Quantity · Wood fencing
Wood Fence Calculator
Build a lumber and concrete shopping list for a wood privacy fence — posts, rails, pickets with waste, and bags per post. Then price the job on the wood fence cost calculator.
Fence layout
5.5" board + ~0.5" gap. Most common DIY privacy look.
Pickets to buy
330
Dog-ear / butt-joint privacy · +10% waste
- Posts (4×4)
- 23 × ~8 ft
- Rails (2×4)
- 57
- Pickets (raw)
- 300
- Concrete (50 lb bags)
- 23–46
Line posts 22 + 1 gate post(s). Bury ~2 ft (about one-third of height, min 2 ft). Buy post stock at least 8 ft long.
- Sections ≈ 19 at 8 ft spacing
- Rails = sections × 3 = 57
- Pickets = face count + waste
- Concrete ≈ 1–2 bags × posts
Price data updated . National US ranges from published supplier and contractor averages. Not a bid. Local quotes vary.
How wood fence materials are calculated
Quantity follows geometry, not dollars. Posts track spacing and corners; rails track sections; pickets track board pitch and whether one or both faces are boarded. Concrete is a bag range per post.
sections = ceil(length_ft ÷ spacing_ft) line_posts = sections + 1 + corners posts_total = line_posts + gates (1 planning post per gate) rails = sections × rails_per_section pickets_raw = ceil(length_ft × 12 ÷ pitch_in) × faces pickets_buy = ceil(pickets_raw × (1 + waste %)) post_length ≈ height_ft + max(2 ft, height_ft ÷ 3) bags = posts_total × 1–2
Worked example. A 150 ft × 6 ft dog-ear fence at 8 ft spacing with 2 corners and 1 gate: 19 sections → 22 line posts + 1 gate post = 23 posts about 8 ft long, 57 rails, ~300 pickets before waste (~330 with 10%), and roughly 23–46 bags of concrete.
Picket count per 100 ft by board style
Planning counts before waste. Dog-ear uses a 6 in pitch; board-on-board is denser; shadowbox doubles faces.
| Style | Pitch / face | Faces | Pickets / 100 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog-ear / butt-joint | 6" | 1 | 200 |
| Board-on-board | 4" | 1 | 300 |
| Shadowbox | 8" | 2 | 300 |
- Add 10% waste for cuts and culls before you leave the lumber yard.
- Gate kits and hardware are separate — this list is field lumber + post concrete.
Post length cheat sheet
Buy posts long enough for height plus bury (~⅓ of height, minimum 2 ft). Round up to common stock.
| Fence height | Bury (approx.) | Buy post length |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ft | 2.0 ft | 6 ft stock |
| 5 ft | 2.0 ft | 8 ft stock |
| 6 ft | 2.0 ft | 8 ft stock |
| 8 ft | 2.7 ft | 10–12 ft stock |
Wood Fence calculator FAQ
- How many pickets do I need for a wood fence?
- For dog-ear with a 6 in pitch, plan about two pickets per foot, then add 10% waste. Board-on-board needs more boards because of overlap; shadowbox counts both faces.
- How many fence posts for 150 feet?
- At 8 ft spacing: ceil(150÷8)+1 = 20 posts on a straight run. Add corner posts for turns and usually one extra planning post per gate opening.
- What size posts and rails for a wood privacy fence?
- Most residential privacy fences use 4×4 posts and 2×4 rails (often three rails on a 6 ft fence). Confirm with your local wind and frost conditions.
- How much concrete per fence post?
- Plan 1–2 fifty-pound bags per post for typical residential digs. Rocky or oversized holes can take more.
- Does this include gate lumber?
- It adds a post buffer per gate and assumes you will buy a gate kit or build the leaf separately. Hardware, hinges, and latches are not in the picket count.
- Where do I estimate wood fence cost?
- Use the wood fence cost calculator next — it turns the same length and board style into an installed $/lf range.
Next: price the wood fence
Now estimate what this will cost → · Picket-only count (width & gap) · All fence calculators