Fence Cost Calculator: Price Per Foot & Install 2026

How fence cost is worked out

A fence is priced by the linear foot, but a fence job is priced by the run plus the gates. The run is the fence length times the cost per linear foot, and the cost per foot covers the posts, the panels or pickets, and the labour to put them in. The gates are priced each: a gate costs far more than a foot of fence, because it has the frame, the hinges, the latch and the fitting. The total is the run plus the gates, and the all-in cost per foot is the total divided by the fence length — which is always higher than the per-foot rate, because the gate is spread over the run.

At the defaults — a 150 ft fence, $30.00 a foot for wood privacy installed, 1 gate at $250.00 — the fence run is 150 × $30.00 = $4,500.00, the gates cost 1 × $250.00 = $250.00, and the total is $4,750.00 — which is $4,750.00 ÷ 150 = $31.67/ft all-in.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: a 150 ft fence, $30.00/ft wood privacy installed, 1 gate at $250.00.

Line 1 — the fence run. 150 × $30.00 = $4,500.00.

Line 2 — the gates. 1 × $250.00 = $250.00.

Line 3 — the total. $4,500.00 + $250.00 = $4,750.00.

Line 4 — the all-in cost per foot. $4,750.00 ÷ 150 = $31.67/ft.

Line 5 — the budget check. A $5,000 budget minus the $250 gate leaves $4,750, and $4,750 ÷ $30.00 = 158.33 ft of fence.

Every branch, checked

100 ft fence: the run is 100 × $30.00 = $3,000.00 and the gate is $250.00, so the total is $3,250.00. A shorter fence costs $1,500 less than the default, and the gate is a bigger share of the total: $250 of $3,250 is nearly 8%.

Vinyl at $45/ft: the run rises to 150 × $45.00 = $6,750.00, so the total is $7,000.00. Vinyl costs $2,250 more than wood privacy on this fence — and vinyl needs no painting, so the extra money is paid once, not every few years.

2 gates: the run stays at $4,500.00, but the gates cost 2 × $250.00 = $500.00, so the total is $5,000.00. A second gate adds $250 — the same as 8.33 ft of fence — so think twice before adding a gate you do not need.

DIY materials-only at $18/ft: the run falls to 150 × $18.00 = $2,700.00, so the total is $2,950.00. Doing it yourself saves $1,800 on this fence — but the gate still costs $250, because a gate is mostly fitting, and the fitting is the same whether you do it or a fencer does.

Reverse — the $5,000 budget: the gate takes $250 of the budget, leaving $4,750, and $4,750 ÷ $30.00 = 158.33 ft of fence — which covers the 150 ft fence with 8.33 ft to spare. A $6,000 budget buys 191.67 ft, which is 41.67 ft more than the default fence.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes a straight fence on flat ground: a slope, a corner, or a fence that follows a curve changes the length, because the fence is longer than the boundary line. It assumes $30.00 a foot covers the posts, the panels, and the labour for wood privacy — a taller fence, a fence on a slope, or a fence that needs old posts removed costs more. It assumes the gate costs $250.00 installed, which is right for a standard wood gate but not for a wide double gate or an automatic gate. It assumes the fence length is the boundary length, not the number of panels: panels are 6 or 8 feet long, so a 150 ft fence is 25 six-foot panels or 19 eight-foot panels, and the last panel is cut to fit. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner fencing a back garden: they learn a 150 ft fence costs $4,750.00 — $4,500.00 of fence and $250.00 of gate — so they know the exact number before they call the fencer, and they know the gate is the part to haggle over.
• The landlord fencing a rental: they learn a 100 ft fence costs $3,250.00 — and they learn the gate is nearly 8% of the total on a short fence, so they order one gate, not two.
• The couple choosing vinyl: vinyl costs $7,000.00 against $4,750.00 for wood — a $2,250 difference on this fence — so they can decide whether never painting again is worth it, fence by fence.
• The renovator on a $5,000 budget: they learn $5,000 buys 158.33 ft of fence — so they know the 150 ft fence is covered with 8.33 ft to spare before they start.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the run is the length times the cost per foot, the gates are the count times the gate cost, and the total is the sum. What the model cannot do is measure your boundary for you: measure along the line where the fence will go, and for a fence that follows a curve or a slope, measure the fence line, not the straight-line distance. It leaves out the removal of the old fence, the levelling of the ground, the concrete for the posts, and tax — ask the fencer whether the quote includes those. It assumes the cost per foot is right for the whole fence; a taller fence, a fence on a slope, or a fence that needs old posts removed costs more per foot. For the pickets themselves, see fence picket chart; for the concrete for the posts, see concrete calculator.