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Calculators / Structures

How much material for your fence?

Put in the length, the gates and the height. You'll get posts, rails, pickets and the concrete to set them.

These are example numbers. Put in yours.

Your fence line

ft

Add up every side you're fencing, gates included.

Gates
ft

4 ft walks a mower through. 10 to 12 ft for a truck.

corners

Each turn in the line gets its own post.

The fence

Height
Picket style
Post spacing

Posts and concrete

Post size
Concrete

Order this much

19 posts, 49 rails, 275 pickets

That's 4x4 posts 8 ft long, 2x4 rails, and 6 ft pickets butted tight. You'll need 46 bags of 50 lb fast-setting for the holes.

Posts
194x4, 8 ft
Rails
492x4, 8 ft
Pickets
2751x6, 6 ft
Concrete
46 bags2.4 per post, 12 bags gravel

fence = 120 ft − 1 × 4 ft gates = 116 ft

sections = 116 ÷ 8 ft = 15, rounded up

posts = 15 sections + 1 + 1 for gates + 2 corners = 19

rails = 15 × 3 + 1 gates × 4 = 49

pickets = 120 ft × 2.2 per ft × 1.05 waste = 275

hole = 3½ in post × 3 = 10½ in across, 24 in for the post + 6 in gravel = 30 in deep

concrete = (π × 5¼² − 3½²) × 21 in, stopping 3 in below grade, ÷ 1728 = 0.9 cu ft per post

bags = 0.9 ÷ 0.375 × 19 posts = 46, rounded up

Call 811

Call 811 a few days before you dig. 19 holes at 30 in deep is plenty of chances to hit a gas line.

Front yard

Front yard fences are often capped at 3 to 4 ft. Check your town and HOA, and find your property line first.

Gate posts

Gate posts take the most beating. Go 6x6 or set them 30 in deep, and use a brace on every gate.

Wet boards shrink

Pressure-treated pickets shrink as they dry. Butt them tight. Dry cedar gets a 1/4 in gap.

Frost line

In cold country, the hole should go below the frost line. If yours is deeper than 24 in, dig deeper and buy longer posts.

Plumb posts

Fast-set concrete gives you a few minutes. A strap-on post level keeps both faces plumb while it sets.

See a post level on Amazon

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How we work it out

We take the gates out of the line, split the rest into sections, and count from there.

sections = (line − gates) ÷ post spacing, rounded up

posts = sections + 1 + 1 per gate + corners

rails = sections × 2 (4 ft) or 3 (5 to 6 ft)

pickets = line × 12 ÷ (5.5 in + gap) × 1.05

Board-on-board puts two boards in every 9 in. The 5% covers split and crooked boards.

hole = 3 × post width across, 1/3 of fence height deep, + 6 in gravel

Concrete fills the hole around the post to 3 in below grade. A 50 lb bag of fast-setting mix makes about 0.375 cu ft, and an 80 lb bag makes about 0.6. Call 811 before you dig a single hole.

Where the numbers come from

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