How many pickets for a fence? (per section and per 100 ft)
Divide the fence length by the board width plus the gap: 3.5 in pickets with a 2.5 in gap are a 6 in pitch, so an 8 ft section takes 16 and 100 ft takes 200, 220 with 10% for cuts and rejects. Butted 1x6 privacy boards are 18 per 8 ft section and 241 per 100 ft with waste. Measure the real board (a 1x4 is 3 1/2 in wide, a 1x6 is 5 1/2 in) and the tables do the rest.
Pickets and boards per section and per 100 ft
Pitch is the board width plus the gap. A section is counted on its own (the boards in an 8 ft bay between posts), while the 100 ft column is the whole run divided by the pitch, rounded up, and the last column adds 10% for cuts and rejects. Screws are two per board per rail. The fence calculator takes any width, gap, rail count and gate.
| Layout | Pitch | Per 8 ft | Per 6 ft | Per 100 ft | +10% waste | Screws per 100 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x4 boards, butted | 3.5 in | 28 | 21 | 343 | 378 | 2,058 |
| 1x4 pickets, 1 in gap | 4.5 in | 22 | 16 | 267 | 294 | 1,068 |
| 1x4 pickets, 2 1/2 in gap | 6 in | 16 | 12 | 200 | 220 | 800 |
| 1x4 pickets, 3 1/2 in gap | 7 in | 14 | 11 | 172 | 190 | 688 |
| 1x6 boards, butted (privacy) | 5.5 in | 18 | 14 | 219 | 241 | 1,314 |
| 1x6 pickets, 1 in gap | 6.5 in | 15 | 12 | 185 | 204 | 740 |
| 1x6 pickets, 2 1/2 in gap | 8 in | 12 | 9 | 150 | 165 | 600 |
Getting the count right
- Measure the board, not the name. A 1x4 is 3 1/2 in wide, a 1x6 is 5 1/2 in; rough-sawn and fence-grade boards can be a little different, and 1/4 in on a 1x6 is 10 boards in 100 ft.
- Take out the gates. A 4 ft gate is 8 pickets at a 6 in pitch you do not need on the run; count the gate's own boards separately.
- Start from the posts. Lay out each bay so the pickets are centred on it; the ripped board goes against the post where it shows least.
- Green wood shrinks. Butted pressure-treated boards open a gap of 1/8 to 1/4 in as they dry. For real privacy, butt them tight or go board-on-board.
Metric: boards per panel and per 30 m
Fence boards come in 100 mm and 150 mm widths; a panel is 1.8 or 2.4 m between posts. The 30 m column includes 10% waste.
| Board | Gap | Pitch | Per 2.4 m | Per 1.8 m | Per 30 m, +10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 mm | 0 mm | 100 mm | 24 | 18 | 330 |
| 100 mm | 25 mm | 125 mm | 20 | 15 | 264 |
| 100 mm | 50 mm | 150 mm | 16 | 12 | 220 |
| 150 mm | 0 mm | 150 mm | 16 | 12 | 220 |
| 150 mm | 25 mm | 175 mm | 14 | 11 | 190 |
| 150 mm | 50 mm | 200 mm | 12 | 9 | 165 |
The rest of the fence
- Posts and rails: the fence posts guide.
- Holes, post length and concrete: the post depth guide.
- Stain or sealer for the finished boards, both faces: the fence stain guide.
Frequently asked questions
- How many pickets do I need for 100 feet of fence?
- 200 pickets of 3 1/2 in with a 2 1/2 in gap (220 with 10% waste), 343 if the 1x4s are butted (378 with waste), or 219 butted 1x6 boards (241 with waste). Take the gate openings out of the length first; the fence calculator does that for you.
- How many pickets per 8 foot section?
- 16 for 3 1/2 in pickets at a 2 1/2 in gap, 22 at a 1 in gap, 18 for butted 5 1/2 in boards (17.5 before rounding, so the last board is ripped). A 6 ft section is 12, 16 and 14.
- What gap should be between fence pickets?
- 2 1/2 in is the classic picket look with 3 1/2 in pickets, and lets air through; 1 to 1 1/2 in is a semi-private fence; butted boards give privacy but shrink and open up as they dry, which is why board-on-board exists. Use a picket as the spacer for a 3 1/2 in gap, or cut a block to the gap you choose.
- How many screws or nails for a fence?
- Two per picket per rail: a 100 ft picket fence with two rails is 800 screws, a 100 ft privacy fence with three rails and 1x6 boards 1314. Use 1 5/8 in exterior screws or ring-shank nails; boxes are sold by weight and print an approximate count, so divide the total by that figure.
- How many boards for a board-on-board (shadowbox) fence?
- Count each face separately at the pitch you want and add them: 1x6 boards at a 2 1/2 in gap on both faces of 100 ft is 150 per face, 330 boards in total with 10% waste. The back boards cover the gaps in the front ones, so there is no see-through line, but the fence uses nearly twice the timber of a butted one.
- How much waste should I allow on pickets?
- 10%: a few in every bundle are split, cupped or knotted through, and each section ends with a cut board. On 200 ft of 3 1/2 in pickets at a 2 1/2 in gap that is 440 pickets instead of 400. Reduce it to 5% for pre-sorted boards you have inspected.
More guides
- How many fence posts do I need? (50 to 300 ft)
Posts, sections and rails for 50 to 300 ft of fence at 6 and 8 ft spacing, what a gate or a corner adds, the bags of concrete for the holes, and 10 to 100 m in metric.
- How deep should a fence post be? (by fence height)
A third of the height in the ground, 2 ft minimum: depth, hole size, post length to buy and concrete bags per hole for 3 to 8 ft fences, and what the frost line changes.
- How much does a cinder block garage cost? (blocks, mortar, grout and slab for 1, 2 and 3 car)
Blocks, mortar and grout for 1 to 3 car block garages, 12x20 to 36x24 ft, 8 ft walls, doors and windows taken off, plus the 4 in slab, at 2026 prices.
- How much does a ton of gravel cover? (at 2, 3 and 4 inches, by stone)
A ton of 3/4 in crushed stone is 0.79 cubic yards: about 85 sq ft at 3 in, 128 at 2 in, 64 at 4 in. Coverage by stone, tons for 100 to 1,000 sq ft, price.
Last updated 2026-09-14. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.