Fence Calculator, Post Spacing & Cost

The formula

• Sections = fence length ÷ post spacing, rounded up
• Posts = sections + 1
• Rails = sections × rails per section
• Pickets = (fence length × 12) ÷ (picket width + gap), rounded up
• Total cost = (posts × post price) + (rails × rail price) + (pickets × picket price)

A worked example

A 100 ft fence at 6 ft high with posts every 8 ft needs 13 sections, so 14 posts and 26 rails at two rails per section. With 5.5 in pickets and no gap you need 219 pickets. At $12 a post, $7 a rail and $3.20 a picket the materials come to $1,050.80, or about $10.51 per linear foot.

More about the Fence Calculator

Posts, pickets and the spacing that matters

Here is how the numbers fall into place on a real fence. A 100 ft run at 6 ft high, posts every 8 ft: that gives 13 sections, so 14 posts, plus 26 rails at two per section. The pickets, 5.5 in wide with no gap, come to 219 for the run. Priced at $12 a post, $7 a rail and $3.20 a picket, you are looking at $1,050.80 in materials, about $10.51 per linear foot. Carry that figure to the lumber yard, or hold it up against whatever a contractor quotes you.

The calculator follows the same order you would build in: posts go in first, evenly spaced, set deep in concrete, then rails spanning each section (two per section on a 6 ft fence, three if it is taller), then pickets closing up the face. Plan your gates before you start counting: every gate opening needs two stout posts and its own hardware. Corners each take an extra post too. None of this is hard, honestly. It is just arithmetic. Tedious arithmetic, which is exactly what the calculator is for.

Setting posts that stay straight

A few habits separate fences that stand straight from fences that lean. Set every post in concrete, tamping dirt back into the hole is how the five year lean starts. Crown the concrete a touch above ground level so rainwater runs off instead of pooling against the wood. And buy posts pressure treated for ground contact, not just generic treated lumber, the stamp on the tag matters. One last thing before you dig: call your utility locator. Post holes and buried lines are a mix nobody wants.

A couple of honest limits: the numbers assume a straight run with even spacing and wood construction. Slopes need stepping or racking (which changes the picket count), curves need shorter sections, and gates, corners and tearing out an old fence sit outside these counts. Prices are materials only, and lumber prices move around, grab fresh numbers from your supplier. For a ballpark installed price, double the materials figure, then get two quotes anyway.

A 60 foot garden run worked end to end

Suppose you are fencing a 60 foot garden run, 6 feet high, with posts every 6 feet and pickets butted with a half inch gap. The run divides into 10 sections, so you need 11 posts, counting both ends. Two rails per section gives 20 rails. Each picket covers 5.5 inches of width plus its 0.5 inch gap, so 6 inches per picket, and 720 inches of run divided by 6 means 120 pickets exactly.

Now price that list before you shop. At $14 a post the posts cost $154, at $8 a rail the rails cost $160, and at $3.50 a picket the pickets cost $420, for a materials total of $734, or about $12.23 per linear foot. Running the numbers this way first means a supplier quote that lands far above $734 has to justify itself item by item, not just sound plausible.

Stepped panels versus racked sections on sloping ground

On a slope you choose between stepping and racking. Stepped fencing keeps every section level and drops it down in steps, like stairs. It suits prefabricated panels, which cannot twist, but it leaves triangular gaps under the low end of each panel that matter if you are keeping a small dog in or a determined one out. Measure the run in level sections and expect the uphill post of each step to need extra height.

Racked fencing lets rails and pickets follow the slope itself, so the top line runs parallel to the ground and no gaps open underneath. It suits individual pickets nailed to rails on site, because each picket can be cut or set to a slightly different length. For the calculator, racking changes little in the post count, but it does argue for ordering pickets a little long and trimming them in place.

Ordering extra without quietly wasting money

The classic fence mistakes happen at the order stage, not the digging stage. People forget to subtract the gate opening from the picket run, then wonder why a stack of pickets survives the job. Others count a shared corner post twice when two runs meet, or order rails by the section without checking whether their supplier sells the length their spacing actually needs, forcing every rail to be cut from a longer board.

A modest damage allowance is still wise, because pickets arrive warped and posts split. On the 120 picket run above, adding 5 percent means ordering 126 pickets, six spares, which at $3.50 each is $21 of insurance against a second trip. Keep the allowance deliberate and written down, though. A vague habit of adding a bit everywhere compounds until you have paid for a second, imaginary fence.

When the delivery arrives, store the pickets flat, stacked on a few offcuts so air can move underneath, and keep them out of standing water and harsh all day sun until you fix them. Pickets left leaning against a wall for a fortnight can bow before they ever reach the fence, and a bowed picket is waste you manufactured yourself, not a fault in the original calculation or the timber.

2026 fence prices per foot, by material

Installed prices in 2026 cluster in clear bands: chain link $15, $40 per linear foot, wood pine $17, $45, cedar $20, $55, vinyl $25, $60, aluminium $25, $55, and wrought iron $30, $75. Most homeowners land between $25 and $45 a foot all in. Materials alone, the DIY number, run roughly 35 to 45% of the installed price, which is exactly what the two modes above let you compare.

