wire tight. But the whole system hinges on a tiny piece of bent metal: the fence staple. Choosing the wrong one means your wire sags, your posts get damaged, and your animals find new ways to test your patience.

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Grip-Rite Hot-Dipped Galvanized Fence Staples

Grip-Rite is the name you see in just about every farm supply and hardware store, and for good reason. They are the dependable workhorse of the fencing world. They’re affordable, consistent, and they do the job without any fuss.

The key here is the "hot-dipped galvanized" finish. This isn’t the cheap, shiny electro-galvanizing you find on some fasteners. Hot-dipping creates a thick, durable layer of zinc that bonds metallurgically to the steel, offering serious protection against rust. This is especially important with cedar, as the wood’s natural tannins can accelerate corrosion on inferior metals.

Are they the absolute best for every situation? Maybe not. For extremely high-tensile wire under immense pressure, you might want a staple with more aggressive barbs. But for 90% of hobby farm applications—woven wire for sheep, barbed wire for cattle boundaries, or utility fencing—they provide an excellent balance of cost, availability, and performance.

Bekaert Class 3 High-Tensile Barbed Staples

When you move into high-tensile fencing, you need a staple that can handle the pressure. Bekaert is a name synonymous with high-tensile wire, and their staples are engineered to match. These are not your average fasteners; they are a critical component of a high-performance system.

The "Class 3" galvanization is a huge step up. It means the zinc coating is significantly thicker than standard (Class 1) galvanization, offering a service life that can be two to three times longer. When your cedar posts are expected to last for decades, it makes no sense to use a staple that will rust out in ten years. The staple should last as long as the post.

What really sets these apart, though, are the barbs. These aren’t just rough spots; they are precisely engineered points designed to bite into the wood fibers of the cedar post. Once driven, they resist pulling out with incredible force, making them the top choice for corner posts, brace posts, and any line posts holding a tightly stretched wire. They provide peace of mind that a sudden impact from an animal won’t pop the wire loose.

Deacero Pro-Steel Divergent Point Staples

The real enemy of a fence staple isn’t always a charging bull; often, it’s the slow, relentless cycle of seasons. Wood swells in the wet winter and shrinks in the dry summer, and this movement can slowly work a standard staple right out of the post. Deacero’s divergent point staples are designed to combat exactly that.

As you hammer this staple in, the two legs are designed to spread apart, or "diverge," within the wood. Instead of traveling parallel, they create a wedge-like anchor deep inside the post. This mechanical lock provides superior holding power against the subtle, long-term forces of wood expansion and contraction.

This feature is particularly effective in a softer wood like cedar. Where a standard staple might crush the fibers and create a straight path for easy removal, the divergent points lock into solid wood away from the initial entry point. You’ll notice the difference when you try to pull one out—it takes a lot more than a simple pry.

Maze Nails Double-Dipped Galvanized Staples

Maze Nails has a long-standing reputation for producing fasteners that simply don’t quit. Their "double-dipped" process is a form of hot-dip galvanization that prioritizes a thick, complete, and uniform zinc coating. They are built for longevity, plain and simple.

Think of it this way: any tiny break or thin spot in the galvanized coating is a potential starting point for rust. Maze’s process is designed to minimize those weak points, ensuring the steel core of the staple is fully protected from the elements and the corrosive properties of the wood itself. This commitment to quality is why you’ll often find them on old farm fences that are still standing strong after decades of service.

Choosing Maze is an investment in durability. They might cost a bit more per pound, but the cost is negligible when you consider the labor and frustration of replacing failed staples down the road. For a "build it once, build it right" philosophy, Maze is a brand that old-timers trust implicitly.

Pro-Twist 1-3/4" Class 3 Coated Staples

Pro-Twist brings a modern, professional-grade approach to the humble fence staple. They combine several key features into one high-performance fastener. This isn’t just a bent nail; it’s an engineered piece of hardware.

First, you get the Class 3 galvanization for maximum corrosion resistance, putting it in the same league as Bekaert for longevity. But Pro-Twist adds a polymer coating over the top. This coating serves two purposes: it makes the staple drive more smoothly into the post, and it can help "glue" the staple in place as it bonds with the wood fibers over time.

The 1-3/4" length is a sweet spot for most cedar posts. It’s long enough to get a deep, secure bite into the wood without being so long that it’s difficult to drive or risks splitting the post. This combination of coating, corrosion resistance, and ideal size makes it a fantastic all-around choice for the hobby farmer who wants professional results.

Hillman Group Power Pro Exterior Staples

You’ll find Hillman products everywhere, but don’t mistake their availability for mediocrity. Their Power Pro line of fasteners uses a specialized coating technology that offers exceptional corrosion resistance, often outperforming standard galvanization in salt spray tests. This makes them a smart choice for coastal areas or regions with high humidity.

The bronze ceramic coating is the star of the show. It forms a tough, resilient barrier that is highly resistant to the kind of chemical corrosion that can happen when metal is in constant contact with treated or naturally acidic wood like cedar. The coating is also less prone to chipping during hammering than a thick galvanized layer might be.

While they may not feature the aggressive barbs of a dedicated high-tensile staple, their chemical resistance is second to none. If your primary concern is preventing ugly rust streaks down your beautiful cedar posts and ensuring the staple itself doesn’t degrade over time, the Power Pro is a formidable contender.

National Hardware Hot-Dipped Galvanized Staples

National Hardware is another one of those legacy brands that has earned its place in the barn. They produce solid, no-nonsense staples that are properly hot-dipped galvanized for a long service life. They are a benchmark for quality.

Like Grip-Rite, the focus is on the hot-dip process. This creates a thick, resilient zinc coating that prevents the staple from becoming the fence’s weak link. You can count on them to hold standard woven or barbed wire securely for years without succumbing to the elements.

Think of National Hardware as the reliable standard. They don’t have fancy divergent points or special coatings, but they are made from good steel and are properly protected from rust. For a general-purpose farm fence where you just need a staple that works, you will never go wrong with these.

Angling Staples for Maximum Wire Security

Here’s a piece of wisdom that’s more important than any brand you can buy: how you drive the staple matters more than what staple you drive. The best staple in the world will fail if installed incorrectly, especially in a softer wood like cedar. Never drive a staple straight into the post until it’s flush.

The proper technique is to drive the staple at a slight downward angle, leaving a small space so the wire can move freely with temperature changes. More importantly, for maximum holding power, you should angle your hammer strikes. Drive the top leg of the staple at a 45-degree angle one way, and the bottom leg at a 45-degree angle the other way.

This creates a "dovetail" effect inside the wood. The legs of the staple are no longer parallel, meaning the wood fibers themselves are locking it in place. To pull out, the staple would have to tear out a V-shaped chunk of wood rather than just sliding out of a straight channel. This simple technique can double the holding power of any staple you choose.

Ultimately, the best staple is a system. It’s about pairing a high-quality, corrosion-resistant fastener with the right installation technique. By choosing a staple with features that match your wire’s tension and your climate’s demands, and by angling it correctly into the post, you’re not just building a fence—you’re making a long-term investment that will pay dividends in reliability for years to come.