Privacy Fence Calculator
Table of contents
How do I use this privacy fence calculator?Other tools for vinyl or wood privacy fencesFAQsWelcome to the privacy fence calculator, a tool created to know how many privacy fence panels (aka sections), posts, rails, pickets, and concrete you'll need to build your privacy fence.
Whether you're building a wood privacy fence or a vinyl privacy fence, you must forecast the required amount of material to know the final cost.
If this calculator seems intimidating, don't worry; we explain how to use it below. Additionally, in our fence calculator, you can look at the formulas used.
🙋 If you want complete privacy (zero picket spacing), it may be better to try our board-on-board fence calculator.
How do I use this privacy fence calculator?
Number of posts and sections
To obtain your answer:
- Input how long your fence will be (fence length);
- Input the space between the posts (post space); and
- Then, our privacy fence calculator will provide the required number of posts and sections (also known as panels) your privacy fence needs.
Posts length
To be adequately buried, 1/3 of the post must be underground. Our privacy fence calculator will provide the appropriate post length for this, warranting its height matches the fence height. You only need to input the height your fence will be.
Number of rails needed
The number of rails is the number of sections times the rails per section. Therefore, you must input the following:
- The rails per section; and
- The info required to determine the number of sections: fence length and post space.
Number of pickets needed
To know how many pickets to use, you must input the picket width, spacing, and fence length along which you'll distribute those pickets. To dig deeper, visit our Fence picket calculator.
Concrete for post footing
To secure the posts to the ground, you need to know their measurements. Therefore, you must provide the post shape and dimensions. For more, visit our post-hole concrete calculator.
Other tools for vinyl or wood privacy fences
How many feet of fence for 1/4 acre do I need?
At least 417 feet. The answer to how many feet of fence for 1/4 acre you'll need depends on the shape of the land:
- For a squared acre, you'll require 417 feet of fence;
- For a rectangular fence whose length is twice its width, you'll need 443  feet of fence; and
- For an acre of any width, use the formula Feet = 2 × (w + 43560/w), where w is the width in feet.
How much do 240 fence pickets weigh?
240 fence pickets can weigh up to 3850 pounds, depending on how big and dense the pickets are. For example:
- If they're made of a pressure-treated southern yellow pin of 5/8" × 5½" × 6-ft size, they'll weigh about 1805 lb; or
- If the height is 8 ft, they'll weigh about 2406 lb.
