Privacy fence calculator
Length, height, board width and gap: you get boards, their length, posts, rails (three over 5 ft) and screws.
Purchase quantity
143 unit
Net measurement: 130 unit · Waste 10 %
- Boards143 unit
- Board length5.906 ft
- Posts10 post
- Rails216.535 ft
- Screws (2 per board per rail)2 box
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How it's calculated (visible formula)
boards = ceil(length ÷ (board + gap)) × (1 + waste); rails = length × (3 if height > 1.5 m, else 2)
- Net geometric measurement, no waste.
- Adjustable waste % for cuts and breakage.
- Purchase rounded up to sellable units (boxes, bags, buckets, boards).
How to calculate it, step by step
- Measure length and set fence height.
- Pick board width and gap.
- Work out boards with waste and their length.
- Work out posts and rails (three rows above 5 ft).
- Add screws and hardware.
Worked example: 66 ft × 6 ft, 5½ in boards, ⅜ in gap
- 792 in ÷ 5.9 in ≈ 135 boards
- +10% → 149
- 3 rails × 66 ft + 10% ≈ 218 ft
→ About 149 boards of 6 ft, 10 posts and 218 ft of rail.
Common mistakes
- Butting boards tight — wood swells.
- Only two rails on 6 ft fences.
- Ignoring wind load on solid fences.
Pro tips
- Beef up posts and footings — solid fences catch a lot of wind.
- Board-on-board lets some air through and hides shrinkage gaps.
- Use stainless or coated screws to prevent staining.
- Keep a spare board in case one splits.
From calculation to quote
Add labour, overhead and your margin, and generate the professional PDF.
FAQs
- What gap between privacy boards?
- About ¼–⅜ in so the wood can move.
- How tall can a privacy fence be?
- Often capped at 6 ft in back yards by local code.
- Board-on-board or single?
- Board-on-board hides gaps as boards shrink and handles wind better.
- Which side faces the neighbor?
- Convention puts the finished side out; board-on-board looks good from both sides.
- Boards or prebuilt panels?
- Panels are faster; boards adapt better to slopes.
- How do I stop sagging?
- Three rails and posts every 6–8 ft.
Sources and standards
Maintained by Srikanta M · Formula v1.0.0 · Verified 2026-09-10 · Updated 2026-09-10 · Limits: quantity estimation, not structural design or site supervision.