The ranges are wide because labour rates, height and terrain move every quote. The calculator's default prices sit mid range for 2026, so they are a sane starting point, but swap in your own per foot numbers from local suppliers or quotes whenever you have them. Need the actual materials list too? Our <a href="/fence-calculator/">fence post spacing calculator</a> counts your posts, rails and pickets from the same fence length.

Materials vs labour: where the money actually goes

Labour is the quiet giant of every fence bill, typically 55 to 65% of the installed price. Digging post holes, mixing concrete, setting posts plumb, hauling panels and cleaning up is slow, physical work, and that is what you are paying for. It is also why a DIY build can nearly halve the total: the materials are the smaller half of the maths.

That said, a pro earns the money on difficult sites, slopes, rocky soil, long runs and tight access, and most contractors warranty the workmanship. Use the DIY/pro toggle above to see both numbers side by side for your fence, then decide with real figures instead of gut feel.

How fence height changes the price

Height is a multiplier, not a flat add on. A 4 ft fence costs roughly 30% less per foot than a 6 ft one; an 8 ft fence costs about 40% more. Taller fences need longer posts set deeper in the ground, heavier panels, more concrete per hole, and they catch more wind, which sometimes means closer post spacing too.

Before you price the tall option, check the rulebook: many areas cap residential fences at 6 ft in back yards and 4 ft in front, and HOAs often have their own limits. Pool fences have separate safety codes on height and climbability. A fence that violates code is the most expensive kind. You pay to build it, then pay to fix it.

The hidden costs quotes love to bury

The fence itself is only the headline. Gates run $150, $500 each installed depending on size and hardware. Tearing out an old fence costs real money. Permits run $50, $200 in many areas. Sloped or rocky ground attracts surcharges, and staining or sealing a wood fence adds $1, $3 per foot. Together these extras routinely add 10 to 25% to the base price.

The defence is simple: get two or three quotes, and make sure every quote lists the same scope, same height, same material, same gate count, and whether tear out, permits and finishing are included. A cheap quote with a thin scope is not cheaper. Browse the <a href="/home-garden/">Home & Garden</a> hub for estimators covering the rest of your project list.

Using this calculator to beat a bad quote

Here is the workflow that works: measure your fence line, pick the material and height, toggle between DIY and pro, and adjust the per foot prices to match anything you have been quoted locally. The cost per linear foot row is your weapon. It reduces every quote to one comparable number.

If a contractor's per foot number sits far above this calculator's installed range for your material, ask what is driving it, difficult access, rock, demolition, and get a second quote. If two quotes cluster near the calculator's number, you have found the honest market price for your street.

A worked 120-foot comparison between vinyl and wood

Suppose you need 120 feet of fence and a quote prices vinyl at $28 a foot for materials and $18 a foot for labour. Materials come to $3,360, labour to $2,160, and the installed total is $5,520, which is $46 a linear foot. Price the same run in wood at $16 a foot for materials and $14 a foot for labour and you get $1,920 plus $1,680, a total of $3,600 or $30 a foot. The honest headline is the difference between the two totals: $1,920.

That $1,920 is the real question the comparison asks. It buys you vinyl’s freedom from staining and repainting, while wood buys you a lower starting bill and easier single board repairs. Neither answer is wrong for every household: a fence you plan to keep for decades can justify paying for lower upkeep, while a fence for a house you may sell soon may never repay the premium. Put your own quoted per foot figures into the calculator and argue about the difference, not the totals.

Estimate mistakes that turn a good quote into a bad surprise

The commonest mistake is measuring the fence line as a straight guess across a yard that turns corners, steps over a slope, or detours around trees and outbuildings. Every unmeasured ten feet at $30 to $46 a foot is $300 to $460 appearing mid project, when your bargaining position is weakest. Walk the line with a long tape or a measuring wheel, measure each straight run separately, and add the runs together before you ask anyone for a price.

The second mistake is comparing quotes that silently describe different fences. One contractor’s per foot price may include posts, concrete, hardware, and a gate, while another’s covers panels alone with everything else as an extra. Before comparing totals, list what each quote includes, posts and setting, gates and latches, removal of the old fence, and finishing, and use the calculator’s clean per foot breakdown as the shared yardstick both quotes have to answer to.

Paying for installation versus building it yourself: an honest split

On the worked example above, doing the work yourself removes $2,160 of vinyl labour or $1,680 of wood labour, which is a serious saving by any measure. What it does not remove is the work itself: digging and setting posts plumb, keeping a line straight across 120 feet, and handling panels in wind are the parts professionals make look easier than they are. A fence that leans or sags within two seasons returns the saved labour as rework, with interest.

A middle path suits many households. Pay for the skilled, structural part, setting posts accurately, especially on a slope or in difficult soil, and do the repetitive part yourself by hanging panels or boards once the posts are set and cured. Get the labour quote broken into those stages before you commit, then run the calculator in both modes for your material. The right answer is the one that matches your tools, your weekends, and your tolerance for a crooked line you will see every day.

How to use the Fence Calculator

1. Walk the fence line with a tape and enter the total run in feet as the fence length.
2. Set your post spacing, 8 ft is the usual choice for wood, 6 ft if the site catches wind.
3. Enter the picket width and the gap between pickets; use 0 for a solid privacy fence.
4. Add local prices per post, rail and picket, press Calculate, and copy the results into your quote or shopping list.