Fencing
Metal vs wood fence posts
Should I use metal or wood fence posts?
Steel posts don't rot, so they remove the most common cause of fence failure entirely. Wood posts cost less and are the reason most fences come down early.
The failure you're choosing between
A wood post fails at the soil line, where it's damp, warm and exposed to air. Everything above can look perfect while the part underground has gone soft.
Steel doesn't have that failure mode. It can rust, but a coated post set in concrete is not fighting the same losing battle a buried piece of wood is.
What steel changes about the build
With steel posts, the cedar becomes a finish material rather than a structural one. The fence's lifespan stops being capped by the thing rotting underground.
It also stays straighter. Steel doesn't cup, twist or check as it ages, so the line down a long run holds.
The honest cost picture
Steel costs more per post. Over a long fence that's a real number, and it's the single most common place a cheaper quote saved money.
Whether it's worth it depends on how long you intend to keep the fence. For a house you're selling next year, probably not. For one you're staying in, it's the highest-return upgrade on the whole job.
Look
Steel posts can be hidden behind pickets so the fence reads as all wood, or left exposed as part of the design — common on horizontal builds, where the contrast suits the style.
Either way it's a choice, not a compromise you have to accept.
Wood posts are a schedule. Steel posts are a decision.