Find out exactly how many pickets, posts, rails, and bags of concrete you need
| Fence Length | Pickets (1×6) | With 10% Waste | Posts (8ft spacing) | Concrete Bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 109 | 120 | 8 | 16 |
| 100 ft | 219 | 241 | 14 | 28 |
| 150 ft | 328 | 361 | 20 | 40 |
| 200 ft | 437 | 481 | 26 | 52 |
| 250 ft | 546 | 601 | 33 | 66 |
| 300 ft | 655 | 721 | 39 | 78 |
A privacy fence uses boards placed side by side with no gaps, creating a solid barrier that blocks both sight and wind. The standard configuration is 6 feet tall with 1×6 pressure-treated pickets (actual width 5.5 inches), 4×4 or 6×6 posts set 8 feet apart, and two or three horizontal 2×4 rails connecting the posts.
Standard 1×6 pickets are 5.5 inches wide. For a privacy fence with no gaps, divide 12 inches by 5.5 inches to get approximately 2.18 pickets per linear foot. For a 150-foot fence, that's 150 × 2.18 = 327 pickets. Round up and add 10% for waste: about 360 pickets.
The 10% waste factor matters more than people think. Pressure-treated lumber often arrives warped, split, or with large knots that weaken the board. Out of every bundle, you'll likely reject 5-8% of the boards, and you'll lose material to cuts at corners and gate openings.
Privacy fences catch a lot of wind, which puts enormous stress on the posts. Every post should be set in concrete, buried at least one-third of its total length. For a 6-foot fence, use 8-foot posts with 24 inches underground. In cold climates, check your local frost line — posts need to extend below it to prevent frost heaving.
Use 2 bags of 50-pound concrete per post. For corner posts and gate posts, which bear extra load, consider using 3 bags and 6×6 posts instead of 4×4.
Fences 5 feet and under can use 2 horizontal rails. For a standard 6-foot privacy fence, always use 3 rails — top, middle, and bottom. The third rail prevents the pickets from bowing or cupping over time, especially in humid climates. The small extra cost for the third rail pays for itself in longevity.
At current lumber prices, a standard 6-foot pressure-treated privacy fence costs roughly $15–25 per linear foot in DIY materials. Cedar runs higher at $25–40 per foot. A typical backyard (150 feet of fencing) costs $2,500–5,500 for materials. Professional installation adds $10–25 per foot for labor, roughly doubling the total cost.
A shadowbox fence alternates boards on opposite sides of the rails, creating a pattern that looks finished from both sides. It uses about 30% more lumber than a privacy fence but allows airflow and reduces wind load. If your area gets strong winds, a shadowbox may be a better choice — a solid privacy fence acts like a sail and puts more stress on the posts.
Board-on-board overlaps adjacent pickets by about 1.5 inches, ensuring zero visibility even as the wood shrinks and dries. It uses roughly 35% more lumber than a basic privacy fence but offers the most complete visual barrier and handles wood movement better over the years.
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