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Fence Calculator: Posts, Pickets, Panels and Concrete

Estimate the posts, rails, pickets or panels, concrete and cost for a fence from its length, height and style. Add the sides and the gates, pick wood picket, privacy panels, vinyl or chain link, and use the list for an order or a fence quote.

Your numbers

Fence line

ft

Up to 6 sides, joined at the corners. Measure along the line where the posts go.

On when the last side ends at the first post (a full loop): one post fewer.

ft

Height, posts and concrete

ft
ft

Typical 8 ft, set by the rail length.

in

A 4×4 is 3.5 in.

in
in

Left blank, the hole uses the grey value, from the QUIKRETE method: a hole about 3 times the post width, a third of the whole post in the ground (half the height above ground). Go deeper where the frost line or the local code asks for it.

Pickets, panels or fabric

in
in

Typical: 2 rails up to about 4 ft high, 3 for 6 ft. Use 0 for the gap to price board-on-rail privacy.

%

Optional, for cuts and spoiled boards.

Prices (optional)

$
$
$
$
$

Posts

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Sections between posts
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Rails
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Pickets
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Post length (above + in the ground)
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Concrete per post
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Bags of concrete (80 lb)
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Fence length
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Material cost
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An estimate for quoting and ordering. Building codes, the frost line and HOA rules vary by place; the local code and the manufacturer's instructions win.

Spacing, post sizes and roll lengths start at typical values. Round up and order a bag or two of concrete extra.

The calculation runs in your browser and ParrotNotes does not store your numbers. They sit in the page address so you can bookmark or share the result.

How many fence posts do I need?

Walk the fence line and measure each straight side where the posts will stand. Divide each side by the post spacing and round up: that is the number of sections on that side. Add one post to finish the line, and one more for every gate, because a gate splits the run and needs a post on each side. A fence that closes on itself, all the way round a yard, needs no finishing post.

Worked example: a 100 ft picket fence with one 4 ft gate, posts every 8 ft. 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5, so 13 sections, and 13 + 1 + 1 = 15 posts, two of them gate posts. With 2 rails a section that is 26 rails, and 96 ft of fence to fill: 1,152 in ÷ (3.5 in picket + 2.5 in gap) = 192 pickets.

How deep to set fence posts, and how much concrete

The QUIKRETE Concrete Mix data sheet gives a simple method for fence posts: dig the hole about 3 times the width of the post, and put a third of the whole post in the ground. For a 6 ft fence that is a 9 ft post with 3 ft below ground; the calculator uses half the height above ground for the depth unless you type your own. Where the ground freezes, the local code or the fence maker may ask for holes below the frost line: their figure wins.

Concrete per post is the hole minus the post in it. A 4×4 (3.5 in) in a 10.5 in hole 36 in deep takes about 1.55 cubic feet. QUIKRETE lists its Concrete Mix at about 0.60 cubic feet per 80 lb bag, 0.45 per 60 lb bag and 0.375 per 50 lb bag, so that post needs 2.6 bags of 80 lb. The calculator adds all the posts before rounding up, then you can add a bag or two for spills.

Fence quote calculator: material cost per job

Put in what you pay per post, rail, picket or panel, per bag of concrete and per gate, and the calculator totals the material for the job. The prices that show change with the style: panels for privacy and vinyl fences, fabric rolls and top rail for chain link.

Example: 200 ft of privacy panels along three sides (50, 100 and 50 ft) at 8 ft spacing is 27 panels and 28 posts, with 73 bags of 80 lb concrete for 6 ft posts. At $70 a panel, $20 a post and $6 a bag, the material comes to $2,888. Labor, removal of the old fence, permits and delivery go on top of that in your quote.

Pickets, panels or chain link: what the calculator counts

Wood picket counts rails and pickets: set the picket width and the gap, and use a gap of 0 for a board-on-rail privacy fence. Privacy panels and vinyl panels count one panel per section, so the post spacing should match the panel width you buy; vinyl panels are often about 6 ft wide, wood panels 8 ft.

Chain link counts fabric rolls (typically 50 ft) and top rail sticks (typically 10 ft 6 in), with round posts that need a smaller hole. Terminal posts at the ends, corners and gates are usually heavier than line posts; the count of gate posts helps you order them.

Tips for the walk-round

Confirm where the property line is before you measure, and ask about utility locates before anyone digs. Note slopes, trees and old posts that have to come out, and which gate the homeowner uses every day: it may need to be wider than the rest.

Then write down what they told you: why they want the fence (privacy, a dog, a pool), the look they like, the HOA rules they mentioned and the budget they have in mind. Those notes decide the quote as much as the post count does.

Source, checked October 2026. All other starting values are typical and editable; every figure is an estimate:

More for home-services and building-materials sales: Door-to-door sales, Roofing sales training, Building materials sales.

The post count is only part of the quote

The materials go on the quote. What the homeowner said on the walk-round about the property line, the gate they use every day, the dog, the slope and the budget goes in ParrotNotes: record the visit and get the summary and next steps.

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