Fencing Calculators
Estimate posts, rails, pickets or panels and the concrete for every post hole — for picket, privacy or UK-style panel fences.
Where to start?
- Full fence materials list → Fence Calculator
- Just the post concrete → Concrete Bag Calculator
All fencing calculators
Coming soon: Vinyl fence · Gate hardware
How fencing estimating works
A fence is a repeating unit: a post, a section of rails and infill, then another post. Once you know the fence length and the post spacing, everything else follows. Gates break the run and add an extra post each. In North America pickets or boards are nailed to rails on site; in the UK many fences use pre-made 6 ft (1.83 m) panels slotted between posts, so the panel width fixes the post spacing.
Post holes are usually about three times the post width and deep enough to reach below frost, often one-third of the post's above-ground height. The concrete per hole is the cylinder minus the post itself — typically one to two 80 lb bags or three to four 20 kg bags. Always check for buried utilities before digging.
Glossary
- Rail
- horizontal member between posts
- Picket / board
- vertical infill
- Close-board (UK)
- overlapping vertical boards on arris rails
- Postcrete
- fast-setting post mix (UK)
Updated by the DIYCalcLab Editorial Team · How we calculate
Guides
- Fence Planning Checklist: Before You Dig the First HoleA practical checklist for planning a wood or panel fence: boundaries, permits, layout, post spacing, gates, materials and concrete per post.
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