Fence Picket Calculator: How Many Pickets and What Spacing
Enter the length of the run and the width of your pickets, and get how many pickets it takes for a spaced, privacy or overlapping style; the working shows the real gap between them, and a mark strip gives the position of the first pickets.
A ready-made setup of the Fence Calculator.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Example: a run of picket fence
200 1x6 fence picket
- Real gap between pickets 0.041 ft
- Pickets if the first and last sit flush to the end posts 201
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Pickets | 1x6 fence picket | 200 |
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Worked example: a run of picket fence
Show the working
- Pickets: the run less one gap, over a picket plus a gap, rounded up 100 ft − 1/2 in ÷ 6 in = 200 pickets
- Real gap: what is left of the run, shared by the gaps 100 ft − 200 pickets × 5 1/2 in = 8 ft 4 in
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Waste allowance | 0% | |
| Default Your own allowance, added once to the total. Check your label or supplier. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Mark strip: where the first pickets go
Left edge and centre of the first ten pickets, measured from the first post, for the run in the example
| Picket | Left edge from the post | Centre from the post |
|---|---|---|
| Picket 1 | 0.041 ft | 0.271 ft |
| Picket 2 | 0.541 ft | 0.77 ft |
| Picket 3 | 1.041 ft | 1.27 ft |
| Picket 4 | 1.541 ft | 1.77 ft |
| Picket 5 | 2.041 ft | 2.27 ft |
| Picket 6 | 2.54 ft | 2.77 ft |
| Picket 7 | 3.04 ft | 3.269 ft |
| Picket 8 | 3.54 ft | 3.769 ft |
| Picket 9 | 4.04 ft | 4.269 ft |
| Picket 10 | 4.54 ft | 4.769 ft |
Every mark comes from its own picket number, never from the mark before it, so a slip at one picket does not carry on. The real gap is the same between every pair.
Pickets in one section, by picket width
Pickets in one section between posts, with a gap at both posts, at the gap in the example, by section length and picket width
| Section | Pickets of 3.5 in | Pickets of 5.5 in | Pickets of 7.25 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft | 18 | 12 | 10 |
| 8 ft | 24 | 16 | 13 |
The gap is the largest gap you typed; more pickets give a smaller real gap. The widths are examples; use the width of the pickets you buy.
Questions
How many fence pickets do I need per eight foot section?
16 pickets of the width in the example, with a gap at both posts; the second table gives other widths and a six foot section.
How do I space pickets for a shadow box fence?
Choose the overlapping style and type how far each board covers its neighbour. The count is the run less one overlap, over a board less one overlap, rounded up.