Wood Fence Material Calculator
Enter your fence length, height, picket width, and post spacing, and this wood fence material calculator counts every picket, post, horizontal rail, and bag of concrete — a ready-made shopping list for your project.
Pickets include 5% waste. Concrete assumes one 50-lb bag per post.
Estimates only — not financial advice. This calculator gives approximate figures for planning. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice; check with a qualified professional before making decisions.
How the wood fence material calculator works
Pickets cover the fence line picket-width by picket-width: the fence length in inches divided by the picket width, rounded up, plus 5% waste for cuts, splits, and the odd warped board. Posts sit at each end of every span, so the count is the number of spans rounded up, plus one — with 8 ft spacing on a 100 ft fence that is 14 posts.
Horizontal rails run the fence length between posts: two rails per section on 4 and 6 ft fences, three on 8 ft fences for stiffness. Each post hole gets one 50-lb bag of concrete, which is the standard pour for a 10-inch-diameter hole about 2 ft deep.
pickets = ⌈(L × 12) / w⌉ × 1.05 · posts = ⌈L / s⌉ + 1 · rails = (posts − 1) × 2 (or 3 at 8 ft)
Related tools
Keep exploring: Fence Post Depth Calculator · Fence Post Spacing Calculator · Post Hole Concrete Calculator.
Wood fence material calculator FAQ
How many pickets do I need per foot of fence?
Roughly 2.2 pickets per foot with standard 5.5-inch pickets (12 ÷ 5.5 ≈ 2.18), so a 100 ft fence needs about 218 pickets before the 5% waste allowance — roughly 230. Narrower pickets need more.
How many posts do I need for a 100 ft fence?
With 8 ft post spacing, 14 posts: 100 ÷ 8 rounds up to 13 spans, plus one for the final end. Longer fences just divide the length by the spacing and add one.
How many rails per fence section?
Two horizontal rails per section for 4 and 6 ft fences, three for 8 ft fences — the extra rail keeps tall pickets from bowing. Rails span the distance between two posts.
How much concrete per fence post?
One 50-lb bag per post is the standard rule for a typical 10-inch-diameter, 2 ft deep hole. Oversized holes, loose soil, or 8 ft fences may need two bags per hole.
Pressure-treated or cedar pickets?
Pressure-treated pine is cheapest and lasts 15–20 years; cedar costs more but resists rot and insects naturally with less chemical treatment. Both need the same counts — only the price differs.