Free fence calculator — get a materials list, not just a number
Enter your total run, pick a style, and get the full materials list: posts, rails, pickets, concrete, fasteners and gate hardware. Works for wood privacy, wood picket and chain link fence. No signup, no email, nothing to download.
Most fence calculators are built by retailers who make money when you overbuy. This one shows you every assumption it makes, so you can check the math before you spend anything.
How to use it
1. Measure your total run. Walk the fence line and add up every side in linear feet. Don't subtract gate openings — the calculator handles those.
2. Pick your style, height and post spacing. Six feet is standard for privacy; eight-foot post spacing is the usual compromise between material cost and rigidity. Drop to six-foot spacing in high-wind areas.
3. Enter gates and corners. Each one needs an extra post, and the calculator adds them automatically.
4. Swap in your real prices. The defaults are rough national averages. Put your own supplier's numbers in and the material total becomes a figure you can actually bid from.
What it calculates
- Wood privacy fence — 4x4 posts, 2x4 rails, pickets butted tight at 5.5" actual width, concrete, exterior screws, gate hardware.
- Wood picket fence — same structure with an adjustable gap between pickets, which changes the picket count significantly.
- Chain link fence — terminal posts, line posts, top rail, fabric by the foot, tension bars, bands and tie wire.
How the math actually works
Every calculator makes assumptions. Here are ours, so you can sanity-check them against your own practice:
- Post depth — one third of the above-ground height, with a two-foot minimum. A six-foot fence gets a two-foot hole, so you buy eight-foot posts.
- Sections — total length divided by post spacing, then one extra post to close the run, plus one per gate and one per corner.
- Rails — three courses at six feet and above, two below.
- Pickets — figured on the 5.5" actual width of a nominal 1x6, not the nominal 6". Using the nominal number is the most common way to come up short.
- Concrete — a 10" diameter hole minus the volume the post itself occupies, at 0.45 cubic feet per 60 lb bag. We total every hole and round up once. Rounding each hole up separately is the standard shortcut, and it overbuys concrete by roughly 40%.
- Waste — applied to rails and pickets only. Posts, concrete and hardware are counted exactly, because you don't miscut a post hole.
Worked example: 100 feet of 6-foot privacy fence
One hundred linear feet, six feet tall, posts every eight feet, one gate, 10% waste:
- 15 × 4x4 posts (8 ft, 2 ft in the ground)
- 43 × 2x4 rails
- 241 pickets
- 31 bags of concrete (60 lb)
- 2 boxes of exterior screws (~1,314 screws)
- 1 gate hardware kit
At the default prices that is about $1,716 in materials, or $17.16 per linear foot. Materials typically run 40–50% of an installed price, which is why professionally installed privacy fence usually lands between $25 and $45 per foot depending on your market and labour rate.
Turn it into a quote
Hit Copy list and the whole materials list goes to your clipboard, ready to paste into an estimate. Add your labour, run it through the profit margin calculator to set your price, then send it with the estimate generator.
Pricing your labour is the part most people guess at. Our state-by-state rate data shows what carpenters and fence installers actually earn in your state, straight from Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
FAQ
How do I calculate how much fencing I need?
Measure the total perimeter in linear feet, then divide by your post spacing to get the number of sections. Add one post to close the run, plus one extra for every gate and every corner. Pickets are calculated from total length divided by the actual picket width plus any gap — use the actual width, not the nominal one, or you will come up short.
How much would it cost to build a 100 ft fence?
For a six-foot wood privacy fence, expect roughly $1,700 in materials at typical retail prices, which works out to around $17 per linear foot. Installed, including labour, most homeowners pay between $25 and $45 per linear foot. Chain link runs meaningfully cheaper on material — the same 100 feet comes in near $1,200.
How much would a 200 ft privacy fence cost?
Doubling the run does not quite double the cost, because you only add one closing post rather than two full sets. At six feet tall with one gate, 200 feet works out to about 27 posts, 83 rails, 481 pickets and 56 bags of concrete — roughly $3,310 in materials, or $16.55 per linear foot. The per-foot cost drops slightly as the run gets longer.
How deep should fence posts go?
The common rule is one third of the above-ground height, with a two-foot minimum. A six-foot fence needs a two-foot hole and an eight-foot post. In areas with real frost, your post must go below the local frost line regardless of what the one-third rule says — check with your building department, because a post that stops above the frost line will heave.
How many bags of concrete do I need per fence post?
For a 4x4 post in a 10-inch hole two feet deep, you need about 0.92 cubic feet of concrete, which is roughly two 60 lb bags. Buy for the total across all your holes rather than rounding up bag counts hole by hole — on a 15-hole job that difference is 31 bags versus 45.
Do I need a permit to build a fence?
It depends entirely on where you live. Many jurisdictions require a permit above a certain height, commonly six feet, and cap front-yard fences lower than back-yard ones. HOA rules often add restrictions on style and material on top of that. Check with your local building department before you buy, and call 811 to have utilities marked before you dig.
Is this fence calculator free?
Yes, completely. No account, no email, no download. It runs entirely in your browser and we never see your numbers.