Fence Calculator for Wood Fences
Estimate posts, rails and pickets or panels using the spacing and material dimensions from your actual plan. No hidden structural defaults are assumed.
Continue your project estimate
Estimate fence project cost →What this estimator calculates
The tool estimates regularly spaced line posts across the entered fence length, then adds any extra posts you explicitly enter for gates, corners or terminal conditions. Gate/opening width is removed from the infill length before estimating pickets or panels.
Core formulas
base posts = ceiling(total fence length ÷ post spacing) + 1
net infill = total fence length − gate/opening width
pickets = ceiling(net infill inches ÷ (picket width + gap))
Fence post calculator: spacing, gates and corners
The post count starts from total fence length and your chosen spacing, then rounds up the number of spaces and adds the end post. Extra gate, corner or terminal posts stay separate so the calculator does not silently guess your layout.
If a fence changes direction, has multiple gates or uses a different spacing in one section, calculate those sections separately or add the known extra posts from the plan.
Why the layout inputs are yours
Post spacing, rail count, gate framing, concrete quantity and fence details depend on the actual system, site and local requirements. This calculator estimates quantities from your chosen layout; it does not design the fence or certify code compliance.
Before ordering fence materials
Confirm the post spacing, gate widths, rail layout and infill product from your actual fence plan. Slopes, stepped sections and special corners may change the simple repeated-section count. Concrete bags are rounded as purchase units only when you enter a bags-per-post quantity from your installation plan.
Related calculators
Fence Cost Calculator · Paver Calculator · Stud Wall Calculator · 100-ft fence post example · Calculation methodology
Example: keep gate opening and infill quantities separate
Consider a straight 60 ft fence run with an explicitly planned 4 ft gate opening. The total line remains 60 ft, but the length requiring regular picket infill is 56 ft, or 672 inches. If the chosen picket's actual face width plus planned gap totals 6 inches, the simple geometric infill count is ceiling(672 ÷ 6) = 112 pickets before any selected cutting allowance. The gate itself requires its own materials and hardware.
Regular post-count arithmetic based on the entire run does not automatically account for gate jamb posts or posts shared with corner assemblies. Mark every end, corner and gate location in the plan, then enter separately required extras. This page estimates material quantities after the layout is selected; it does not prescribe a safe fence structure.
Choose a suitable fence system first
Post and panel calculations only make sense after choosing a material. Understand the privacy, maintenance, gate and site differences before estimating wood quantities.