How Many Posts and Pickets for 150 Feet of Fence?
Posts needed
20 posts
Posts at 8 feet, three rails per section, 5.5 inch pickets butted tight.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Total fence length150 ft
- Post spacing8 ft
- Rails per section3
- Picket width, 0 for panels5.5 in
- Gap between pickets0 in
- Post hole depth30 in
- Post hole diameter10 in
Posts needed20 posts
| Sections | 19 |
|---|---|
| Posts, plus one per corner and gate | 20 |
| Rails | 57 |
| Pickets | 328 |
| Concrete per hole | 1.15 cu ft |
| 50 lb concrete bags, whole job | 80 |
The material list this produces
| Posts | 20 |
|---|---|
| Rails | 57 |
| Pickets | 328 |
| Concrete, 50 lb bags | 80 |
Post spacing compared
Closer posts mean a stiffer fence and a bigger post and concrete bill. Same run, three spacings.
| Post spacing | Posts needed | 50 lb concrete bags, whole job |
|---|---|---|
| 6 ft | 26 posts | 104 |
| 7 ft | 23 posts | 92 |
| 8 ft | 20 posts | 80 |
What else matters here
Twenty posts, 57 rails and 328 pickets is a full trailer load and a weekend of digging. Before any of it is ordered, walk the line with a locate service: a struck gas or fiber line costs more than the entire fence.
Three rails rather than two is the right call for a six foot privacy fence. Two rails lets the pickets cup and twist in the middle, and the third rail costs about seven percent of the material bill to prevent it.
Three hundred and twenty eight pickets assumes them butted tight with no gap. If you are building a shadow box or a spaced picket fence, set the gap field on the calculator above, because a one inch gap takes roughly fifty fewer pickets across this run.
What this calculator assumes
- Sections are the length divided by the spacing, and posts are sections plus one. Corners and gates each add a post on top of that.
- Concrete per hole is the hole volume less the post, figured at a 4x4. Two 50 lb bags per hole is the common shortcut and it is close.
- Set posts a third of their length in the ground in frost country, and check your local frost depth before you dig.
Questions people ask
How many pickets for 150 feet of fence?
About 328 at 5.5 inches wide butted tight. A spaced or shadow box layout changes that a lot, so set the picket gap on the calculator.
Two rails or three?
Three for a six foot privacy fence. Two is acceptable on a four foot picket fence, but at six feet the pickets cup between rails.
How long does 150 feet of fence take to build?
Two people, roughly three days: one to dig and set, one for the concrete to cure, one to rail and picket. Rocky ground or a hand auger doubles the first day.
The fence calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.