I find the topic of fences in Stardew Valley interesting because for so long many of my friends who enjoyed this game would look at setting up fences for the animals early, or even getting fencing up for crops or organizational purposes. And for a long time, and I mean hundreds of hours of play time, I just outright ignored them.
I mean why overcomplicated thing while rushing to a million gold or trying to unlock the community center?
That said, fences are a nice addition to Stardew Valley and as I’ve gotten more advanced in the various ways I like to organize a farm, keep animals from wandering off before I can give them morning hugs, and I do love the way stone paths look when flanked with stone fence on both sides. Still, many new players have a lot of questions surrounding fences this game and as someone who managed to just ignore them for hundreds of hours, I get it.
There are many different ways to use fencing, or just goof around with it in multiplayer. If you don’t use fencing at all, you are limiting your options.
How do you get the most out of your fences in Stardew Valley? Read on to learn how!
Full Fence Guide: All About Fences in Stardew Valley
There are four types of fencing available to the player in Stardew Valley, although only one is available from Day One. The other three require a certain amount of leveling up in farming to unlock the recipe.
| Wood Fence | Hardwood Fence | Stone Fence | Iron Fence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Requisite | None | Level 6 Farming | Level 2 Farming | Level 4 Farming |
| Ingredients | 2 Wood | 1 Hardwood | 2 Stone | 1 Iron Bar |
| # Made | 1 per craft | 1 per craft | 1 per craft | 10 per craft |
| Lifespan | 54-58 Days | 558-562 Days | 118-122 Days | 248 to 252 Days |
| Sales Price | 1 gold | 10 gold | 2 gold | 6 gold |
While that handy table lets you run down the quick stats of each of the four different types of fences you can build in this game, there’s a lot more to tackle on the topic of fencing on your Stardew Valley farm.
Stardew Valley Wood Fence Guide
If you’ve been on a farm or ranch long enough to see many seasons pass, you know that old wood fences need to be replaced in time. The same applies to Stardew Valley, although on an accelerated time scale. Wood fences are a nice way to keep animals penned in, organized pathways, or otherwise help to split up your farm.
The wood fence can be crafted from Day 1 in Stardew Valley and is one of the few crafting items that the player does not need to level up at all in order to make. It only takes two pieces of wood to make one section of wood fence, which even from day one is easy enough to get.
How long do wood fences last in Stardew Valley?
The wood fence will last between 54 and 58 days before wearing down and needing replacing.
This is the most basic type of fence and probably the most common you’ll find among players in Stardew Valley because it’s so easy to make, replace, and it’s certainly one of the best options early on when players are likely getting their first barns and chicken coops.
If you’re frustrated that your fences break every year, then upgrade from wood fences to something else as soon as you’re able to craft them.
Stardew Valley Hardwood Fence Guide
The Hardwood Fence is the epitome of fence building technology in Stardew Valley and is, in fact, the last style of fence that you actually learn in the game, as this long lasting design is out of your reach until you reach level 6.
There are no permanent fences in Stardew Valley, however these are as close as it gets. Personally I think they’re one of the best looking fences in the game. I really like the stone design…but that hardwood. That’s something.
These fences will likely need to be replaced only once if you play long enough to have them replaced. You would have to play over 10 years on one file to end up needing to replace a hardwood fence more than once.
How long do hardwood fences last in Stardew Valley?
Hardwood fences are the longest lasting in the game, with a lifespan of 558-562 days, or nearly 20 months (5 years).
Which is longer than many players choose to use any game file, which would make hardwood fences the closest thing to permanent fencing in the game, and certainly means the first hardwood fence doesn’t break until year six.
Stardew Valley Stone Fence Guide
The stone fence in Stardew Valley is the first upgrade from the wood fence. You can craft this at level two, and each section of fence costs 2 stone to make. The stone fence is slightly over twice as durable as the wood fence, and stone isn’t hard at all to get large numbers of.
Personally this is my favorite fence because it looks good, lasts twice as long as wood fence, AND most importantly there is a high demand for wood early on that first year. You need a lot of wood to build everything. Stone…not so much.
So stone fences are the way to go in early game when other resources are crucial.
How long do stone fences last in Stardew Valley?
Stone fences in Stardew Valley last 118-122 days (just over one year) before needing to be replaced.
Stardew Valley Iron Fence Guide
The iron fence is the only one that doesn’t go 1:1 resource to fence. This makes sense since an iron bar already took gathering and refinement. One iron bar equals 10 iron fence pieces.
The iron fence is the second most durable with only hardwood fences lasting longer.
How long do iron fences last in Stardew Valley?
An iron fence lasts 248-252 days, or just short of 9 seasons (2.25 years)
Common Fence Questions in Stardew Valley
Why do my fences keep breaking in Stardew Valley?
Fences break in Stardew Valley because they wear down over time and in inclement weather…just like in real life. The fences wear down based on the material they are built with with wood fences breaking the most often and hardwood fences breaking the least often.
If you’ve been just making wood fences, then you’ll have them break around twice a year.
What is the strongest fence in Stardew Valley?
The strongest fence in Stardew Valley is the hardwood fence, which lasts over five full years – which is longer than many players play a single file for. If you want to set a fence and then get to just forget it for years, then the hardwood fence is the way to go.
Do hardwood fences break in Stardew Valley?
They do, but since it takes around 5 years many players finish everything there is to do on a file before the hardwood fences wear down and start on a new farm or file.
Do I need fences in Stardew Valley / Why do you need fences in Stardew Valley?
You don’t actually need fences in Stardew Valley. I played many hundreds of hours and didn’t simply build them. The animals don’t need fences, as long as the doors are open they will make their way safely back into the coop or barn.
While the animals don’t need fences, and neither do the crops for that matter, it’s not a bad idea to have them to organize your farm in a way that you like. Otherwise if it’s not your thing, feel free not to worry about it.
In Conclusion
Fences can be a nice addition to the game. While they’re not necessary by any stretch, many players like them to help keep the farm well-organized, the animals safe and in place, or just for decorative purposes while splitting up the farm. I’ll admit, I’m rather preferential to the look of stone fences myself.
There are several great fencing options out there and whichever way you go with one thing is for sure: getting away from the basic wood fence to something longer lasting is never a bad move.
Happy farming!
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Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.