★ CONSTRUCTION · FENCING · FENCE SIZES
13 panels and 14 posts — $4,500.00 of materials for 100 ft of 6-ft wood privacy fence. Fence sizes run from 4-ft split-rail at $20 a foot to 6-ft vinyl privacy at $65 a foot, with panels from 6 ft to 10 ft and posts one more than the panels. Enter your fence length to find the panels, posts, and cost for your fence. Reference table #218.
A fence is bought by the panel and the post: the panels are the sections between the posts, and the posts are one more than the panels, because the run starts and ends with a post. This calculator works out how many panels and posts a fence needs and what the materials cost — with the full fence size table, the length you enter, and the fence type you choose.
A fence is sized by its height in feet, its panel length in feet, and its post spacing in feet, and it is priced by the linear foot. The panels are the sections between the posts: the number of panels is the fence length divided by the panel length, rounded up, because a part panel still needs a whole panel. The posts are the panels plus one, because the run starts and ends with a post. The materials cost is the fence length times the price per linear foot. This is a size and cost chart, NOT a structural, wind-load, or HOA-permit chart: check your local rules and your HOA before you build, because height limits and setbacks vary by place.
At the defaults — 100 ft of 6-ft wood privacy — the panels are 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5, rounded up to 13 panels, and the posts are 13 + 1 = 14 posts. At $45.00 a linear foot the materials cost 100 × $45 = $4,500.00. A wood privacy panel is built from pickets: 96 in ÷ 5.5 in is 17.45 pickets, rounded up to 18 pickets a panel with no gap, so 13 panels need 234 pickets; with 3 rails a panel, the fence needs 39 rails; and with 1 bag of concrete a post, it needs 14 bags of 50-lb concrete.
| Fence type | Height | Panel length | Post spacing | Cost / linear ft | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood privacy | 6 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $45 | Backyard privacy and blocking the neighbours. |
| Wood picket | 4 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $35 | Front yard boundary with a classic look. |
| Semi-privacy | 6 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $40 | Privacy with airflow and a lighter look. |
| Chain-link | 4 ft | 10 ft | 10 ft | $25 | Cheap, durable boundary for pets and kids. |
| Split-rail | 4 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $20 | Rustic boundary for large or rural lots. |
| Vinyl privacy | 6 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $65 | Low-maintenance privacy that never needs paint. |
| Aluminum | 4 ft | 6 ft | 6 ft | $55 | Pool fencing and a tidy look that never rusts. |
| Wrought iron | 5 ft | 8 ft | 8 ft | $75 | Strong, decorative boundary for the front yard. |
| Case | Panels | Posts | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default (100 ft, wood privacy $45/ft) | 13 | 14 | $4,500.00 |
| 50 ft, wood privacy | 7 | 8 | $2,250.00 |
| 200 ft, wood privacy | 25 | 26 | $9,000.00 |
| 100 ft, wood picket $35/ft | 13 | 14 | $3,500.00 |
| 100 ft, chain-link $25/ft | 10 | 11 | $2,500.00 |
| 100 ft, vinyl privacy $65/ft | 13 | 14 | $6,500.00 |
| 100 ft, aluminum 6-ft panels | 17 | 18 | $5,500.00 |
| 100 ft, split-rail $20/ft | 13 | 14 | $2,000.00 |
| 100 ft, wrought iron $75/ft | 13 | 14 | $7,500.00 |
| 100 ft, 6-ft post spacing (aluminum) | 17 | 18 | $5,500.00 |
| 100 ft, 10-ft post spacing (chain-link) | 10 | 11 | $2,500.00 |
Setup: fence length 100 ft, fence type 6-ft wood privacy, panel length 8 ft, post spacing 8 ft, price $45 a linear foot.
Line 1 — the panels. 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5, rounded up to 13 panels, because a part panel still needs a whole panel.
Line 2 — the posts. 13 + 1 = 14 posts, because the run starts and ends with a post.
Line 3 — the cost. 100 × $45 = $4,500.00 of materials, which is $45.00 a linear foot.
Line 4 — the pickets, rails, and concrete. A privacy panel needs 96 in ÷ 5.5 in = 17.45 pickets, rounded up to 18 pickets a panel, so 13 panels need 234 pickets; with 3 rails a panel the fence needs 39 rails; and with 1 bag of 50-lb concrete a post it needs 14 bags.
