Fence Material Calculator
Privacy fence quantities have one trap: the picket is called 6 inches but is milled to 5½. Multiply that error across a 150 foot fence and you are 80 boards short. This calculator counts from the actual width.
Called 6", actually 5.5"
Results
Enter your measurements above and press Calculate.
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How this is calculated
Fence takeoff is driven by one number most guides get wrong: picket width. A nominal 1x6 is 5.5 inches wide, so a 100 foot run needs about 19 more pickets than the 6 inch figure suggests.
- Posts = fence length / post spacing, rounded up, plus one to close the far end
- Rails = max(2, rows x 2), where rows is the number of horizontal bands up the fence
- Pickets per row = fence length / (actual picket width / 12)
- Total pickets = pickets per row x rows
- Concrete = posts x 0.5 cubic feet, about half an 80 lb bag per post in normal soil
Post spacing defaults to 8 feet, the practical maximum for a 4x4 post in a 6 foot fence; drop to 6 feet on exposed or windy sites, or with a taller fence. The concrete figure assumes a footing roughly 10 inches across and 30 inches deep, so wider holes, heavier soil or a deeper frost line all increase it. Pickets are counted as touching, so if you plan a gap between boards, add the gap width to the effective picket width before dividing.
Questions people ask
How many pickets for a 150 foot privacy fence?
A 6 foot tall privacy fence with 5½ inch pickets needs about 393 pickets at 6½ inch rail spacing. Plus 20 posts at 8 foot centers and about 10 bags of concrete for the post bases.
How far apart should fence posts be?
Eight feet on center is standard for privacy fences. Ten feet is possible with heavier posts and braces, but wind load on a solid fence is significant — most builders stay at 8 feet or tighter in exposed areas.
Do I need concrete for fence posts?
Always for privacy fences. A 6 foot fence is a sail; without a concrete base, the wind will move it. Use 60 pound bags, about half a bag per post, and set the top of the concrete slightly below grade so water drains away from the post.
What is the difference between dog-ear and dogtooth pickets?
Cosmetic only — both are cut for the same width. Dogtooth has a pointed top, dog-ear a clipped corner. The count is identical.
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