Fence cost calculator
Fence Material Calculator
How many posts, rails, pickets and bags of concrete your wood fence takes. Enter the length and height, pick a style, and get a shopping list.
Materials for common fence lengths
A 6 ft privacy fence of 1x6 pickets, side by side with a 1/4 in gap, posts every 8 ft, no gates.
| Length | Posts | Rails | Pickets | 50 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 8 | 21 | 105 | 23 |
| 100 ft | 14 | 39 | 209 | 39 |
| 150 ft | 20 | 57 | 314 | 56 |
| 200 ft | 26 | 75 | 418 | 72 |
| 300 ft | 39 | 114 | 627 | 108 |
Concrete per fence post
4x4 post in a hole three times its width (10.5 in). A 50 lb bag makes 0.375 cu ft of concrete, an 80 lb bag 0.6 cu ft.
| Fence height | Hole depth | Post length | Concrete | 50 lb / 80 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft | 2 ft | 6 ft | 1.03 cu ft | 3 / 2 |
| 5 ft | 2 ft | 8 ft | 1.03 cu ft | 3 / 2 |
| 6 ft | 2 ft | 8 ft | 1.03 cu ft | 3 / 2 |
| 8 ft | 3 ft | 12 ft | 1.55 cu ft | 5 / 3 |
How the calculator counts
- Posts: fence length divided by post spacing, rounded up, plus one. The post is the fence height plus the hole depth, rounded up to the next stock length (6, 8, 10 or 12 ft).
- Rails: two per section up to 4 ft, three for 5-6 ft, four for 8 ft. With 6 ft spacing one 12 ft 2x4 spans two sections.
- Side by side pickets: fence length in inches divided by picket width plus gap.
- Board on board and shadow box: boards go in two layers. The back layer covers the gaps in the front layer and laps each neighbor by the overlap, so every pair of boards covers twice the width less two overlaps. Both styles take the same number of boards; shadow box puts the layers on opposite sides of the rails.
- Fasteners: two per picket at every rail. Use galvanized or stainless ring-shank nails or deck screws.
FAQ
How many pickets do I need for a 100 ft fence?
About 209 pickets of 1x6 (5.5 in actual width) set side by side with a 1/4 in gap, or 343 of 1x4 (3.5 in) with no gap. Board on board with 1x6 and a 1 in overlap takes 268. Add 5-10% for cuts and bad boards.
How many fence posts do I need?
Divide the fence length by the post spacing, round up and add one: a 150 ft fence with posts every 8 ft has 19 sections and needs 20 posts. Add a post for every corner and two for every gate, since a gate needs a post on each side.
How far apart should fence posts be?
8 ft is the standard for wood privacy fences, because rails come in 8 ft lengths. Use 6 ft on windy sites, for 8 ft tall fences, for heavy board on board or for vinyl panels sized that way. Chain link posts go up to 10 ft apart.
How many bags of concrete do I need per fence post?
For a 6 ft fence with 4x4 posts in a 10.5 in wide, 2 ft deep hole: about 1 cubic foot of concrete, which is three 50 lb bags or two 80 lb bags per post. An 8 ft fence goes 3 ft deep and takes five 50 lb or three 80 lb bags.
How deep should fence posts be?
A third of the fence height, and at least 2 ft: 2 ft for a 4-6 ft fence, 3 ft for an 8 ft fence. In cold climates go below the frost line, which can be 3-4 ft in the northern states, or frost heave will push the posts up.
How many rails does a fence need?
Two rails per section up to 4 ft tall, three for 5-6 ft and four for 8 ft. Rails are 2x4s; with 8 ft post spacing each rail is one 8 ft board, with 6 ft spacing buy 12 ft boards that span two sections.
Hiring it out instead?
Price the same fence installed - materials and labor for every material, height and length.
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