Free fence panel calculator: enter fence length, panel width, and gates to get panels, posts, rails, and concrete bags for a straight fence run.
Your results will appear here.
Enter your values and press Calculate.
Enter the total fence length in feet, the width of one panel, how many gates you need and how wide each gate is, and how many horizontal rails each panel uses. Gates are subtracted from the run first, because a gate opening holds no panel. The remaining run is divided by panel width and rounded up to whole panels, posts are counted as one more than panels plus one extra per gate, rails are panels times rails per panel, and concrete bags assume one and a half 80 pound bags per post as a planning figure. This calculator covers a straight run: closed loops, corners, and slopes need the adjustments explained below.
A fence run is a row of panels between posts, so the maths is simple once gates are handled. Subtract the total gate width from the total length, because gate openings are filled by gates, not panels. Divide what is left by one panel width and round up: a run of 96 feet with 6 foot panels needs exactly 16 panels, while a run of 100 feet needs 17, because the last partial panel still has to be bought and cut. Posts are panels plus one for the end posts, plus one extra per gate, since a gate needs a post on each side and only one of those is shared with the panel run. Rails are just panels times rails per panel, usually three for a 6 foot fence.
A panels by length chart is just this formula repeated: 50 ft needs 9 six foot panels, 100 ft needs 17, and 150 ft needs 25, before gates and waste. For a 6 ft fence, posts should be about 8 to 9 ft long, with 2 to 3 ft buried.
Measure the fence line along the ground, following every bend, and add the sections together for the total length. Do not measure straight across a corner and guess, because the fence follows the boundary, not the shortcut. Enter the panel width your supplier sells, commonly 6 or 8 feet, not the width you wish they sold. Count every gate, including a wide vehicle gate and a narrow pedestrian gate, and enter the width of each: if your gates differ in width, use the total gate width divided by the gate count as the average, or run the calculator once per gate size. Press Calculate and check the panel count against your length: if the count looks one too high, the run probably has a small remainder that still needs a cut panel.
Post spacing follows panel width on a panel fence, because each panel sits between two posts. On a picket or board fence, spacing is a choice, usually 6 to 8 feet, and tighter spacing gives a stiffer fence at the cost of more posts and concrete. Post depth should be about one third of the post length in the ground, and below the frost line in cold climates, or frost heave will lift posts over winter. A 6 foot fence therefore needs posts around 8 to 9 feet long, with 2 to 3 feet buried. Line posts hold the straight run, corner posts take the pull of two directions, end posts anchor the ends, and gate posts carry the weight and swing of gates, so gate posts are worth upgrading to thicker timber or steel.
Wood posts, usually called timber posts, rot fastest at ground level, so set them in concrete with the top of the concrete sloped away from the post. Timber vs concrete posts is a durability choice: concrete posts last longer in wet ground, while wood posts are easier to fix rails to.
This calculator allows one and a half 80 pound bags per post, which suits a typical post hole with room for concrete around the post. Small holes in firm ground may need only one bag, while large holes, soft ground, or sloped sites may need two. Always add a waste allowance on top of the calculator result: order about 10 percent extra panels, posts, and bags, because cutting, breakage, and one wrong measurement are normal on a fence job, and a return trip for one panel costs more than the spare. Buy the spare post and panel at the same time, so the timber matches in colour and treatment.
This calculator counts a straight run. A closed loop, such as a full garden boundary that returns to its start, needs one fewer post than a straight run of the same length, because the last panel closes back to the first post. Corners add posts: each change of direction is a corner post, and long runs benefit from a braced corner even without a direction change. On a slope, panels are usually stepped, which keeps each panel level but leaves triangular gaps underneath, or racked, which follows the slope and needs panels that can angle: stepped fences may need taller posts, and racked fences need a panel type that allows it, so confirm with your supplier before ordering.
A closed loop vs straight run difference is one post: the loop closes back to its first post, while a straight run needs an end post. Pickets, for a picket fence rather than a panel fence, are counted as run length divided by picket width plus gap: a 100 foot run with 6 inch pickets and 2 inch gaps needs about 150 pickets, plus a few spares.
Timber panels are the cheapest to buy and the easiest to repair one panel at a time, but they need staining or painting and last roughly 15 to 20 years with care. Vinyl panels cost more upfront, need almost no maintenance, and last longer, but a damaged panel is harder to patch and the colour range is limited. Chain link is cheap, durable, and see-through, which suits security and pets but not privacy. Concrete posts last longer than timber posts and suit wet ground, but they are heavier to handle and harder to fix a fence to. The panel and post counts in this calculator are the same for timber and vinyl, but the cost per foot differs greatly, so price the materials list, not just the count.
A 100 foot fence with 6 foot panels and one 4 foot gate, three rails per panel: the panel run is 100 minus 4 = 96 feet. Panels are 96 / 6 = 16. Posts are 16 + 1 + 1 = 18. Rails are 16 × 3 = 48. Concrete bags are 18 × 1.5 = 27 bags. Add a 10 percent waste allowance and order about 18 panels, 20 posts, 53 rails, and 30 bags. A second check: a 200 foot fence with 8 foot panels and no gates needs 25 panels, 26 posts, 75 rails, and 39 concrete bags.
Subtract total gate width from total fence length, divide by panel width, and round up. A 100 foot fence with one 4 foot gate and 6 foot panels needs 16 panels. Always add about 10 percent extra for cuts and breakage.
With 6 foot panels and one gate, 18 posts: 16 panels plus one end post plus one extra gate post. With 8 foot panels and no gates, a 100 foot run needs 14 posts. Corners and closed loops change the count by one post per corner or loop closure.
On a panel fence, posts sit one panel width apart, commonly 6 or 8 feet. On a picket or board fence, 6 to 8 feet is typical, with tighter spacing for taller or wind exposed fences. Wider spacing saves posts but makes the fence flex.
About one third of the post in the ground, and below the frost line in cold climates. A 6 foot fence needs posts about 8 to 9 feet long with 2 to 3 feet buried. Shallow posts lean within a season or two, especially at gates and corners.
Plan on one to two 80 pound bags per post, with 1.5 bags as a reasonable average for a typical hole. This calculator uses 1.5 bags per post. Large holes, soft ground, and sloped sites push toward two bags.
Each gate removes its width from the panel run, because the opening holds a gate, not a panel. Each gate also adds one extra post, since a gate needs a post on both sides. Enter gate count and width above and the calculator handles both adjustments.
It varies widely by material, height, and ground conditions: timber is usually cheapest per foot, vinyl costs more upfront, and chain link sits between them for security fencing. Price the full materials list from this calculator, including posts, rails, and concrete, rather than trusting a per foot average.
Yes, about 10 percent extra panels, posts, rails, and bags. Cutting, a split board, and one mismeasured section are normal, and buying the spare at the same time keeps timber colour and treatment consistent.
Line posts hold the straight run, corner posts take the pull of two directions, end posts anchor the ends of a run, and gate posts carry gate weight and swing. Gate and corner posts deserve thicker timber or steel, because they carry the most load.
Yes, by stepping level panels down the slope or racking panels to follow it. Stepped fences need taller posts and leave gaps underneath, while racked fences need panels designed to angle. Confirm which method your panels allow before ordering.