Build calculator
Posts, rails, pickets and concrete for a wood fence
A parts count for a 6 ft privacy fence on 8 ft sections, from the length, the gates and how deep the posts go.
Data last checked . Every source is listed below.
Pickets for the fence
12 sections of 8 ft with 17 pickets each, 14 posts and 36 rails.
- Posts (4x4, 8 ft)
- 14line, end and gate posts; 6 ft above ground plus 24 in below needs 8.0 ft
- Rails (2x4, 8 ft)
- 36three to a section
- Concrete bags
- 3512.89 cu ft of concrete in all
- Screws
- 1,200about 100 a section
For information only: not advice, a design or a code ruling. We take care, but our sources can lag and so can we, so a figure may be out of date. Package sizes and prices come from the maker and the store, and codes from the local building authority.
What moves the number
The few things that change the answer the most, in plain terms.
- Picket style
- Overlapping pickets hide the gap and use about 22 per 8 ft section instead of 17, roughly a third more.
- Post hole depth
- Deeper holes take more concrete and need longer posts: a 6 ft fence needs 8 ft posts for a 24 inch hole, 9 ft for 30 to 36 inches and 10 ft for 48. Frost depth, soil and local code set how deep posts go. The cost estimate on the project page prices 8 ft posts.
- Gates
- A gate takes a section out of the run and adds posts to carry it. Gate hardware and the gate itself are not counted.
- Corners and slopes
- Corners add posts and sloping ground adds cut waste. This count is for a straight, level run.
The working
Step by step, with the numbers from the starting example, so you can check it on paper.
- Fence run after the gates: 100 ft - 1 x 4 ft = 96 ft.
- Sections of 8 ft: 96 / 8 rounds up to 12.
- Posts: 12 sections + 1 end post + 1 for gates = 14. Rails: 3 x 12 = 36.
- Pickets: 17 x 12 = 204.
- Each hole is 10 in wide and 24 in deep, less the 3.5 in post: 0.92 cu ft of concrete.
- 14 holes = 12.89 cu ft; at 0.375 cu ft a bag that is 35 bags.
Try a different case
Each opens the calculator with the numbers filled in.
What we assumed
Where a number is an example, we say so.
- Checked sourceA 50 lb bag of fast-setting concrete yields about 0.375 cu ft (Quikrete listing); a 60 lb bag yields about 0.45 cu ft (Quikrete data sheet).
- Our estimateSide-by-side pickets are counted at 17 per 8 ft section (5.5 in boards). Overlapping pickets are counted at 22 a section, each board covering about 4.5 in after a one-inch overlap.
- Our estimateThree rails to a section for a 6 ft fence, one 4x4 post per section, 100 screws a section: common practice, not a code requirement.
- Our estimateHole width and depth are inputs. We do not know your frost line or soil; local code and the post height decide them.
Sources
- Checked sourceQuikrete Fast Setting Concrete Mix 50 lb listing (about 0.375 cu ft per bag) and the Quikrete data sheet for the 60 lb bag (about 0.45 cu ft), quikrete.com and retailer listings, read 5 Nov 2026. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-05.