Free Wood Privacy Fence Material Calculator
Estimate posts, rails, pickets, concrete, fasteners, and basic gate hardware for a standard 6-ft or 8-ft wood privacy fence.
Estimate the basic materials for a standard wood privacy fence. This free calculator is designed for common 6-foot and 8-foot privacy fences and automatically uses the post spacing I typically recommend for each height.
Fence Details
Estimated Materials
How the Fence Calculator Works
This calculator is intended for a basic side-by-side wood privacy fence. Enter the overall fence length and the actual width of the pickets you plan to buy. A nominal 6-inch picket is often about 5.5 inches wide, so using the real width gives you a better picket count.
Post Spacing
- 6-ft fence: calculator uses 8-ft post spacing.
- 8-ft fence: calculator uses 6-ft post spacing.
Rail Assumptions
The free calculator uses three horizontal rails per section for a 6-ft privacy fence and four rails per section for an 8-ft privacy fence. Corners and gates are treated conservatively because they interrupt a straight fence run.
Concrete & Fasteners
The concrete estimate uses two 80-lb bags per post for a 6-ft fence and three bags per post for an 8-ft fence. Actual concrete requirements depend on post size, hole diameter, hole depth, soil conditions, frost requirements, and local code. Fastener counts are planning estimates so you can size boxes or buckets before shopping.