Fencing Calculators

Free fencing calculators for material estimation and cost planning. Work out posts, pickets, rails, and total cost for a run of fence before you dig.

5 calculators — all live

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What You Can Calculate

  • How many posts a fence run needs at a given spacing
  • Pickets and rails for the total length
  • Total material for wood, vinyl, or chain link
  • What the fence will cost installed
  • Concrete for setting the posts

About Fencing Calculations

Fence math comes down to spacing. Posts usually sit 6 to 8 feet apart on center, and that spacing sets everything else. Divide your total run by the spacing, add one for the end post, and you have your post count. Rails and pickets follow from there.

Corners and gates throw off a clean count, so handle them separately. Every corner needs its own post, and a gate adds two posts plus hardware. Map the layout before you order, because a fence that's 'about 100 feet' on a tape might hide three corners you didn't budget for.

Pickets are a coverage problem. A 6-inch picket with no gap covers differently than the same picket spaced for a shadowbox, so decide your style first. For chain link, you're buying linear feet of fabric plus terminal and line posts. And don't forget concrete: each post wants a hole about three times the post's width, filled with concrete, which adds up on a long run.

Pros run these numbers to avoid the half-finished-fence problem. Come up two posts short and the job stalls while you wait on a supply run. Figure posts, rails, pickets, and concrete in one pass, add a little overage on pickets for off-cuts, and dig once.

Common Questions

What is the standard waste percentage for fencing?

Posts and rails you order exact, plus one extra post. On pickets, add about 5% for cuts and the occasional split board. Buy a couple extra bags of concrete so you're not short on the last hole.

How accurate are online fencing calculators?

Post and rail counts are exact for a straight run. Corners, slopes, and gates change the count, so lay out the line first and add a post for each corner and gate.

What units do these calculators use?

Linear feet for the run, a count for posts, rails, and pickets, and bags for post-setting concrete. US measurements.

Where can I learn more about fencing estimating?

Your fencing supplier's layout guide and the manufacturer's spacing recommendations are the best references. Local code may also set a maximum post spacing.

How deep should fence posts go?

Plan on about a third of the post's above-ground height, and below the frost line in cold climates. A 6-foot fence post wants roughly 2 feet in the ground, set in concrete, or it leans the first windy season.