Fence Calculator
Posts, pickets, rails, and concrete for a wood fence.
A nominal 1x6 picket is actually 5.5 in wide, a 1x4 is 3.5 in.
0 for privacy fences, 1.5 to 2.5 for spaced picket styles.
You need
219 pickets
Straight run. Add 1 post per corner and frame gates separately.
- Posts
- 14 posts
- Rails
- 39 rails
- Fence sections
- 13 sections
- Concrete (2 x 60 lb per post)
- 28 bags
Estimates only. Verify quantities before ordering.
How this is calculated
Sections = fence length / post spacing, rounded up. Posts = sections + 1 for a straight run. Rails = sections x rails per section. Pickets = fence length in inches / (picket width + gap), rounded up. Concrete assumes two 60 lb bags per post.
Enter the total length of the fence run and how you plan to build it, and this calculator counts the posts, rails, pickets, and concrete you need. The counts assume a single straight run; every corner and every gate effectively starts a new run, so add one extra post for each corner and price gate hardware separately.
Post spacing drives the structure. 8 feet on center is standard and matches 8 foot rail lumber with no cutting. Use 6 feet in windy areas, on slopes, or for 6 foot tall privacy fences that catch a lot of wind. Pickets are counted from their actual width: a nominal 1x6 picket really measures 5.5 inches.
Materials for common fence lengths
Rows assume a 6 ft privacy fence in a straight run: posts 8 ft on center, 3 rails per section, and 5.5 in pickets butted tight. Add one post per corner.
| Fence length | Pickets | Posts | 60 lb concrete |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 110 pickets | 8 posts | 16 bags |
| 100 ft | 219 pickets | 14 posts | 28 bags |
| 150 ft | 328 pickets | 20 posts | 40 bags |
| 200 ft | 437 pickets | 26 posts | 52 bags |
| 300 ft | 655 pickets | 39 posts | 78 bags |
Fence styles and what they cost to build
Solid privacy fencing, boards butted edge to edge at 6 feet, is the most material-intensive and the most affected by wind, which is why windy sites want closer post spacing or a lattice top to let air through. Shadowbox alternates boards on either side of the rails, giving privacy from straight on with airflow and a finished look from both sides, at roughly the same board count.
Spaced picket and post-and-rail fencing use dramatically less material and suit boundary marking rather than screening. A picket fence with a 2 inch gap uses about a third fewer pickets than a solid one over the same run, which is worth modelling before committing to a style.
Whatever the style, the posts are the expensive and permanent part. Board patterns can be changed years later on the same posts, so it is worth spending on post size, depth, and setting quality rather than on the visible boards.
Wood species and treatment
Pressure treated pine is the standard and the cheapest, and it is the only sensible choice for anything touching the ground. Treatment levels differ and the tag matters: ground contact rated lumber carries a higher chemical retention than above-ground rated material, and using above-ground stock for posts is a common and expensive mistake.
Western red cedar is naturally rot and insect resistant, holds its shape well, and weathers to silver gray if left unfinished. It costs substantially more and, despite its durability above ground, cedar posts set in soil still benefit from being treated or from standing in a metal post base. Redwood behaves similarly where it is locally available.
Buy boards a few percent over the count and sort them. Fence stock is often the lowest grade on the rack, and warped, split, or heavily knotted boards are common enough that culling as you go is normal. Let treated lumber dry for several weeks before staining, and expect some shrinkage after installation, which is why boards installed tight develop gaps.
Gates and hardware
Gates are the part of a fence that fails, because they are the only part that moves. Gate posts carry cyclical load and should be larger than line posts, set deeper, and often set in more concrete. A 6 foot wide gate is better built as two 3 foot leaves than one wide one, since a single wide gate sags under its own weight no matter how well it is braced.
Brace diagonally from the bottom hinge corner up to the latch side. A brace running the other way puts the diagonal in tension rather than compression and does essentially nothing, and it is the most common gate-building error. A steel anti-sag kit with a turnbuckle achieves the same thing and can be adjusted later as the fence settles.
Budget hardware separately and buy better than feels necessary. Hinges, a latch, a drop rod for a double gate, and post caps add up, and light-duty hinges on a heavy privacy gate will elongate their screw holes within a season. Use hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners throughout, since modern treatment chemicals corrode plain steel quickly.
Common questions
How deep should fence posts be set?
Bury at least one third of the post's above-ground height, with a 2 foot minimum, and always get below your local frost line. For a 6 foot privacy fence that means holes about 2.5 to 3 feet deep using 9 or 10 foot posts, roughly 10 to 12 inches in diameter.
How much concrete does each fence post need?
A typical 10 inch diameter hole, 2.5 feet deep, around a 4x4 post takes about 1.2 cubic feet of concrete, which is two 60 lb bags or one and a half 80 lb bags. Windy sites and gate posts justify a wider hole and an extra bag.
Should fence posts be 6 or 8 feet apart?
8 feet on center is the standard because rails come in 8 foot lengths. Choose 6 feet for tall privacy fences in high-wind areas, on slopes where sections need to step, or when using lighter rail stock that would sag over an 8 foot span.
How many pickets do I need per foot of fence?
With standard 5.5 inch pickets butted tight, you need about 2.2 pickets per linear foot, so a 100 foot privacy fence takes roughly 220 pickets. Adding a 2 inch gap drops that to about 1.6 per foot. Buy a few extra to cull warped or split boards.