Fence Calculator
Count posts, single-layer pickets and optional rails for separate wood fence runs. Account for gate breaks and shared corners without treating the whole perimeter as one straight fence.
On this page
Measure Fence Runs, Not Just the Perimeter
Draw the fence line and break it at every corner and gate. Enter each uninterrupted fenced length separately, from the center of its first post to the center of its last. A gate opening is not a fenced run: its width must stay out of the picket and rail calculation.
For an L-shaped fence, the two runs can share one corner post. Enter 1 shared corner post to count that physical post once. On opposite sides of a gate, the two end posts are separate: do not deduct either as a shared corner.
Fence Post Spacing Calculator: Count Each Run
Each run is divided into equal bays no longer than your entered maximum spacing. Rounding happens on each run before the totals are added. Dividing the combined perimeter once can miss posts where short runs meet.
Posts = sum of (bays + 1) − shared corner posts + standalone posts
Actual spacing on a run = run length ÷ bays
| Layout | Bays | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| One 24 ft straight run | 3 | 4 |
| 24 ft + 16 ft, separate runs | 3 + 2 | 7 |
| 24 ft + 16 ft, one shared corner | 3 + 2 | 6 |
These are quantity examples, not a recommendation to use 8 ft spacing. Post size, rails, fence height, wind exposure and the selected system determine suitable spacing and embedment. The result does not select a post depth.
Fence Picket Calculator: Width and Gaps
Use the measured board width, not its nominal lumber name. This wood fence calculator models one continuous layer of vertical pickets covering each entered run, with the first picket starting at the run boundary. It does not subtract visible posts from that coverage.
For 24 ft of coverage, 5.5 in pickets and a 0.25 in gap, the count is 51 pickets. The last picket needs a 0.5 in rip to finish at the exact boundary with that fixed gap. In practice, you may prefer to revise spacing or distribute the end cuts; check the reported last-board width before ordering.
Zero gap gives a single-layer privacy-board estimate. Board-on-board and shadowbox fences use a different overlap pattern, so doubling this result is not a reliable takeoff. The optional extra percentage adds whole pickets after the base counts; no allowance is added automatically.
What the Fence Material Calculator Includes
When you enter rail rows, the tool counts one rail piece per row in each bay. Five bays with three rows require 15 rail pieces. This is a piece count, not a stock-length cutting plan: rails must also match the connection detail and actual bay length.
Gate leaves, hinges, latches, caps, fasteners, post bracing and gate-frame lumber remain separate items. Gate posts at the ends of entered runs are already counted; add standalone posts only for a gate support with no entered fence run attached.
For concrete volume around a post, use the post-hole mode in the concrete calculator with the hole and post dimensions specified for your project. This page does not choose those dimensions or estimate chain-link mesh and fittings.
Sources & Methodology
Counts use independently rounded straight runs, a single face layer and your chosen spacing. Shared corners deduct duplicate endpoints only; the tool cannot identify a corner from length alone. Sloping, stepped, racked and prefabricated panel layouts require their own installation details.
- Hoover Fence — separate fence lines, rails, pickets and standalone gate posts
- Lowe’s — marking corners, gate locations and fence layout
Sources reviewed October 26, 2026.
