Yardstickly

Fence calculator

Posts, panels or rails and pickets, and the concrete to set the posts, for a new fence.

Measure in

Decimals work everywhere. On a keyboard you can also type 10' 6" or 3 1/2.

Fence line
ft

Each run has its own end posts.

ft
Fence type
Sections
ft

Post centre to post centre.

in
in

Enter 0 for a closed privacy fence.

Post holes and concrete
in
in
in
in

A US 4×4 is 3.5 in.

cu ft

Printed on the bag as the yield or coverage.

%
Add prices for a cost estimate

How it works

The fence is split into sections between posts. Sections = length ÷ panel width, rounded up; posts = sections + 1 for each straight run, plus one for each gate. For a picket fence we count rails per section and pickets along the whole length. Concrete for every post hole comes from our post hole calculator, with the post and gravel base taken off.

A white picket fence in front of green shrubs
Picket fences are built on site from posts, rails and pickets; panel fences go up a section at a time.Photo: Lawrence Chismorie on Unsplash
Cross-section of a fence post set in concreteA post stands in a round hole about three times its width. Gravel fills the bottom of the hole, concrete fills the rest around the post, and the top of the concrete slopes away from the post. post hole ≈ 3 × post width concrete gravel ≈ 6 in / 150 mm hole depth slope the top away from the post
Concrete fills the hole around the post, above a gravel base. Only that ring of concrete needs buying: the post and the gravel take up the rest.

Worked examples

A 150 ft privacy fence in the US, built on site with 8 ft sections, three rails, 5.5 in pickets butted together, and 4×4 posts in 10 in holes 30 in deep with 6 in of gravel:

In the UK, a 20 m run of standard 6 ft (1.83 m) panels needs 11 panels and 12 posts, and 43 × 20 kg bags of concrete for 300 mm holes 600 mm deep with 100 mm square posts.

Panel widths by country

The calculator starts with a common panel width for your country: 8 ft sections in the US and Canada, 6 ft (1.83 m) panels in the UK and about 2.4 m panels in Australia. Measure the panels you're buying, and enter the post spacing centre to centre.

Before you dig

Common questions

How many fence posts for 100 feet?

With 8 ft sections, 13 sections and 14 posts for one straight run. Each extra run or gate adds a post.

How many fence panels do I need?

Divide the fence length by the panel width and round up. 20 m of 1.83 m panels is 11 panels; the last one may need cutting down.

How many bags of concrete per fence post?

About two 80 lb bags for a 4×4 in a 10 in hole 30–36 in deep with gravel at the bottom. Use the calculator with your hole size for an exact count.

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