Fence Material Calculator

Planning Your Build: A Guide to Calculating Fence Materials

A successful fence project begins with accurate planning. The Fence Material Calculator is a crucial tool in this process, designed to provide a detailed shopping list for your project. By calculating the exact number of posts, rails, and pickets, you can avoid multiple trips to the hardware store and prevent overspending on excess materials.

Breaking Down the Components

Every standard wood fence is built from three primary components:

• Posts: These are the vertical structural supports that anchor the fence. Their quantity is determined by the total fence length and the spacing between them.
• Rails: These are the horizontal boards that span between the posts. They provide the framework to which the pickets are attached.
• Pickets (or Boards): These are the vertical boards that form the visible surface of the fence, providing privacy and aesthetic appeal.

Our calculator takes your project's specifications and translates them into a precise quantity for each of these components.

How to Use the Fence Material Calculator

To generate your material list, you will need to provide the basic dimensions of your planned fence.

1. Fence Length & Unit: Measure the total length of the area you intend to fence and select whether your measurement is in feet or meters.
2. Post Spacing: Enter the distance, in feet, from the center of one post to the center of the next. 8 feet is a common industry standard.
3. Picket Width: Enter the width of a single picket in inches. Common nominal sizes are 4" (actual 3.5") and 6" (actual 5.5").
4. Picket Gap: Specify the desired gap between each picket in inches. For a full privacy fence, enter '0'. For a shadowbox or spaced-picket style, enter your desired gap size.

The calculator will then instantly output the estimated number of posts, rails, and pickets required.

Practical Example

Let's plan a 150-foot fence. We'll use a standard post spacing of 8 feet. For our pickets, we'll choose 5.5-inch wide boards and leave a 1-inch gap between them for a semi-private feel.

• Fence Length: 150 feet
• Post Spacing: 8 feet
• Picket Width: 5.5 inches
• Picket Gap: 1 inch

Material Calculation:

1. Sections & Posts:

150 ft / 8 ft/section = 18.75. Round up to 19 sections.

19 sections + 1 (for the end) = 20 posts.

2. Rails: Assuming 3 rails per section for a sturdy fence:

19 sections * 3 rails/section = 57 rails.

3. Pickets:

Each picket and gap combination covers 5.5 in + 1 in = 6.5 inches.

Pickets per foot = 12 inches / 6.5 inches = ~1.85.

Total pickets = 150 ft * 1.85 pickets/ft = ~277.5. Round up to 278 pickets.

With this list, you can confidently head to the supplier.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)