Horizontal slats
Wide tubes laid flat. Modern and private.
Updated 18 Oct 2026
Tubular gate design: styles, tube sizes and weight
Welded on site at your house.
Get QuoteA tubular gate is a frame and infill of hollow square or rectangular steel tubes. A tube is stiffer than a solid bar of the same weight, so a wide gate stays light on its hinges or wheels. Popular designs: horizontal slats, vertical bars, and a tube frame with steel sheet. Our welder comes to your house in southwest Cebu and welds it there — see our gate welding service.
Three popular tubular designs
Frame and sheet
Tube frame covered with steel sheet. Full privacy.
Pedestrian gate
A small gate beside the car gate.
Tube sizes and weight per metre
| Tube | Weight per metre |
|---|---|
| 1" × 1" (25 × 25 mm), 1.2 mm | 0.90 kg |
| 1½" × 1½" (38 × 38 mm), 1.2 mm | 1.39 kg |
| 1" × 2" (25 × 50 mm), 1.2 mm | 1.37 kg |
| 2" × 2" (50 × 50 mm), 1.5 mm | 2.28 kg |
| 2" × 4" (50 × 100 mm), 1.5 mm | 3.46 kg |
Computed from the density of steel, 7,850 kg/m³ (Engineering ToolBox): (2 × (width + height) × wall − 4 × wall²) × 0.00785. Corners taken as sharp; tubes with rounded corners weigh slightly less.
Tube or solid bar?
| Section | Weight per metre | Bending stiffness |
|---|---|---|
| Square bar 12 mm | 1.13 kg | 1.0× |
| Square bar 16 mm | 2.01 kg | 3.2× |
| Square tube 25 × 25 × 1.2 mm | 0.90 kg | 6.3× |
| Square tube 38 × 38 × 1.2 mm | 1.39 kg | 23.1× |
Stiffness relative to a 12 mm square bar, from I = (b⁴ − (b − 2t)⁴) / 12. Arithmetic comparison, not a design.
Details that make a tubular gate last
Frame size
The frame carries the gate. Wide or tall gates need a bigger frame tube than the infill.
Wall thickness
Thin walls dent and rust through sooner. Ask for the thickness in mm, not only the size.
Closed ends
Open tube ends let rain in, and rust starts inside. Ends are welded shut or capped.
Paint
Primer and top coat; galvanized tube near the sea.
Rules and rust in southwest Cebu
The National Building Code says doors, windows “and the like” less than 2.40 m above the pavement must not project beyond the property line when opened (PD 1096 IRR, Sec. 1007; full text). A swing gate on the street opens into your yard. A fence up to 1.80 m needs an accessory permit (Sec. 301).
Round black and galvanized (GI) steel pipes are under DTI mandatory product certification (PNS 26, DAO 19-16; DTI-BPS). For a pipe-frame gate, buy pipe with the PS mark or ICC sticker.
Near the sea, steel rusts faster. ISO 9223 puts sites within one kilometre of the ocean in corrosion class C4 and those within a few hundred metres in C5 (HDGASA, based on ISO 9223). In Moalboal, Badian or Alcantara, ask for primer and top coat, or galvanized tube.
Choosing how it opens? Read sliding vs swing gate. On a budget: simple, low-cost gate designs. What drives the price: how welding jobs are priced.
We make tubular gates to your opening and install them on site. Get a gate quote — we come to measure in Ronda and southwest Cebu.
Questions
What is a tubular gate?
A gate made of hollow square or rectangular steel tubes instead of solid bars.
What tube size is used for a gate?
It depends on the width and height. The frame takes the biggest tube, for example 2" × 2"; the infill a smaller one such as 1" × 1" or 1" × 2". We size it after measuring.
Is a tubular gate stronger than solid bars?
In bending, a 25 × 25 × 1.2 mm tube is about 6 times stiffer than a 12 mm square bar and lighter per metre.
Does a tubular gate rust from inside?
It can if the tube ends are open. Welded or capped ends and primer keep water out.
Can you copy a tubular gate design from a photo?
Yes. Send the photo and the size of the opening for a quote.
