Estimate posts, sections, and rails for your fence line. Enter total length, post spacing, and gates.
Estimates for planning only. Always confirm measurements and order a little extra for waste and cuts.
This calculator turns your total fence length and post spacing into the posts, sections, rails, and concrete you'll need, so you can price a project or plan materials.
Posts and sections come from the run length divided by your post spacing, plus an extra post to close each run and one per gate:
Sections = length ÷ post spacing (rounded up)Posts = sections + 1 + gates · Rails = sections × rails per section
Eight feet is the most common post spacing because rails and panels are typically sold in 8-foot lengths. Six-foot spacing makes a sturdier fence for tall privacy panels or windy sites. Privacy fences usually use three rails per section; ranch and picket styles often use two. Plan one to two bags of concrete per post for a solid set.
Enter your total fence length, choose a post spacing (8 feet is standard because rails and panels usually come in 8-foot lengths), add any gates, and pick your rails per section. The tool divides your run length by the post spacing and rounds up to get the number of sections, adds one post to close the run plus one more post for each gate, multiplies sections by your rails per section to count rails, and plans concrete at two bags per post. Enter an optional price per linear foot and it multiplies through to a materials-only cost.
These counts follow standard fencing rules of thumb, not our own data: sections from length divided by spacing, one extra end post per run, an added post at each gate, and roughly two 50-pound bags of concrete per post. Your real concrete need can run one to two bags depending on post size and hole depth, and posts should be set at least one-third of their above-ground height deep and below your local frost line. The tool treats your total as one straight run, so add an end or corner post for each turn and each separate section of fence.
It sizes posts, sections, rails, and concrete, not pickets or panels, which vary by style and spacing, and it leaves out gate hardware, labor, and the extra concrete an oversized post needs. Confirm your measurements, order a couple of spare posts for snapped or out-of-plumb sets, and call 811 to locate utilities before you dig. We build lead-capturing calculators like this one for fence contractors, from $600, with more free ones in our tools library.
Not automatically. The tool treats your total length as one straight run and counts a single end post to close it. A real yard with corners or separate runs needs an end or corner post at each turn and each run start, so add one post per corner and per additional run on top of what the tool shows. The section and rail counts stay close, but the post count is the one to adjust by hand.
Only for materials, and only roughly. If you enter a price per linear foot, the tool multiplies it by your total length for a rough materials figure. That number leaves out gate hardware, labor, concrete, and the difference between fence styles, so it is not an installed price. For a real budget, get quotes from local fence builders.