How Many Posts and Pickets for 200 Feet of Fence?
Posts needed
26 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 length200 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 needed26 posts
| Sections | 25 |
|---|---|
| Posts, plus one per corner and gate | 26 |
| Rails | 75 |
| Pickets | 437 |
| Concrete per hole | 1.15 cu ft |
| 50 lb concrete bags, whole job | 104 |
The material list this produces
| Posts | 26 |
|---|---|
| Rails | 75 |
| Pickets | 437 |
| Concrete, 50 lb bags | 104 |
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 | 35 posts | 140 |
| 7 ft | 30 posts | 120 |
| 8 ft | 26 posts | 104 |
What else matters here
A hundred and four bags of concrete is over two tons and about the point where ordering ready mix or renting a mixer stops being extravagant. Mixing that by hand in a wheelbarrow is a genuinely bad day.
At 200 feet, the survey matters. A fence built a foot onto the neighbor's land is a fence you may be made to move, and the cost of a real property pin location is small next to that. Get the pins before the holes.
Twenty six posts also means 26 chances to be out of line. Run a string the whole way and set to the string rather than to the last post, because post to post errors accumulate and a 200 foot fence shows every one of them.
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 posts for 200 feet of fence?
About 26 at 8 foot spacing, plus one for each corner and gate.
Do I need a survey before building a fence?
If the fence is near a property line, yes. Locating the real pins costs far less than moving a completed fence, and many jurisdictions require a setback from the line.
Can I use gravel instead of concrete?
Some builders do, and in well drained soil a properly tamped gravel set drains better and rots posts slower. Check local code first, since some jurisdictions specify concrete for fences over a certain height.
The fence calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.