Spade for fence post holes
Updated: 21 October 2026
You are setting fence posts by hand, and a border spade will open a crater. A narrow drainage spade, or a fencing graft, keeps the hole closer to the post. This page covers width, depth and which tool lifts the spoil. It is not the drain-fall page. The shortlist is the [best drainage spade](/hub/digging-tools/drainage-spade/sub/drainage-spade-best) page, and the table of listings is the [drainage spade comparison](/hub/digging-tools/drainage-spade). A 600 mm hole is a published recommendation, not a statute. Peter F. compared the listings and public UK sources in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are setting fence posts by hand, and a border spade will open a crater. A narrow drainage spade, or a fencing graft, keeps the hole closer to the post. This page covers width, depth and which tool lifts the spoil.
You are setting fence posts by hand, and a border spade will open a crater. A narrow drainage spade, or a fencing graft, keeps the hole closer to the post. This page covers width, depth and which tool lifts the spoil. It is not the drain-fall page. The shortlist is the best drainage spade page, and the table of listings is the drainage spade comparison. A 600 mm hole is a published recommendation, not a statute. Peter F. compared the listings and public UK sources in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pattern | Shaft | Foot treads | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 2154HK draining shovel | Tubular draining shovel | 711 mm metal | Not stated | 9.2 | about £16.20 | View offer |
 Roughneck Roughneck drainage and post-hole shovel | Post-hole shovel | 1,070 mm fibreglass | Yes | 9.0 | about £21.54 | View offer | |
 Faithfull Faithfull FAIASDMYD draining shovel | Contractors' drainer | 0.7 m tubular | Not stated | 8.4 | about £26.56 | View offer |
On this page
Why the hole should stay narrow
A post needs a straight-sided hole a little larger than the post and its concrete, not a bowl. Extra width is extra spoil and extra concrete, and a flared top lets the post rock. Conservation Handbooks says keep the hole no wider than you need. Jacksons Fencing steers you away from a conventional shovel towards a post-hole digger or a rabbiting-style shovel. A rabbiting or draining blade is the narrow cutter.
The narrow blade cuts the sides. It stops lifting spoil once the hole is deeper than the blade can throw. That is when people stand on the shaft and bend it. Reviews in this set often describe fence posts, on Roughneck, Spear & Jackson, Faithfull and Bulldog tools. That is evidence householders use these blades for posts. It is also where levering stories appear. Cut the cylinder. Do not mine it with the shaft. A trade fencing graft is often longer than the listings we kept. A 1.6 m graft is a real shop item and it is not in this set. You do not need that length for every panel fence. A 711 mm draining shovel still cuts a post hole if you accept more kneeling, which is what shorter-shaft reviews describe.
Depth and width
Jacksons’ common recommendation is a hole about 600 mm deep and about three times the post width, after a services check. BSW Timber uses the same pair of figures, and adds an example: for a 1,800 mm fence, use a 2,400 mm post so the extra length is in the ground. Lawsons’ 2 ft rule is about 610 mm and is described as a trade recommendation, not a regulation. Short posts are not the same sum. A one third of the height chart can differ again. Do not turn 600 mm into a Building Regulations requirement.
Width follows the post. Three times the width is the Jacksons and BSW figure, so a 100 mm post suggests about 300 mm of hole if you follow it, which is still tighter than a border spade tends to leave. If you set the post in concrete, the hole has to take the concrete as well as the timber. A heavy gate post or a post in a highway is a different job from a garden panel. Check the fence maker’s sheet before you care which spade is in the shed.
Spade, graft and post-hole digger
Use the narrow blade to cut, then a post-hole digger to lift the spoil. Conservation Handbooks says switch to a shovel-holer when the spade cannot lift the soil, and do not make the hole with the holer in hard ground, because those hinged blades are weaker. The digger empties a column. It is a poor opener in compacted clay and roots.
