How many pickets do I need for 100 feet of fence?
Check it with your own numbers
Open the Fence Calculator with these values
| Fence length | 100 ft |
| Post spacing | 8 ft |
| Rails per section | 2 |
| Picket width | 5.5 in |
| Gap between pickets | 0 in |
| Concrete bags per post | 2 |
| Posts | 14 |
| Rails | 26 |
| Pickets | 219 |
| Concrete bags | 28 |
Pickets
A nominal 1x6 picket is 5.5 inches wide. 100 ft is 1,200 inches, and 1,200 ÷ 5.5 rounds up to 219 pickets for a solid privacy fence with no gaps. Buy about 5% more for splits and knots: wood pickets from the big-box store have a high reject rate.
Posts and rails
With posts every 8 ft, you get 13 sections and 14 posts. Two rails per section is 26 rails. That is for a straight run. Every corner and gate adds a post, and gate posts should be one size heavier (6x6 instead of 4x4) or set deeper.
Concrete
Two 50 lb bags per post is 28 bags. That is for 4x4 posts in a 10-inch hole about 2 ft deep. In frost country, go below the frost line and figure 3 bags per post.
Gaps change the count a lot
Pickets shrink as they dry. Pressure-treated pine installed wet will open up gaps of 1/4 inch or more within a summer. Some installers leave a 1/2-inch gap on purpose for a semi-private look. Set the gap field in the calculator and watch the count drop. A 2-inch gap on a picket-style fence cuts the order by roughly a quarter.
Board-on-board
For a shadowbox or board-on-board fence with full overlap, you need about double the 219. That style looks the same from both sides and hides the shrink gaps.
Rail height for 6 ft fences
A 6 ft privacy fence usually needs three rails, not two, so the pickets do not cup in the middle. Set rails to 3 in the calculator for a 6 ft fence and you will need 39 rails instead of 26.
Check before you dig
Call 811 a few days before you start. It is free and they mark buried lines. Also confirm the property line and any HOA height limits.
For other sizes, use the full Fence Calculator or browse all answers.