For a straight run of panel fencing, start with the total length and the real panel width. We’ll work out panels and end posts, then add the rails and post mix you specify.
Corners, gates, steps and changes in ground level need their own allowance. Confirm your boundary and locate buried services before digging.
How to use this calculator
- Measure each straight run separately, corner to corner, and note gate openings — subtract a gate from its run before calculating.
- Choose your panel width and check the post size the system needs; slotted concrete posts and timber posts plan differently.
- Calculate the run, repeat for other runs, and add the totals.
- Order posts one or two over the count if the budget allows: a split or twisted post discovered mid-run stops the whole job.
How fence materials are calculated
Panels = fence run length ÷ panel width, rounded up. Posts = panels + 1 for a single straight run with one post at each end. Rails = panels × rails per panel. Post-mix bags = posts × your selected bags per post, rounded up. The calculator uses that selected bag allowance; it does not calculate hole dimensions, footing depth, gates or shared corner posts.
A 60 ft run with 6 ft panels takes exactly 10 panels and 11 posts. With 2 rails per panel that is 20 rails, and at one bag of post mix each, 11 bags of concrete.
A few things worth checking
- Counting posts as equal to panels and arriving at the last bay with nothing to fix it to.
- Including a gate opening in the panel count, then having to return a panel and buy gate hardware in a second trip.
- Setting posts at exact panel spacing without dry-checking the first two panels — a quarter inch of drift per bay becomes an unbridgeable gap by bay eight.
Your questions, answered
Does this calculator work out fence post depth?
No. It counts posts and multiplies them by the bags of post mix you select. It does not calculate hole depth or approve footing details. Use the installation details for your fencing system and a site-specific check where needed.
How far apart should fence posts be?
Use the spacing specified for your panel and post system. Panel width alone does not always equal the centre-to-centre distance between posts; post widths, brackets and clearances can affect the layout.
Why does a straight run need one more post than panels?
A single run of panels needs a post at both ends as well as the posts between panels. For example, 10 panels need 11 posts in this simple model. Separate runs, corners and gates need their own layout check.
Does the count include gates and shared corners?
No. It treats the entered length as one straight panel run. Plan gate openings, gate posts, shared corners and non-standard end spaces separately, then check the full material list against your fencing system.
Plan a Fence Before You Order the Panels
A straight line on a sketch is only the beginning. Here is what to check before buying materials.