The Roughneck is the listing titled for post holes as well as drains. It has foot treads, a fibreglass shaft the title puts at 1,070 mm, a listed weight of 1.98 kg, and 4.7 from 1,336 reviews that mention fence posts in clay and roots. The Spear & Jackson 2154HK is a 711 mm metal draining shovel at 2.79 kg. Reviews centre on posts too, with more kneeling because the shaft is shorter. Faithfull states a blade of 380 by 90–150 mm on a 0.7 m shaft, which is a known narrow width for this hole. The JCB listing is the grafting-named tool: 3.1 kg, a 260 mm blade cited, 149 cm on the dimension line, about £44.99, and 4.4 from 17 reviews. Length is the point of a graft on a fence line. Seventeen reviews are why the title alone is not the default. A trench, rather than a post, is how to dig a drainage trench.
Clay, roots and when to stop
Clay is why treads and weight show up in reviews. Roughneck states treads. Some cable layers are thrown rather than stamped. Roots are where a thin blade gets used as a lever. One Neilsen review describes a blade that bent and then bent again. One Faithfull review describes a handle that snapped while levering. Do not lever a narrow blade on a stump. Cut around the root or saw it. A forged head is still a blade, not a crowbar.
Stop if the hole is filling, if the sides collapse, or if you hit anything that is not soil. HSG47 still applies on a fence line: plan, locate services, then dig. Jacksons and BSW both say check cables and pipes. A steel spade is not insulated. A highway, a shared drain, or a hole that undermines a wall is the point to call someone. Depth advice does not give you permission to dig there. Clean clay off a carbon-steel head before you store it, or the metal stays wet until the next post.
Common questions
Can I dig post holes with a drainage spade?
Yes. A draining or rabbiting blade is what fencing notes suggest instead of a wide digging spade, because the hole stays closer to the post. Reviews on the Roughneck, Spear & Jackson, Faithfull and Bulldog listings often describe that job. You still need a way to lift spoil once the hole is deep. The spade cuts the sides. It is a poor scoop at the bottom of a 600 mm hole.
How deep is a normal UK fence-post hole?
About 600 mm is the figure Jacksons and BSW publish for a typical timber fence, and Lawsons’ 2 ft rule is a similar trade recommendation. BSW’s example for a 1,800 mm fence is a 2,400 mm post. None of this is a Building Regulations clause. Gate posts and short posts need the maker’s own sheet. Treat 600 mm as a starting point for a standard panel, then check the instructions in the box.
How wide should the hole be?
Jacksons and BSW say about three times the post width, and Conservation Handbooks says no wider than you need. A wide crater wastes concrete and lets the post move. A drainage spade helps you keep the sides straight. If you are pouring concrete, the hole must still accept that concrete around the post. Flaring the top misses the point of the narrow blade.
Do I also need a post-hole digger?
For a deep hole, yes. Conservation Handbooks says switch to a shovel-holer when the spade can no longer lift spoil, and do not form the hole with the holer in hard ground because the blades are weaker. The digger empties a column the spade has started. Only the digger, in compacted clay, is the slow route. Only the spade means you cannot clear the bottom.
Is a fencing graft a different tool?
Often it is longer and heavier than a 0.7 m draining shovel. Trade shops sell grafts around 1.6 m that are not in this set. Faithfull’s catalogue separates a grafting blade, about 160 mm wide, from a narrower drainer. The JCB listing uses the grafting name, at 3.1 kg and about £44.99, with 17 reviews. You can cut ordinary post holes with a shorter drainer if you kneel.
Which listing in this set is aimed at posts?
The Roughneck is titled for holes for posts and signs as well as drains, with treads, 1.98 kg and 4.7 from 1,336 reviews. Spear & Jackson reviews also talk about posts, on a 711 mm shaft. The JCB title says fencing drain and grafting, on a much smaller sample. Choose the Roughneck when treads and that title matter. Use the best page if price and a forged head decide it as well.
What must I check under a fence line?
Services. Jacksons and BSW both say check cables and pipes, and HSG47’s order is plan, locate, then dig. A drainage spade is not an insulated tool. Also check you may dig on that line, especially beside a pavement or a neighbour’s drain. Stop if you hit a service or the hole collapses. A depth recommendation does not override that check.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest. Last checked on 19 October 2026.
- Spear & Jackson shovel selection guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Faithfull 2018 catalogue (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI BS 3388:2004 Forks, shovels and spades (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Approved Document H (England, 2015) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE excavations and electricity (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)