How much stain do I need for a fence? 50 to 300 ft
A 6 ft fence has 6 square feet of face per foot of length, so 100 ft of fence is 600 square feet a side. Rough-sawn boards drink stain at about 150 square feet per gallon, so one coat on one side of 100 ft is 4 gallons, both sides 8, and two coats on both sides 16 gallons, so buy 16. Smooth or previously stained boards go nearly twice as far. The tables run from 50 to 300 ft.
Stain for a 6 ft fence, rough-sawn boards
Area per side is length x 6 ft. Rough-sawn or weathered boards at 150 square feet per gallon, the low end of what stain labels quote for a first coat. Cans are gallons; 5 gallon pails are cheaper per gallon from about 4 gallons up.
| Fence length | Area (sq ft) | One coat (gal) | Buy | Two coats (gal) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 300 | 2 | 2 gal | 4 | 4 gal |
| 100 ft | 600 | 4 | 4 gal | 8 | 8 gal |
| 150 ft | 900 | 6 | 6 gal | 12 | 12 gal |
| 200 ft | 1,200 | 8 | 8 gal | 16 | 16 gal |
| 300 ft | 1,800 | 12 | 12 gal | 24 | 24 gal |
| Fence length | Area (sq ft) | One coat (gal) | Buy | Two coats (gal) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 600 | 4 | 4 gal | 8 | 8 gal |
| 100 ft | 1,200 | 8 | 8 gal | 16 | 16 gal |
| 150 ft | 1,800 | 12 | 12 gal | 24 | 24 gal |
| 200 ft | 2,400 | 16 | 16 gal | 32 | 32 gal |
| 300 ft | 3,600 | 24 | 24 gal | 48 | 48 gal |
Smooth or previously stained boards
Planed cedar, composite-faced boards or a fence stained a few years ago take much less: 250 square feet per gallon is a typical label figure for a maintenance coat.
| Fence length | Area (sq ft) | One coat (gal) | Buy | Two coats (gal) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 600 | 2.4 | 3 gal | 4.8 | 5 gal |
| 100 ft | 1,200 | 4.8 | 5 gal | 9.6 | 10 gal |
| 150 ft | 1,800 | 7.2 | 8 gal | 14.4 | 15 gal |
| 200 ft | 2,400 | 9.6 | 10 gal | 19.2 | 20 gal |
| 300 ft | 3,600 | 14.4 | 15 gal | 28.8 | 29 gal |
How the numbers are worked out
Length x height x sides = square feet; divide by the coverage on the can; multiply by coats; round up to whole gallons. 100 ft x 6 ft x 2 sides = 1,200 square feet; at 150 per gallon that is 8 gallons per coat. The paint calculator takes the area directly with any coverage and can size. A 4 ft or 8 ft fence scales in proportion: two thirds or a third more.
Metric: fence panels in litres
Standard panels are 1.8 m high. Fence treatments on rough sawn timber cover about 4 m² per litre per coat (labels range from 3 to 6); sold in 5 litre cans.
| Fence length | Area (m²) | One coat (L) | Two coats (L) | 5 L cans (two coats) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 18 | 4.5 | 9 | 2 |
| 20 m | 36 | 9 | 18 | 4 |
| 30 m | 54 | 13.5 | 27 | 6 |
| 50 m | 90 | 22.5 | 45 | 9 |
Before you buy
- New pressure-treated wood needs to dry for a few weeks to months before it takes stain; sprinkle water on it, and if it beads, wait.
- Clean and brighten grey wood first: a stain on top of mildew and loose fibre fails in a year.
- Buy all the cans at once and mix them; tinted stains vary between batches. Keep a quart for the gate and the repairs.
- Painting the fence posts in concrete? Setting them is the fence post guide; walls and rooms are in the gallon coverage guide.
Frequently asked questions
- How many gallons of stain do I need for a 100 foot fence?
- One side, one coat: 4 gallons on rough-sawn boards, so 4. Both sides, two coats: 16 gallons, buy 16. On smooth or previously stained wood at 250 square feet per gallon, both sides and two coats is 9.6 gallons.
- How much stain do I need for 200 feet of fence?
- 8 gallons for one coat on one side of rough boards, 32 gallons for two coats on both sides, which is 7 pails of 5 gallons. Sprayer or roller changes the coverage less than the wood does.
- How much does a gallon of fence stain cover?
- Labels say 150 to 250 square feet per gallon for the first coat on rough-sawn or weathered wood and 250 to 400 on smooth, sealed or previously stained boards; the second coat covers more. The tables use 150 and 250; the calculator takes the figure on your can.
- Do I need to stain both sides of a fence?
- Stain whatever faces the weather. A boundary fence is usually done on both sides if both are yours; a shared fence only on your side, which halves the stain. Posts and rails add about 10% to the board area on a picket or board-on-board fence, so keep that in the second coat allowance.
- One coat or two of fence stain?
- Transparent and semi-transparent penetrating stains: one wet coat, back-brushed, on new or bare wood, with a second only if the wood still drinks it. Solid colour stains and fence paint: two coats. The tables give both; buy for two if the fence is grey and weathered, it soaks up the first coat.
- How much does a sprayer waste?
- Around 20 to 30% more product than brushing, from overspray between the boards and mist; on a picket fence with gaps it can be more. Add that to the table figure if you spray, and back-brush the stain in while it is wet so it does not sit on the surface.
More guides
- How much paint do I need for a 12x12 room?
Gallons of paint for a 12 x 12 ft room with 8, 9 or 10 ft ceilings, one or two coats, a door and two windows deducted, plus the 4 x 4 m room in litres.
- How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
A gallon covers about 350 to 400 sq ft on smooth walls, less on rough or bare surfaces. Gallons for 400 to 2,000 sq ft at one and two coats, and litres per square metre.
- How much paint do I need for a ceiling?
Quarts and gallons of ceiling paint for 10x10, 12x12, 15x15 and 20x20 ft ceilings at one and two coats, plus 3x3 to 5x5 m ceilings in litres.
- How much paint for a 10x10 room? (10x12, 12x14 and 14x16 too)
Gallons of paint for a 10x10 room with an 8 ft ceiling, a door and two windows, one or two coats, plus the ceiling; 10x12 to 14x16 rooms; 3x3 to 4x5 m rooms in litres.
Last updated 2026-09-12. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.