The blog cover image is for reference purposes only and does not depict the actual Medallion Fence product.

You priced the job off a spec that names one ornamental fence manufacturer "or approved equal." You have a steel system that is locally stocked, ships three weeks sooner and saves the owner real money. You send a brochure and a price to the consultant. Then the last addendum comes out and your product is not on it.

This happens on Canadian tenders every season, and in most cases the product was never the problem. The submission was. Here is how to build an approved equal package for ornamental steel fencing that a consultant can actually say yes to.

What "Approved Equal" Really Means on a Canadian Tender

The phrase sounds generous. In practice, the burden of proof sits entirely with you. Division 00 (Instructions to Bidders) and Section 01 25 00 (Substitution Procedures) set the rules, and most Canadian versions make three things clear:

Timing is the first gate. On many public tenders, requests for substitution are only considered up to a fixed number of working days before closing, and anything not added by addendum before close is simply not an approved product. New Brunswick's standard instructions to bidders, for example, use a 10 working day cutoff. Miss that window and your only remaining path is a post-award substitution, usually offered as a credit to the owner, which the consultant can still refuse.

Read Division 00 before you read Section 32 31 19 (Decorative Metal Fences and Gates). The fence section tells you what the product must do. Division 00 tells you whether you are even allowed to ask.

The Submission Package: What Goes In

A consultant reviewing ten substitution requests in the last week before closing does not have time to dig through catalogue PDFs. Make the review fast and the answer obvious. A complete package for ornamental steel fencing should include:

Spec Matching: Where "Equal" Gets Tested

Equal does not mean identical. It does mean equal or better on every measurable line the designer cared about. For ornamental steel, consultants usually check:

Picket section and wall thickness

A 19 mm square picket at a thinner gauge than specified is not equal, even if it looks the same from the sidewalk.

Rail profile and connection method

Welded versus mechanically fastened or rivet-style panels matter to designers specifying security or vandal resistance.

Post size and wall thickness

Post size and wall thickness, especially at gate posts, where hinge loads and snow drift loading on a swinging leaf are real issues in most of Canada.

Picket spacing and bottom clearance

If the fence also acts as a guard or a pool enclosure, the opening limits and climbability requirements in the applicable building code and municipal bylaw control, not the catalogue. Pool enclosure rules vary by municipality, so check the local bylaw rather than assuming the 100 mm rule covers everything.

Rackability

A panel that only steps on grade will look wrong on a site the architect drew with a continuous raked line.

Gate hardware

Self closing and self latching hardware for pool gates, and hardware rated for the gate weight and leaf width, should be listed by make and model.

Coating Data: The Section That Kills Most Submissions

Start with how the steel is galvanized. ASTM F2408, the reference specification for galvanized steel tubular picket ornamental fence, permits hot dip galvanizing either after forming or before forming. Many Canadian specs are stricter than that and call for galvanizing after fabrication. If the spec says after fabrication and you submit pre-galvanized tube with welded joints touched up with zinc rich paint, you are not equal, and the reviewer will notice.

Name the galvanizing standard exactly as specified. Most Canadian projects reference ASTM A123, but some still cite CSA G164. They are similar in purpose but differ on minimum coating thickness by material class and on allowable repair area, so a mill cert to one does not automatically prove compliance with the other.

If the system is a duplex (powder coat over hot dip galvanizing), show how the zinc surface is prepared. ASTM D7803 covers surface preparation and thermal pretreatment of galvanized steel before powder coating. The thermal pretreatment step exists because galvanized steel can outgas during the curing bake, which shows up as pinholes and poor adhesion. A coater who cannot describe their pretreatment process is a red flag for any reviewer who has seen a duplex system fail.

Then supply real test reports. The coating performance properties consultants look for on ornamental steel fence are adhesion, corrosion resistance, impact resistance and weathering resistance. For each one, the report should show:

A common mistake: submitting powder coating data from an aluminum fence line. AAMA performance standards are written for aluminum extrusions. Data on aluminum panels says nothing about how that powder behaves over zinc on steel, and a sharp reviewer will reject it on sight.

Canadian Factors That Get Overlooked

De-icing salt is the silent killer of fence coatings in Canada. Fences along sidewalks, parking lots and municipal roads take years of chloride spray and freeze thaw cycling. Coastal projects in BC and Atlantic Canada add marine exposure. If your references are all from Arizona, they prove very little here.

Welding certification is another Canadian specific point that American suppliers often miss. Many specs require fabrication by a company certified to CSA W47.1 through the Canadian Welding Bureau, with welding to CSA W59. Include the certificate, the division and the scope. If welding is done offshore or by an uncertified shop, say so plainly rather than hoping nobody asks.

Footings and frost depth also matter. A footing detail copied from a southern US installation guide will not meet frost protection depths in Winnipeg or Sudbury.

Ten Common Reasons Approved Equal Requests Get Rejected

Questions Contractors and Dealers Ask That Rarely Get a Straight Answer

Can the architect reject my product without giving a reason?

Generally yes, before closing. Most tender documents say the consultant is not obliged to accept a substitution. Ask for feedback anyway. Many will tell you what was missing.

If my product is better, why was it turned down?

Better on one property is not equal on all of them. A heavier picket with a weaker coating warranty is still a deviation.

Will US ASTM test data be accepted in Canada?

Usually yes, since most Canadian specs reference ASTM coating and fence standards directly. The issue is rarely the country of the lab. It is whether the test matches the spec and the product.

Who pays if the substitution causes changes for other trades?

Under most 01 25 00 sections, you do.

As a homeowner, does an approved equal mean a lower quality fence?

Not if it was properly reviewed. The real risk is a substitution that slipped through with thin coating data, which tends to show up as rust at welds and post bases after two or three winters.

The Practical Bottom Line