My Fence Calculator
Free fence material calculator

Fence calculator

Enter each side of your fence and where the gates go; get a complete shopping list for wood, chain link or vinyl, sized to your layout and frost line, with a cost estimate you can edit.

Step 01 of 06

What kind of fence?

Each type has its own parts list and post rules. You can switch later without losing your layout.

What this fence calculator does

This is a fence material calculator and estimator for homeowners who plan to build the fence themselves, or who want to check a contractor's quote. You describe your fence side by side, place the gates, pick a fence type, and enter your frost depth. It returns a complete shopping list: every post by type, every rail, picket, panel or roll, the fasteners and fittings, the gate hardware, the concrete and the gravel, counted in the units you actually buy.

It covers the three most common residential fences: wood, chain link and vinyl. Each one uses the formulas that fence builders use for that type, and each type page shows its math with a worked example.

Why you enter sides, not a total length

A total length only tells you how many line posts fit. It cannot tell where the corners, ends and gates are, and those are the posts that cost the most, go deepest and carry the hardware.

A fence is a set of straight runs. Where two runs meet you need a corner post. Where a run stops against the house you need an end post. Each gate needs two gate posts. Those posts are bigger, go deeper, take more concrete and, on chain link, carry most of the fittings. A total length cannot tell where any of them are.

When you enter each side and place the gates on it, the calculator knows the corners, ends and gate posts. It then spaces line posts evenly on each run, so you do not end up with a short bay at the end of every side. It also subtracts gate openings from the fence length, so you do not buy pickets or fabric for a hole in the fence.

What the shopping list includes

  • Gate hardware. Hinges, latches, drop rods, cane bolts, anti-sag kits and, for vinyl, the aluminum gate post stiffeners.
  • The right fasteners. Picket nails or screws counted two per picket per rail, rounded up to box sizes, with the coating your lumber needs.
  • Every chain link fitting. Tension bands, brace bands, rail ends, carriage bolts and ties, counted from your post layout.
  • Concrete by hole. Line posts, corners and gate posts get different hole sizes. The post's own volume is subtracted and the total is converted to bags.
  • Gravel. A 6 in drainage base under every post.
  • Purchase units. Boxes of nails, rolls of fabric, bags of ties, whole sticks of rail. Not fractions.

How the fence cost estimate works

Each item on your list is multiplied by a unit price. The calculator starts with national-average prices, dated so you know how current they are. Every price is editable. If your lumber yard sells a 4x4x8 for less, change it, and the total updates.

The estimate covers materials only. Installed prices vary much more by region than material prices do, so each type page includes published national ranges for installed cost with links to their sources.

A few costs sit outside any material list: permits, a property survey, removing an old fence, tool or auger rental, and delivery. Budget for those separately if they apply to your job. Tax is also left out, since it depends on where you buy.

Wood

A wood fence calculator for privacy, spaced picket, board-on-board, shadow box and horizontal board fences. It counts posts with equalized spacing up to 7 ft 10 in, rails by fence height, and pickets from their actual width (a 1x6 is 5½ in, not 6). It adds picket and rail fasteners, gate framing and hardware, kickboards, caps and stain if you want them.

A chain link fence calculator that returns rolls of fabric, line and terminal posts in the right diameters, top rail, and every band, bar, bolt and tie. It handles bottom tension wire, walk and drive gates, and a pool mode that applies barrier rules. The page also breaks down chain link fence cost by height and gauge.

Vinyl

A vinyl fence calculator that works as a fence panel calculator. It lays panels along each run at your product's spacing, plans the cut panels, and sorts every post into line, corner or end routing so you order the right ones. It adds post caps, gate kits, stiffeners and latches.

For posts on their own, use the fence post depth calculator or the fence post concrete calculator.

How to measure your fence line

  1. Mark the corners and ends. Put a stake at every point where the fence changes direction or stops.
  2. Measure each side between stakes. Use a 100 ft tape or a measuring wheel. Follow the ground, not a straight line through the air or a satellite map. On a slope, the ground distance is longer, and the fence has to cover it.
  3. Place the gates. Note which side each gate is on, how far it is from one end, and the width of the opening you want.
  4. Note what each end meets. A house wall, an existing fence, or open ground all count as ends.
  5. Find your frost depth. Your local building department publishes it.

Before any digging, call 811 to have buried utilities marked, and check your permit and HOA rules.

GuideFence post spacingHow far apart fence posts should be for wood, chain link, vinyl, aluminum and split rail, plus how to equalize spacing on each run so no bay is a stub.

Questions people ask

Is this fence calculator free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and no contractor lead form. You enter your fence and get the material list and estimate.

What fence types does the calculator cover?

Wood (privacy, spaced picket, board-on-board, shadow box and horizontal), chain link, and vinyl panel fences. Each has its own page with the formulas it uses.

Why do I enter each side instead of the total length?

Because corners, ends and gates each need a different post, different hardware and more concrete than a line post. A single total length cannot tell where those are, so it undercounts the parts that cost the most.

How accurate is the cost estimate?

It is as accurate as the unit prices. The calculator starts from dated national-average prices, which you can edit to match your local store. The quantities do not depend on price.

Does the calculator include concrete and gravel?

Yes. It sizes each hole by post type, subtracts the post from the hole volume, adds 10%, and converts to bags of the size you choose. Gravel for a 6 in drainage base is counted separately.

How do I measure for a fence?

Walk each side with a long tape or measuring wheel, following the ground rather than a map. Measure between the points where the fence changes direction, and note where each gate goes and how wide the opening is.

Does the calculator account for my frost line?

Yes. You enter your frost depth and it sets post depth to at least 6 in below it, then picks post lengths and concrete quantities to match.

Does it work outside the United States?

It is built around US practice: frost depths by US state, US nominal lumber and post sizes, chain link parts as sold in the US, IRC and ISPSC code references, and US dollar prices. You can still use it elsewhere by entering your own frost depth and checking that the stock sizes on the list match what your supplier carries.

Guides

Written by the My Fence Calculator editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28. Quantities are estimates based on US stock sizes and building codes; verify with your supplier and local code.