How Many Fence Pickets Do I Need?
Pickets per foot, per 8 ft section and for a whole run — with the tables, and the one measurement mistake that leaves nearly every first order short.
The short answer
A standard dog ear picket is 5.5 inches wide, not 6. Butted tight that is 2.18 pickets per linear foot, 18 per 8 ft section, and about 218 pickets for a 100 ft run — call it 241 once you add 10 percent for waste.
Pickets per linear foot
Divide 12 by the picket width plus whatever gap you are leaving. That is the whole calculation — everything else on this page is that number applied to a length.
| Gap | 1x4 — 3.5" | 1x6 — 5.5" | 1x8 — 7.25" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butted tight | 3.43 | 2.18 | 1.66 |
| 0.25" | 3.20 | 2.09 | 1.60 |
| 0.5" | 3.00 | 2.00 | 1.55 |
| 1" | 2.67 | 1.85 | 1.45 |
| 2" | 2.18 | 1.60 | 1.30 |
| 3" | 1.85 | 1.41 | 1.17 |
Pickets per 8 ft section
Eight feet is the usual post spacing, so this is the number most people actually want when they are working section by section.
| Gap | 1x4 — 3.5" | 1x6 — 5.5" | 1x8 — 7.25" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butted tight | 27 | 17 | 13 |
| 0.25" | 25 | 16 | 12 |
| 0.5" | 24 | 16 | 12 |
| 1" | 21 | 14 | 11 |
| 2" | 17 | 12 | 10 |
| 3" | 14 | 11 | 9 |
Pickets by fence length
Standard 5.5 inch pickets. The "order" column is the bare count plus 10 percent, which is what you should actually buy.
| Run | Tight | 1/4" gap | 1/2" gap | Order (tight, +10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 ft | 55 | 53 | 50 | 60 |
| 50 ft | 110 | 105 | 100 | 120 |
| 75 ft | 164 | 157 | 150 | 180 |
| 100 ft | 219 | 209 | 200 | 240 |
| 150 ft | 328 | 314 | 300 | 360 |
| 200 ft | 437 | 418 | 400 | 480 |
| 250 ft | 546 | 522 | 500 | 600 |
| 300 ft | 655 | 627 | 600 | 720 |
Got gates? Subtract the gate openings from the run before using this table — a gate is a built frame, not a row of pickets. The picket calculator handles that for you.
The mistake that makes almost every first order short
Lumber is named by its rough-sawn size and sold at its planed size. A "1x6" picket is 5.5 inches wide. A "1x4" is 3.5. If you plan on 6 inches you will be about 8 percent short — on a 150 ft fence that is roughly 25 pickets you have to drive back for, from a different batch that will not colour-match what you already hung.
The second trap is buying for the total run without subtracting the gates, and the third is forgetting that wet pressure-treated boards shrink. Boards butted tight at the yard will open their own eighth to quarter inch gap over the first few months, which is why you butt treated pickets tight rather than spacing them.
Styles that change the count
- Board-on-board laps a second layer over the seams of the first. At a 1 inch lap on 5.5 inch boards that is 2.67 boards per foot — about 1.22 times a solid fence. Work yours out with the board-on-board calculator.
- Shadow box alternates boards between the two faces. Same count as board-on-board for the same overlap; see the shadow box calculator.
- Dog ear is a picket shape, not a spacing — the clipped corners shed water off the end grain. Counts are identical to any other picket of the same width. The dog ear calculator covers both solid and spaced layouts.
- Pre-built panels usually carry 16 or 17 pickets in an 8 ft panel rather than the 18 a stick-built fence uses, because the panel frame takes up some of the run.
Frequently asked questions
How many fence pickets do I need?
Multiply your fence length in feet by 2.18 for standard 5.5 inch pickets butted tight, then add about 10 percent for waste. A 100 ft run needs roughly 218 pickets, or about 240 with waste. Subtract any gate openings from the run first, because a gate takes a frame rather than a row of pickets.
How many pickets per foot of fence?
With 5.5 inch pickets butted tight it is 2.18 per foot. A quarter inch gap drops it to 2.09, a half inch gap to 2.00 and a one inch gap to 1.85. Narrow 3.5 inch pickets run 3.43 per foot butted tight. The figure is simply 12 divided by the picket width plus the gap.
How many pickets are in an 8 foot section?
Eighteen 5.5 inch pickets fill an 8 ft section butted tight, seventeen with a quarter inch gap, sixteen with a half inch gap and fifteen with a one inch gap. Pre-built 8 ft panels are usually sold with 16 or 17 pickets, which is why a panel fence and a stick-built fence do not use the same count.
How many pickets for 100 feet of fence?
About 218 pickets butted tight with 5.5 inch boards, 200 with a half inch gap, or 343 if you are using narrow 3.5 inch pickets tight. Add 10 to 15 percent on top for cuts, splits and boards you reject at the pile — so order roughly 240 for the standard case.
What is the actual width of a fence picket?
A nominal 1x6 picket measures 5.5 inches and a 1x4 measures 3.5 inches. Lumber is named by its rough-sawn size and sold at its planed size. Always calculate with the actual width: using 6 inches instead of 5.5 leaves an order about 8 percent short, which on a 150 ft fence is roughly 25 missing pickets.
How many pickets come in a bundle or on a pallet?
There is no industry standard and the counts vary a lot by supplier. Bundles of 6 ft dog ear pickets commonly run 100 to 120 boards, and a full pallet 200 to 300 depending on thickness and moisture content. Always confirm the count with your yard before ordering rather than assuming a round number.
Does a board-on-board or shadow box fence need more pickets?
Yes, and the overlap decides how many. Both styles advance the run by the board width minus the overlap, so 5.5 inch boards lapping 1 inch cover 4.5 inches each — 2.67 boards per foot against 2.18 for a solid fence, about 1.22 times as many. A two inch lap raises that to roughly 1.57 times.
How much waste should I add to a picket order?
Ten percent on a straight run, and 15 percent if the fence steps down a slope or has several corners and gates. The waste is not mostly offcuts — it is boards you will reject at the pile for warp, splits and knots. Buying short means a second trip and a batch that will not colour-match the first.
Work out your own run
- Fence picket calculator — your run, your gap, gates deducted
- Dog ear picket calculator
- Board-on-board calculator
- Shadow box calculator
- Rail calculator and post calculator for the rest of the frame
- Wood fence calculator for the whole project cost
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