03.10.2026

3D-printed concrete columns or brick pillars: which to choose for your fence

For a long time the brick pillar was the standard for a solid fence. Here is how 3D-printed concrete columns differ from it, and when each option makes sense.

Why the question comes up

Solid pillars between fence sections make a fence sturdier and better looking. Traditionally they were built from brick. 3D BETON columns do the same job, but they are 3D-printed at our production site and arrive on site ready to install. They replace brick pillars and need no cladding.

Let us compare the two options on what usually matters to a homeowner: appearance, durability, timing and total cost.

Cladding and appearance

A pillar built from ordinary building brick usually has to be clad with facing brick, render, tiles or decorative stone. That means extra materials and extra labour, plus one more surface that may need repairs over time.

A 3D-printed concrete column already has a finished face with the distinctive texture of the printed layers. It needs no render and no cladding. You can choose a shape to match the house: the understated Column 40, the solid Column 78, the radius version with a recess for an uplight, the classic fluted Column 78 or the wide Column 117 for accent spots.

Frost and water

In the Ukrainian climate, the main enemy of a fence is water that gets into the pores of a material, then freezes and expands in winter. In a masonry pillar the weak points are often the joints and the quality of the brick itself, so a lot depends on the materials and the bricklayer.

3D BETON columns are printed from M250 concrete with crushed stone at a density of 2270 kg/m³ and steam-cured in a chamber. The concrete has:

• frost resistance F150–F200;
• water resistance W6;
• water absorption of up to 3%;
• composite reinforcement that does not rust.

Service life and warranty

The columns carry a 20-year warranty, and their design service life is over 100 years. The top is covered by a concrete cap that sheds water, so less moisture gets inside.

For a brick pillar, durability depends on many things: the grade of brick, the mortar, the cladding, the quality of the masonry and how well the top is protected. So it makes sense to compare not materials in general, but the specific solution for your plot.

Speed: from order to finished fence

A brick pillar is laid on site course by course, and the mortar needs time to gain strength. Then comes the cladding and the cap. On a long fence that adds up to a lot of bricklaying time on your plot, and it all depends on the weather.

3D BETON columns are made to order, in about 1 month on average. They arrive on site finished, on pallets and with an instruction sheet. Each column sits on a 400×400×700 mm pier footing, with no strip foundation needed. The cavity of the column is concreted on site. Installation is done by our partner crews or by your own contractor following our instructions.

How to compare prices fairly

Comparing the price of one brick with one column is meaningless. For a brick pillar, count the bricks, mortar, cladding, cap and the bricklayers' labour. For a 3D-printed column, count the column, the cap, delivery and installation.

On our price list Column 40 costs UAH 3,448.25 and Column 78 costs UAH 6,685.25, with caps from UAH 700 each depending on size. Delivery and installation are priced separately, and the final price is calculated individually.

Quick comparison

Boiled down to a few lines, the difference looks like this:

• cladding: a brick pillar usually needs it, a concrete column does not;
• production: a pillar is built on site, a column is printed at our production site and arrives finished;
• foundation for the columns: 400×400×700 mm pier footings, no strip foundation;
• column concrete: M250, F150–F200, W6, water absorption up to 3%;
• 20-year warranty on the columns and a design service life of over 100 years.

When brick still makes sense

There are cases where a brick pillar is the more logical choice. For example, when the house is built from the same facing brick and you want the materials to match exactly, or when you are extending an existing brick fence with matching pillars.

In other cases, especially for a long fence where you would rather avoid cladding and lengthy masonry work on site, concrete columns give a predictable result. See all models in the Fences and columns section.

Send a hand sketch with dimensions or a photo of your plot via Viber +38 067 401 00 94 or through the form below, and we will pick columns for your fence.