Electric Fence Calculator
Charger, wire and posts for any electric fence.
Quick answer: An electric fence needs its length × the number of strands in wire (plus about 5%), a line post every 30 ft and a charger rated at least 1 joule per mile: a 1,000 ft, 3-strand fence takes about 3,150 ft of wire and 35 posts, and costs about $655 in materials with a $180 charger. Enter your fence below for wire, posts, charger and total cost.Not an electric fence? For a wood, vinyl or chain link fence use the fence calculator for materials, the fence cost calculator for an installed price, the fence post calculator or the chain link fence calculator.
Last updated October 4, 2026
30 ft typical
Calculation Results
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Your fence: 1,000 ft × 3 strands = 3,000 ft of wire on 35 posts.
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📌 Match charger joule rating to fence length: 1 J per mile minimum.
Building a wood, vinyl or chain link fence instead? Use the main fence calculator for posts, pickets, rails and cost.
Counting posts for any fence type? The fence post calculator.
Pricing chain link? Try the chain link fence calculator.
Containing a dog rather than livestock? See the invisible fence cost calculator.
Choosing a charger? See our electric fence charger buying guide — joules and ground rods sized with this calculator.
Shopping for someone who keeps livestock? See our gifts for farmers & ranchers.
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🛠️ How This Calculator Works
Multiplies fence length by strands and wire cost per foot, counts posts at the chosen spacing (typically 30 ft for electric), then adds the charger.
📐 Formula
Total = (wire $/ft × LF × strands) + (posts × post $) + charger📝 Example Calculation
1,000 ft × 3 strands, 30 ft posts, $180 charger: Wire = $300; Posts = 35 × $5 = $175 Total ≈ $655
💡 Pro Tips from Fence Builders
- Match charger joule rating to length: 1 joule per mile minimum.
- Ground the charger with at least three 6–8 ft galvanized rods spaced 10 ft apart — about 3 ft of rod per joule of output.
- Train livestock by walking them up to the wire on day 1.
- Test voltage weekly with a fence tester — broken insulators are common.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an electric fence cost per foot?
Materials usually run about $0.45–$1 per linear foot for a 2–3 strand polywire or steel-wire fence, before the charger. A 1,000 ft, 3-strand pasture fence with posts every 30 ft and a $180 charger comes to roughly $650 in materials.
How much electric fence wire do I need?
Multiply the fence length by the number of strands, then add about 5% for tie-offs, corners and gate handles. A 1,000 ft perimeter with 3 strands needs about 3,150 ft of wire.
How far apart should electric fence posts be?
About 30 ft on flat ground for a permanent electric fence — much wider than a barbed or woven fence because the wire carries no load. Close up to 15–20 ft on rolling ground and at every change of direction.
What size electric fence charger do I need?
1 joule per mile of fence minimum. Double for vegetation contact or hard-to-train livestock.
How many posts do I need for an electric fence?
Divide the length by the post spacing and add one for each straight run: 1,000 ft at 30 ft spacing is 34 spaces, so 35 posts. Corners, ends and gates are braced posts rather than line posts — count them separately — and close the spacing to 15–20 ft on rolling ground. For a wood, vinyl or chain link fence, use the fence post calculator instead, where spacing is 6–10 ft.
How much does it cost to electric fence an acre?
A square acre is about 835 ft around. With 3 strands at $0.10 per foot of wire, posts every 30 ft at $5 and a $180 charger, materials come to about $250 for wire, $145 for 29 posts and $180 for the charger — roughly $575, or $0.70 per foot. Larger pastures cost less per foot because the charger is a fixed cost.
How much electric fence wire do I need for 1 acre?
A square acre is about 835 ft around, so multiply by the number of strands and add about 5% for tie-offs and gate handles: about 1,750 ft for 2 strands, 2,630 ft for 3 strands and 3,510 ft for 4 strands. At 30 ft spacing the same acre takes about 29 line posts plus braced corners.
How tall should an electric fence be?
Cattle: 32–42" with 2–3 strands. Horses: 48" with 2 strands. Predator-resistant: add a hot wire at 6" off the ground.
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Protecting a garden from rabbits? A buried mesh fence often does the job without power — the rabbit fence calculator works out rolls, stakes and burial depth.
Building a wood, vinyl or chain link fence instead? The main fence calculator covers every other fence type, and the fence post calculator handles the 6–10 ft post spacing those fences use.
Electric fence cost: what the total is made of
Three things set the price of an electric fence: the wire (length × strands), the posts (length ÷ spacing, plus braced corners and ends) and the charger. On a small paddock the charger is most of the bill; on a long perimeter the wire is. That is why the cost per foot falls as the fence gets longer — the charger is paid once whatever the length.
| Animal | Strands | Wire heights (from ground) |
|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 2–3 | 20", 30", 40" |
| Horses | 2–3 | 24", 36", 48" (use tape or rope, not thin wire) |
| Sheep & goats | 4–5 | 6", 12", 18", 26", 36" |
| Pigs | 2 | 6", 12" |
| Garden (deer, raccoons) | 3–5 | 6" upward; deer need an outrigger or 5 ft+ |
Sizing the charger
Allow about 1 joule of stored energy per mile of wire (fence length × strands), and double it where grass and weeds touch the bottom wire. A 1,000 ft, 3-strand fence is about 0.6 miles of wire, so a 1 joule charger is ample; mains-powered units are cheapest to run, solar units suit remote paddocks. The electric fence setup guide covers insulators and the order of work.
Grounding: the part that decides whether it works
Most electric fences that "don't bite" have a grounding problem, not a charger problem. Drive at least three galvanized ground rods 6–8 ft long, 10 ft apart, and connect them with continuous galvanized wire and proper clamps — about 3 ft of rod per joule of charger output. Dry or sandy soil needs more rods, or a ground-return wire run along the fence.
Combining with other fencing
A single offset hot wire on an existing woven wire, barbed wire or horse fence stops animals leaning on it and doubles its life. Only know the paddock's dimensions? The acreage calculator turns them into acres. For land measured in acres, the acreage to linear feet calculator gives the perimeter to put in the length box above, and cost to fence an acre compares fence types by lot size.
Posts, braces and staples
Most temporary and rotational electric lines hang on steel posts: the T-post calculator counts line posts between braces, post length and clips. Every corner and gate of a permanent high-tensile fence needs a brace that resists the wire tension — the H-brace calculator sizes single and double H braces from NRCS guidance. On wood posts, insulators and wire go up with staples; the fence staple calculator turns posts and wires into pounds of 9-gauge staples.