A 150-foot, 6-foot-tall wood privacy fence with one gate needs 21 posts, 57 rails, 328 boards and 42 bags of concrete. Enter your own measurements below.
Complete result. No email gate, now or later.
FreeNo email required Formulas published Assumptions stated beside every number Reviewed 2 Sep 2026
Every diagram on this site is drawn in the same line weight and palette. Read these once and the calculator inputs will make sense.
These are real costs on almost every fence project. None of them are in the numbers above.
These are the defaults this calculator uses. Local wind load, frost line and soil conditions override them — check your municipal code before ordering.
| Fence height | Max post spacing | Rails per section | Hole depth | Post length needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 ft | 8 ft | 2 | 24 in | 6 ft |
| 5–6 ft | 8 ft | 3 | 24 in | 8 ft |
| 7–8 ft | 6 ft | 3 | 30 in | 10 ft |
| Over 8 ft | 6 ft | 4 | 36 in | 12 ft |
Standard US residential practice. Frost-line depth governs in cold regions and may exceed these figures — see methodology.
Eight feet is the standard spacing for wood fences up to six feet tall. Drop to six feet in high-wind areas or for fences taller than six feet. Chain link and wire fences can run wider, up to about ten feet.
Two 50 lb bags per post for a 24 inch deep hole, or three bags for a 30 inch hole. This assumes a 4×4 post in a 10 inch diameter hole. A wider hole or a 6×6 gate post needs more.
Set the post one third of the fence height into the ground, with a 24 inch minimum. A 6 ft fence needs a 24 inch hole and an 8 ft post. In cold regions the hole must also reach below the frost line, which can be 42–48 inches in the north-east.
A linear foot is one foot measured along the ground where the fence will run. Height is not part of the measurement, which is why fencing is quoted per linear foot regardless of how tall it is. A guide to measuring linear feet is coming.
Ten percent over the exact count. Boards warp, ends split, and cuts at corners and gates waste material. The order figure beside each result already includes this.
Every page here carries a named author. No staff-writer bylines.
Last reviewed 2 September 2026 · Next review 2 March 2027
More calculators and guides are being added. The fence post calculator and cost guide are next.