Reverse: a $3,000 budget buys 66.67 ft of wood privacy and a $9,000 budget buys 200.00 ft; 20 panels cover 160 ft and 15 posts cover 112 ft; 10 aluminum panels cover 60 ft.
50 ft, wood privacy: 50 ÷ 8 = 6.25, rounded up to 7 panels and 8 posts, and the cost is $2,250.00. Half the length is half the cost, but one more panel than half, because of the rounding.
200 ft, wood privacy: 200 ÷ 8 = 25 exactly, so 25 panels and 26 posts, and the cost is $9,000.00. When the length divides evenly, there is no part panel.
Wood picket $35/ft: the same 13 panels and 14 posts as wood privacy, but the cost is $3,500.00 — $1,000 less for the same fence length, because the picket fence is shorter and uses less wood.
Chain-link $25/ft: the panels are 10 ft, so 100 ÷ 10 = 10 panels and 11 posts, and the cost is $2,500.00. Longer panels mean fewer panels and fewer posts.
Vinyl privacy $65/ft: the same 13 panels and 14 posts as wood privacy, but the cost is $6,500.00 — $2,000 more, because vinyl costs more per foot and never needs paint.
Aluminum 6-ft panels: the panels are 6 ft, so 100 ÷ 6 = 16.67, rounded up to 17 panels and 18 posts, and the cost is $5,500.00. Short panels mean more panels and more posts.
Split-rail $20/ft: the same 13 panels and 14 posts as wood privacy, but the cost is $2,000.00 — the cheapest fence on the chart, because a split-rail fence is mostly open space.
Wrought iron $75/ft: the same 13 panels and 14 posts as wood privacy, but the cost is $7,500.00 — the dearest fence on the chart.
6-ft post spacing (aluminum): with 6-ft spacing, 100 ft needs 17 panels and 18 posts. Shorter spacing means more posts, and posts are where the cost and the work go.
10-ft post spacing (chain-link): with 10-ft spacing, 100 ft needs 10 panels and 11 posts. Longer spacing means fewer posts, which is why chain-link is cheap to put up.
Reverse — the other way round: a $3,000 budget buys 66.67 ft of wood privacy and a $9,000 budget buys 200.00 ft; 20 panels cover 160 ft and 15 posts cover 112 ft; 10 aluminum panels cover 60 ft.
The model assumes the fence is one straight run of the length you enter, the panels are the table length, the posts are spaced at the table spacing, and the price is the table price per linear foot. It assumes the panels are counted with the ceiling, so a part panel counts as a whole panel, and the posts are the panels plus one. It assumes the pickets are 5.5 in wide with no gap, the rails are 3 a panel, and the concrete is 1 bag of 50-lb concrete a post — those extras are for wood privacy only, and they are not shown for other fence types. It leaves out labor, gates, old-fence removal, and the cost of the land the fence stands on. It leaves out corners and ends: a fence that turns a corner needs a corner post, and a gate needs gate posts and hardware, which are not in this count. With a length of 0 ft there are 0 panels, 0 posts, and $0.00 of cost. With 8 ft of wood privacy there is exactly 1 panel and 2 posts for $360.00, and with 9 ft there are 2 panels and 3 posts for $405.00 — one foot over a panel length buys a whole extra panel. Rounding convention: all figures are computed from unrounded values and rounded only for display — money to cents, lengths to two decimals, panel and post counts are whole numbers.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Panels | ceil(fence length ÷ panel length) | 13. |
| Posts | panels + 1 (0 when the length is 0) | 14. |
| Materials cost | fence length × price per linear foot | $4,500.00. |
| Cost per linear foot | the table price for the fence type | $45.00. |
| Privacy pickets per panel | ceil(96 in ÷ 5.5 in, no gap) | 18. |
| Privacy pickets total | pickets per panel × panels | 234. |
| Rails total | 3 rails per panel × panels | 39. |
| Concrete bags (50-lb) | 1 bag per post × posts | 14. |
| $3,000 budget buys | $3,000 ÷ price per linear foot | 66.67 ft. |
| $9,000 budget buys | $9,000 ÷ price per linear foot | 200.00 ft. |
| 20 panels cover | 20 × panel length | 160.00 ft. |
| 15 posts cover | (15 − 1) × panel length | 112.00 ft. |
| 10 aluminum panels cover | 10 × 6 ft | 60.00 ft. |
