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Fence Calculator

Plan a fence project by estimating how many posts, panels or pickets, and rails you need. Enter your total fence length, pick a fence style and post spacing, add gates, and get waste-adjusted material quantities with an optional cost estimate.

Updated 2026-09-14
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Leave blank to use the standard spacing for the style.

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Covers cuts, splits, and defects in pickets and rails.

Material costs (optional)
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Planning your fence materials

Post spacing drives everything: a 150-ft fence with 8-ft spacing needs about 19 sections, which sets your post, panel, and rail counts. Prefab panels come in fixed widths (usually 8 ft for wood and vinyl, 10 ft for chain link), so matching your post spacing to the panel width avoids cutting panels down.

Board-built privacy fences are more flexible but need more math — pickets are estimated from the covered length divided by board width plus gap, and rails run 2 per section under 6 ft of height, 3 at 6 ft and above. The waste allowance covers split boards, bad knots, and cuts at corners.

Gates are counted separately: each gate takes a 4-ft opening out of the fence run and adds its own pair of hanging posts, which are usually heavier than line posts.

Posts needed
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Includes gate posts and run ends
Total linear feet
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Fence sections
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Panels
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Pickets (waste-adjusted)
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Rails (waste-adjusted)
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Gates
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Estimated material cost
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Common questions

How many fence posts do I need for 100 feet of fence?

Divide the run by your post spacing and add one for the end. At 8 ft spacing, 100 ft needs 13 sections and 14 posts; at 6 ft spacing it is 17 sections and 18 posts. Corners and gates each need their own post, so add those on top.

How far apart should fence posts be?

Six to eight feet for wood, matched to your panel width, and 8–10 feet for chain link. Closer spacing costs more in posts and concrete but holds up better in wind and on slopes. If you are buying pre-built panels, the panel width sets the spacing — not the other way round.

How much concrete do I need per fence post?

A 10-inch hole 3 feet deep takes about 1.6 cubic feet — roughly three 60 lb bags. Set posts a third of their above-ground height into the ground, and always below your local frost line.

How many pickets do I need?

Divide the fenced length in inches by the picket width plus your chosen gap. Standard 5.5-inch dog-ear pickets butted tight take about 2.2 per foot; with a half-inch gap, about 2 per foot. A 100 ft privacy fence runs 200–220 pickets before waste.

Does the estimate include gates?

Gates are subtracted from the fenced length and counted separately, since a gate opening has no panel or pickets. Each gate adds a pair of hanging posts, which are usually heavier stock than line posts.

How this is calculated

Method
Fenced length = total length − (gates × gate width). Gates are counted separately from panels/pickets.
Posts = sections + 1 per continuous run, where sections = fenced length ÷ post spacing (rounded up). Each gate adds its own hanging post pair.
Panels = sections for panelized styles; pickets = fenced length ÷ (picket width + gap) for board-built styles.
Rails = sections × rails per section (2 rails under 6 ft height, 3 rails at 6 ft and above).
Waste-adjusted quantities multiply pickets and rails by (1 + waste allowance); posts and panels are already rounded up.
Assumptions
  • Assumes a single continuous run on level ground; corners and slopes may need extra posts.
  • Standard gate width of 4 ft is assumed for each gate opening.
  • Panel width defaults to 8 ft (6 ft for chain link) unless you change it.
  • Picket math assumes standard 5.5 in dog-ear pickets with your chosen gap.
Sources
  • Common US fencing practice: 6–8 ft post spacing for wood, 8–10 ft for chain link — Manufacturer installation guides (e.g., panel manufacturers) consistently specify spacing to match panel width.
Methodology reviewed 2026-09-14 · See our methodology for how we build and test calculators.
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