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Fence calculator: posts, rails and pickets
The short answer
Divide the length by the post spacing and round up for the sections. Add one post, plus extras for corners and gates. A 150 foot fence with 8 foot spacing is 19 sections, so 20 posts plus 4 extras makes 24. With three rails a section, that’s 57 rails. Pickets of 5.5 inches, set tight, come to 328.
Enter the fence line and how you build it. You’ll get the material list, then a job price at your own cost per foot.
What the fence takes
24 posts
19 sections over 150 feet.
- Rails
- 57
- Pickets, tight together
- 328
- Sections
- 19
Price for this job
- Materials (150 × $30.00)
- $4,500.00
- Labor
- $0.00
- Markup
- $900.00
- Price to quote
- $5,400.00
How it works
- Sections = length ÷ post spacing, rounded up.
- Posts = sections + 1, plus any extras for corners and gates.
- Rails = sections × rails per section.
- Pickets = length in inches ÷ picket width. Leave a gap and you’ll need fewer.
Post spacing
The calculator starts at 8 feet. Some towns set a limit: Mansfield, Texas (opens in a new tab), for one, requires posts no more than 8 feet apart. Check your local rules, height limits and property lines before you build.
Then put it on an estimate. The pricing panel treats the fence as a per-foot cost, so enter what materials cost you for each foot.
Common questions
How many fence posts do I need?
How far apart should fence posts be?
How many pickets do I need per foot?
How do I price a fence job?
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The next job starts with a phone call
CoveDesk picks up when you’re loading the truck, takes the details and texts them to you.