Redline
Free calculator

Posts, rails and pickets, counted.

One straight run at a time: how many sections, how many posts with the gate, how many rails, and how many pickets with a few spares. Then take the post count to the concrete calculator.

ft
One straight run. See the note on corners below.
ft
Your layout. Rails are assumed to be this long.
Your layout. At 1, each gate adds one post to the count. Set your own number for double or framed gates.
in
in
0 for a solid privacy fence.
%
Sections19
Posts21 posts
Rails38
Pickets329

Tell Redline "quote the Delgados, 150 feet of 6 foot cedar privacy, one walk gate" and it drafts the fence quote with your prices per foot.

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How the math works

  1. Sections

    Run length over post spacing, rounded up. 150 ÷ 8 = 18.75, so 19 sections.

  2. Posts

    One more post than sections closes the run, plus your extra posts per gate: 19 + 1 + 1 = 21.

  3. Rails

    Sections times rails per section: 19 x 2 = 38, each as long as the post spacing.

  4. Pickets

    Inches of fence over picket width plus gap, then your extra. 1,800 ÷ 5.75 = 313, plus 5% is 328.7, so 329.

Example runs

8 ft spacing, 1 gate with 1 extra post, 2 rails, 5.5 in pickets with a 0.25 in gap, 5% extra pickets.

RunSectionsPostsRailsPickets
100 ft131526220
150 ft192138329
200 ft252750439
150 ft, no gap (privacy)192138344

What to watch for

  • Corners share posts. Run each straight side on its own, add them up, and take off one post for every corner where two runs meet.
  • Gates. Extra posts per gate is yours to set. A double drive gate or a gate with its own frame may need more than one.
  • The gate opening stays in the picket count. That's about right when the gate is built from the same pickets. If it isn't, take the gate width off the run.
  • Longer rails. If you buy 16 ft rails to span two 8 ft sections, halve the rail count.
  • Slopes. On a hill the run is longer than it looks on the plot plan. Measure along the ground.
  • Post depth and footings are your call and your local code's. The fence post concrete calculator takes your hole size and does the bags.

Questions contractors ask

How many fence posts do I need for 100 feet?

At 8 ft spacing with one gate: 13 sections and 15 posts. At 6 ft spacing: 17 sections and 19 posts. Change the spacing above to match your layout.

Does it work for vinyl or chain link?

The sections and posts do. For vinyl, set the spacing to the panel width and read sections as panels. Chain link fabric is sold by the roll and top rail by the stick, so skip the picket line.

How does Redline turn the count into a quote?

Say "quote the Delgados: 150 ft of 6 ft cedar privacy, 21 posts, one 4 ft walk gate, haul away the old chain link, 50% deposit". Redline drafts the itemized quote at your per-foot and per-gate prices and saves it to their file. Quotes work on every plan. Deposit and final invoices with card pay links are on Solo and up. See fence estimates.

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