Fence Picket Calculator
Count boards for a straight, single-layer picket or privacy fence.
Choose the worksheet for your task
- Quick estimateOne continuous board-covered run; gates and interrupted panels need separate counts.
- Order separate fence panelsRound each clear span independently, then combine spares and required packs.
These are independent worksheets. Inputs do not transfer between them. Use the download button beside the result you want to keep.
- Fence run (exclude gates)
- 100 ft
- Board face width
- 5.5 in
- Material subtotal (entered price only)
- Not supplied
Whole packages round up. Prices include only the items you enter. Delivery, tax and installation may be extra.
Order pickets for interrupted fence runs
Posts, gates and corners break a fence into separate clear spans. Enter those spans individually, or group identical panels. Each panel starts and ends with a board. This worksheet is independent of the quick single-run estimate above.
116 boards in 116 purchase pack(s)
| Group | Clear span / panels | Boards per panel | Group boards | Nominal layout exceeds span by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five equal panels | 10 ft / 5 | 21 | 105 | 5.5 in per panel |
- Panel boards before spares: 105
- Spare allowance: 11 boards; requirement including spares: 116
- Additional boards from full-pack rounding: 0
- Material subtotal: Not priced
- Entered delivery: $0.00
- Material plus entered delivery: Enter a pack price
Why not combine all spans first? One continuous-run calculation would give 101 boards before spares, 4 fewer than the separate panels. The continuous run is a diagnostic comparison, not your panel order.
The count covers the span mathematically but does not prove a finished spacing pattern. A positive excess needs an actual trimming or spacing layout within your project constraints; do not treat it as permission to change required gaps. Cut remnants are not reused between panels. Gates, posts, rails, fasteners, tax and installation are excluded. Only compare identical board products and lengths.
Worked decision: five panels are not one 50 ft run
These are invented measurements for a reproducible single-layer fence example, not an installation specification. Use five 10 ft clear panels, 5.5 in boards and 0.5 in planned gaps. Each panel requires ceil((120 + 0.5) ÷ 6) = 21 boards. Five panels therefore require 105 before spares. With 10% spare boards, round up 115.5 to 116.
Combining all clear spans into one 50 ft run instead gives ceil((600 + 0.5) ÷ 6) = 101 boards, then 112 with 10% spares. That loses four boards because every interrupted span has its own end conditions. A gate opening is not a board-covered panel; leave it out unless you are separately estimating identical boards on the gate itself.
Separate layout surplus from purchase surplus
For each 10 ft panel, 21 full-width boards and 20 half-inch gaps would span 125.5 in. The 5.5 in excess is a layout issue, not five and a half spare inches you can automatically transfer to another panel. Determine a workable trim or spacing pattern before cutting. The calculator deliberately does not invent that design.
If the supplier sells only ten-board packs, 116 boards rounds to 12 packs, or 120 boards: 105 panel boards, 11 spare boards and 4 more from packaging. At an invented $25 per ten-board pack plus $40 delivery, the entered total is $340. Leaving pack size at 1 with a $25 price would mean $25 per individual board, a different quote.
Reconcile the purchase with the job
- Label every clear span on a sketch; group only identical spans. Confirm that board length suits each panel height.
- Check one panel’s count and nominal width before multiplying by repeated panels.
- Add spares once to the combined count, then round to required packs.
- Download the row-by-row list. Record the actual product and quote date before ordering.
Different board widths or lengths need separate orders. Overlapping, shadowbox or board-on-board patterns require their own layout. This worksheet does not choose post spacing, gap compliance or structural details. Use the concrete tool only for separately specified holes, and the finish worksheet for the boards actually installed, not all purchased spares. The quote checklist records missing hardware and labor.
How to calculate
Enter only the length that receives pickets; exclude gates. This layout starts and ends with a board. Board-on-board and shadowbox styles need a different layout.
Worked example
Length (ft): 100 · Actual picket width (in): 5.5 · Gap between boards (in): 0 · Extra material (%): 10.
These inputs produce 241 pickets to order. Change the measurements above to match your project.
Measure the right surfaces
Measure the net board-covered run, excluding gates, and enter actual board width. Choose the planned clear gap between boards. The formula starts and ends with a board; it applies to a single-layer run, not alternating or overlapping board arrangements.
A second example you can check
For a 10 ft run, 5.5 in boards and 0.5 in gaps, the base count is ceil((120 + 0.5) ÷ 6) = 21 boards. With 10% spare material, it is ceil(21 × 1.10) = 24. Twenty-one boards plus twenty gaps span 125.5 in, so the final layout requires trimming or spacing adjustment.
Where estimates go wrong
Nominal board width differs from actual width, and a rounded-up count does not guarantee the final gap pattern fits perfectly. Posts that interrupt the run and gates change the clear spans. A shadowbox fence requires a different two-face layout.
Build your supplier order
Check each clear panel span on a sketch. Confirm board dimensions, grade, moisture condition and desired gaps. Posts, rails, fasteners, gate frames and finishes are additional materials; the board count does not certify fence strength or code compliance.
Fence Picket: practical questions
Why add one gap in the numerator?
A row with n boards has n − 1 gaps. Rearranging n × board width + (n − 1) × gap gives the formula shown.
Can I use it for board-on-board fencing?
No. Overlapping boards change the effective coverage and layout. Use a pattern-specific count.
Inputs and references
This worksheet uses the geometry and editable assumptions shown above. Product specifications and local quotes determine the inputs.
YardTakeoff · Revised October 21, 2026 · Formula checks and scope · Report a calculation error