| 0 ft | same model, 0 ft | Panels 0, posts 0, cost $0.00. |
| 8 ft | same model, 8 ft | Panels 1, posts 2, cost $360.00. |
| 9 ft | same model, 9 ft | Panels 2, posts 3, cost $405.00. |
| 50 ft | same model, 50 ft | Panels 7, posts 8, cost $2,250.00. |
| 200 ft | same model, 200 ft | Panels 25, posts 26, cost $9,000.00. |
| Wood picket $35/ft | same model, wood picket | Panels 13, posts 14, cost $3,500.00. |
| Chain-link $25/ft | same model, chain-link | Panels 10, posts 11, cost $2,500.00. |
| Vinyl privacy $65/ft | same model, vinyl privacy | Panels 13, posts 14, cost $6,500.00. |
| Aluminum 6-ft panels | same model, aluminum | Panels 17, posts 18, cost $5,500.00. |
| Split-rail $20/ft | same model, split-rail | Panels 13, posts 14, cost $2,000.00. |
| Wrought iron $75/ft | same model, wrought iron | Panels 13, posts 14, cost $7,500.00. |
| 6-ft post spacing (aluminum) | same model, aluminum | Panels 17, posts 18, cost $5,500.00. |
| 10-ft post spacing (chain-link) | same model, chain-link | Panels 10, posts 11, cost $2,500.00. |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the panels are the length divided by the panel length, rounded up, the posts are the panels plus one, and the cost is the length times the price per linear foot. What the model cannot do is measure your yard: check the length, because a fence that turns a corner needs a corner post and a gate needs gate posts and hardware, which are not in this count. It assumes one straight run, the table panel lengths and spacings, and the table prices, which are typical materials prices — check your supplier, because lumber and vinyl prices move. It assumes the pickets are 5.5 in wide with no gap, the rails are 3 a panel, and the concrete is 1 bag of 50-lb concrete a post, and those extras are for wood privacy only. It leaves out labor, gates, old-fence removal, and the cost of the land. It is explicitly NOT a structural, wind-load, or HOA-permit chart: a 6-ft privacy fence catches a lot of wind, and your HOA may limit the height or the type. For the cost of the fence as a whole, see fence cost calculator; for the pickets alone, see fence picket chart; for the posts, see fence post size chart.
Bright Side Kit. "Fence Size Chart: Panels, Posts & Cost Per Foot 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/fence-size-chart/ Accessed October 25, 2026.13 panels of 8-ft wood privacy, with 14 posts. 100 divided by 8 is 12.5, rounded up to 13 panels, because a part panel still needs a whole panel, and the posts are the panels plus one. The materials cost $4,500.00 at $45 a linear foot. With 10-ft chain-link panels it is 10 panels and 11 posts, and with 6-ft aluminum panels it is 17 panels and 18 posts.
One more than the panels. The run starts and ends with a post, so 13 panels need 14 posts, 7 panels need 8 posts, and 25 panels need 26 posts. With a length of 0 ft there are 0 posts. A fence that turns a corner needs a corner post on top of this count, and a gate needs gate posts and hardware.
$4,500.00 for 6-ft wood privacy at $45 a linear foot. The cheapest fence on the chart is split-rail at $20 a foot, which is $2,000.00 for 100 ft, and the dearest is wrought iron at $75 a foot, which is $7,500.00. Chain-link is $2,500.00, wood picket is $3,500.00, semi-privacy is $4,000.00, aluminum is $5,500.00, and vinyl privacy is $6,500.00. Those are materials only — no labor, gates, or old-fence removal.
18 pickets. A panel is 96 in wide and a picket is 5.5 in wide, so 96 divided by 5.5 is 17.45 pickets, rounded up to 18 with no gap. A 100-ft fence needs 13 panels, so it needs 234 pickets, plus 39 rails at 3 a panel and 14 bags of 50-lb concrete at 1 a post.
66.67 ft of 6-ft wood privacy. $3,000 divided by $45 a linear foot is 66.67 ft. A $9,000 budget buys 200.00 ft. With chain-link at $25 a foot, $3,000 buys 120 ft, and with split-rail at $20 a foot it buys 150 ft.
Because a part panel still needs a whole panel. 9 divided by 8 is 1.125, rounded up to 2 panels, with 3 posts, for $405.00. At exactly 8 ft there is 1 panel and 2 posts for $360.00, so one foot over a panel length buys a whole extra panel and post.