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Fence Picket Calculator

Count the pickets for a wood fence from its length, the picket width and the gap between pickets. Gate openings are taken off, and you get posts, rails and post concrete too. The example is a 4 ft front-yard picket fence, 64 ft long, with one 4 ft gate.

Units

Add up every side you are fencing, including gate openings.

6–8 ft is common for wood fences; match your panel width if you use panels.

Each place the fence turns or stops and restarts adds a post.

Gates

Walk gates are usually 3–4 ft; drive gates 10–12 ft.

Rails and pickets

Leave empty for automatic: 2 rails up to 4 ft high, 3 above.

A 1×6 picket is 5.5 in wide; a 1×4 is 3.5 in.

0 for a privacy fence.

Posts and concrete

4×4 = 3.5 in, 6×6 = 5.5 in.

About 3× the post width (Quikrete).

About ⅓ of the post's total length and below your frost line. Check local code.

Extra concrete for irregular holes.

Cost estimate (optional)

Prices vary by region and season. Enter your local prices; nothing is pre-filled.

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Posts needed

11

Sections
8
Rails (2 per section)
16
Pickets (incl. 5% waste)
126
80 lb bags of concrete
19
Post length (in ground + above)
6ft
Suggested hole depth
24in

Concrete for the posts

Concrete (all posts, before waste)
0.38yd³
80 lb bags per post
1.7
80 lb bags
19
60 lb bags
25
40 lb bags
38

Without waste

Pickets
120
Panels (if prefab, one per section)
8

Cost estimate

Enter your local prices under Cost estimate to see totals.

  • Check your local code and HOA rules for height limits, setbacks and post depth before you dig. Call 811 to have utilities marked.
8 ft4 ft24 ingrade

How to use the fence picket calculator

  1. Enter the total fence length, including gate openings, and the fence height.
  2. Under Gates, enter the number of gates and their width; that length gets no pickets.
  3. Under Rails and pickets, enter the picket's actual width (a 1×4 is 3.5 in, a 1×6 is 5.5 in) and the gap you want. Use 0 for a privacy fence.
  4. Keep about 5% picket waste for splits and knots, then read the picket count.

How many pickets do I need?

Each picket and its gap take up a fixed width along the fence. Divide the fence length by that width and round up:

Pickets = fence length (in) ÷ (picket width + gap), rounded up

The fence length here is the total minus any gate openings, in inches (feet × 12). Then add a waste allowance. For pickets per section, use the post spacing as the length: 96 in for an 8 ft section.

Lumber is sold by nominal size, but the actual width is smaller: the softwood lumber standard (PS 20) makes a 1×4 3.5 in wide and a 1×6 5.5 in. Always use the actual width, or measure one picket.

Worked example: a 64 ft picket fence with a gate

This is the fence loaded above: 3.5 in pickets with 2.5 in gaps, one 4 ft gate.

  1. Fence length without the gate: 64 − 4 = 60 ft, or 720 in.
  2. Each picket plus gap: 3.5 + 2.5 = 6 in.
  3. Pickets: 720 ÷ 6 = 120. Add 5%: 126 pickets.
  4. The rest of the fence: 8 sections, 11 posts (including one extra for the corner and one for the gate), 16 rails and 19 bags of 80 lb concrete.

The gate itself also needs pickets: at the same spacing, a 4 ft gate takes 8. Buy them with the rest so they match.

Choosing the gap

The gap sets the look and the privacy of the fence:

  • No gap (privacy fence): boards butt together. Wood shrinks as it dries, so small gaps open up over time.
  • Small gap (½–1 in): a semi-private look that lets air through and allows for swelling.
  • Picket-fence spacing (2–3½ in): the classic front-yard look, often a gap close to the picket width.

If the fence is a barrier around a pool, local pool-barrier rules usually limit the size of openings; check them before choosing the gap. To keep pickets evenly spaced to the end of a section, adjust the gap slightly: gap = (section length − pickets × width) ÷ number of pickets.

Fence pickets by picket width and gap

Picket and gapPer 6 ft sectionPer 8 ft sectionPer 50 ftPer 100 ft
1×4 (3.5 in), no gap2128172343
1×4 (3.5 in), 1.5 in gap1520120240
1×4 (3.5 in), 2.5 in gap1216100200
1×4 (3.5 in), 3.5 in gap111486172
1×6 (5.5 in), no gap1418110219
1×6 (5.5 in), 0.5 in gap1216100200
1×6 (5.5 in), 2.5 in gap91275150
1×8 (7.25 in), no gap101483166

Rounded up, no waste and no gate openings removed. Actual widths: a 1×4 is 3.5 in, a 1×6 is 5.5 in, a 1×8 is 7.25 in. Rough-sawn and dog-ear pickets can differ slightly, so measure one.

Picket tips

  • Measure a real picket. Dog-ear and rough-sawn pickets often differ slightly from nominal widths, and a quarter-inch difference changes the count over a long fence.
  • Use a spacer block. Cut a scrap to the gap width and use it between pickets for even spacing.
  • Board-on-board: for a double-sided privacy fence, run the calculator for one layer with a gap of about 3.5 in (for 5.5 in boards, overlapping 1 in each side) and double the count.
  • Order a few extra. Some boards arrive split, warped or with loose knots. 5% covers most deliveries.
  • Check height limits first. Many towns and HOAs limit front-yard fences to about 3–4 ft. Ask before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

How many pickets do I need for 100 feet of fence?

With 1×6 pickets (5.5 in) and no gap, 219 pickets (1,200 in ÷ 5.5 in, rounded up), before waste. With 3.5 in pickets and 2.5 in gaps, 200. See the table for other combinations.

How many pickets are in an 8 ft fence section?

With 1×6 pickets and no gap, 18 pickets per 8 ft section (96 ÷ 5.5 = 17.5). With 1×4 pickets and a 2.5 in gap, 16.

How far apart should fence pickets be?

Privacy fences use no gap or about ¼ in; classic picket fences use a gap of about 2–3½ in. For pool fences, follow local barrier rules on opening size.

How do I space pickets evenly?

Work out how many pickets fit in the section, then share the leftover space: gap = (section length − pickets × picket width) ÷ number of pickets. Cut a spacer block to that gap.

What size are fence pickets?

Most wood pickets are 1×4 (3.5 in actual) or 1×6 (5.5 in actual), 4–8 ft long. Some cedar pickets are a little narrower or thicker; measure the ones you buy.

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