Boards / gaps / overlap / gates
Fence Picket Calculator
A 100 ft run with one 4 ft gate needs 218 pickets at 5.5 in actual width, with no gap: 209 for the fence between the posts and 9 for the gate’s own face. The fence planner counts the same way, so the two pages agree. Change the board width, gate openings, spacing or overlap to match your layout.
Sources checked
Your estimate
218 pickets
95.56 ft of fence between the posts ÷ 5.5 in = 209 + 9 on the face of the gate, as the fence planner counts: 218
- Bare count218 boards
- Gate faces9 boards
- Extra allowance0 boards
Count applies to a continuous run. Short sections between posts can require additional cut boards.
How we count pickets
- Take each gate out of the run, with its hinge and latch gaps and the post it hangs on: 100 ft × 12 − (48 + 1 + 0.75 + 3.5) in = 1,146.75 in to cover. The gaps come from Bufftech’s gate instructions; the post is a 4x4, 3.5 in, because a run is measured from post centre to post centre.
- With no gap, divide the remaining 1,146.75 in by a 5.5 in actual picket width and round up: 209 pickets. With gaps, n pickets have n − 1 gaps.
- A gate is boarded to match the fence, so its 4 ft face takes 9 more. That is the count: 209 + 9 = 218, the same 218 the fence calculator gives for this fence.
- The gate post carries the swing, and Master Halco sets its wood corner and gate posts 30 in deep against 24 in for line posts; how deep to set fence posts works it out for your height.
- For overlap, each board after the first covers its actual width minus the overlap. Extra is applied after the whole-board count and rounded up again.
- Cedar picket actual widths
- 3.5 in, 5.5 in, 7.5 inMaster Halco, Western Red Cedar fencing page
- Gate hinge clearance
- 1 inBufftech molded and extruded fence installation guide (2201)
- Gate latch clearance
- 0.75 inBufftech molded and extruded fence installation guide (2201)
Board on board and shadowbox pickets
Board on board and shadowbox fences put boards on both sides of the rails, and each outer board covers the gap between two inner boards. Choose the overlap layout and enter how far a board lies over its neighbour. When you know the gap between the inner boards instead, the overlap is the board width less that gap, divided by 2: with 5.5 in boards and a 1 in gap it is 2 1/4 in.
Each board then adds 3 1/4 in of run, and the 100 ft example with one 4 ft gate takes 368 pickets against 218 side by side. The rails behind them are usually 2x4s; the real width is on the 2x4 actual size page.
Pickets for common run lengths
| Full run | After gate opening | Pickets |
|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 45.56 ft | 109 |
| 75 ft | 70.56 ft | 163 |
| 100 ft | 95.56 ft | 218 |
| 150 ft | 145.56 ft | 327 |
| 200 ft | 195.56 ft | 436 |
Board and opening dimensions: Master Halco, Western Red Cedar fencing page; Bufftech molded and extruded fence installation guide (2201)
Board on board by inner gap
| Gap between inner boards | Overlap of each board | Each board adds | Pickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 in | 2 3/4 in | 2 3/4 in | 433 |
| 1 in | 2 1/4 in | 3 1/4 in | 368 |
| 2 in | 1 3/4 in | 3 3/4 in | 319 |
| 3 in | 1 1/4 in | 4 1/4 in | 281 |
Why other counts differ
Three online calculators on a 100 ft, 6 ft fence with one 4 ft gate
- 210 picketsCalcShed Fence Calculator (run 13 Oct 2026)
- 220 picketsJobsite Calcs Fence Calculator (run 13 Oct 2026)
- 230 picketsDIYCalcs Fence Calculator (run 13 Oct 2026)
Our 218 assumes 5.5 in actual width, no gap, one gate opening with hardware clearance and its post, the gate’s own face boarded, and no waste. Section-by-section cutting and extra boards change the purchase count; enter those choices above.
Fence picket questions
How many pickets do I need for 100 feet of fence?
219 boards at 5.5 in actual width when the boards touch and there is no gate, about 2.18 per foot of run. With one 4 ft gate, the fence takes 209 between the posts and the gate’s face 9 more: 218 pickets for the same 100 ft run.
How many pickets does a board-on-board or shadowbox fence take?
Pick the board-on-board layout and enter the overlap. With 5.5 in boards and a 1 in gap between the inner boards, an outer board overlaps each neighbour by 2 1/4 in, so the 100 ft run with one 4 ft gate takes 368 pickets.
A shadowbox fence alternates its boards on the two sides of the rails and is counted the same way, from the overlap you choose.
How far apart should fence pickets be?
Our sources set no one spacing, so the calculator takes your gap. On a 100 ft run with no gate, touching boards take 219 pickets; 1/4 in gaps take 209, 1/2 in gaps take 201, 1 in gaps take 185.
How are gates counted?
Each gate removes its width plus 1 in at the hinge, 0.75 in at the latch and the 3.5 in post it hangs on from the run, based on Bufftech’s gate instructions, and then its own face is boarded like the fence: 9 pickets for a 4 ft gate. Enter zero gates to calculate only a continuous run.
Is a nominal 1x6 picket really 6 inches wide?
The Master Halco cedar line lists 3.5 in, 5.5 in, 7.5 in actual board widths. Measure the product you plan to buy and enter that width; nominal vs actual lumber sizes shows how a nominal name shrinks to a real one.
How many extra pickets should I buy?
The Extra boards box adds a share after the whole-board count and rounds up again. On the 100 ft example with one 4 ft gate, 5% extra is 229 pickets and 10% extra is 240 pickets, against 218 with none.
A planning aid, not an engineering calculation: your local code and building inspector have the final word. Terms