Fence Picket Calculator
Plan picket count for a straight fence run.
Calculate fence picket calculator from clear inputs
Fence Picket Calculator gives a focused worksheet for home & diy questions where a quick deterministic estimate is more useful than a spreadsheet. The fence picket calculator fields mirror the variables in its formula, and the output separates the main result from supporting values so you can sanity-check this calculation before reusing it.
80 feet of fence minus a 4 foot gate with 6 inch pitch needs 152 pickets.
Keep the estimate private in your browser
For Fence Picket Calculator, every calculation runs in your browser with no upload, account, cookie, live lookup, or server-side storage. The fence picket calculator result is best treated as a planning number because the real-world constraints behind this estimate can change the answer. Adjust the fence picket calculator assumptions and confirm important decisions against the relevant source of truth for that exact situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the picket count worked out?
Gate width is subtracted from the fence length, the remaining run is converted to inches, and divided by picket width plus gap, then rounded up. 80 ft with a 4 ft gate at 6 inch spacing needs 152 pickets.
Does it include pickets for the gate?
No. The gate width is removed from the run, so count gate pickets separately, or add the gate back to the length if the gate uses the same pickets.
What gap should I leave between pickets?
Around 1/4 to 1 inch for a spaced fence; 0 for a privacy fence where boards butt together. Wet pressure-treated pickets shrink, so gaps open up after drying.
Related tools
Browse the full set of free, private, in-browser tools.