Fence Ledger

Fence Ledger

How much fence do I need for a 50 x 100 lot?

A 50 by 100 foot lot is one of the most common suburban parcels in the United States, and its boundary is easy arithmetic: two fifties and two hundreds. What it costs in materials is less obvious, because a closed rectangle does not behave like a straight run of the same length.

Fence needed
300 ft

40 posts, including one at each corner — a corner forces a post whether or not the spacing wanted one there.

What the usual answer misses

Divide 300 feet by 8 foot spacing and you get a number that is wrong on every closed lot. Each corner forces a post, and those four forced posts split the boundary into four independent runs that each have to be divided and rounded on their own. The 50 ft sides do not divide evenly by 8, so each one rounds up and buys you a slightly shorter final bay.

Work out your own

Every assumption above is editable. Change the length, the spacing, the hole size — the numbers and the working update as you go.

Units
Shape
Advanced options

These are typical values, not requirements. Post depth in particular is governed by your local frost line and building code — check before you dig.

Posts
40
Sections
39
Pickets
681
Concrete
67 bags

Estimated cost

Materials only (DIY)
$2,600 – $6,600
Professionally installed
$7,700 – $17,100

National planning ranges compiled from published US construction cost guides, last checked September 2026 (confidence: medium-low). Prices vary sharply by region, season and contractor. These are estimates for planning, not quotes.

Sources: homeguide.com, calcsummit.com, angi.com, ergeon.com, homewyse.com

Shopping list

Bill of materials for this fence
MaterialSizeQuantity
Posts4x440
Rails incl. waste2x4129
Pickets incl. waste1x6681
Concrete mix67bags
Gravel15bags
Exterior screws≈4,500
Walk gate kit1

Why these numbers

How we got the section count
  1. Run 1: 46 ft ÷ 8 ft = 5.75, rounded up to 6 sections
  2. Run 2: 100 ft ÷ 8 ft = 12.5, rounded up to 13 sections
  3. Run 3: 50 ft ÷ 8 ft = 6.25, rounded up to 7 sections
  4. Run 4: 100 ft ÷ 8 ft = 12.5, rounded up to 13 sections
How we got the post count
  1. 5 posts are fixed by the shape itself
  2. 4 at corners
  3. 1 carrying a gate
  4. 35 line posts spaced between them
  5. 40 posts in total
How we got the picket count
  1. Each picket covers 5.5 in plus a 0.25 in gap, so they repeat every 5.75 in
  2. 296 ft of fence needs 619 pickets
  3. Plus 10% for offcuts, rounded up to 681
How we got the concrete
  1. Each 10 in hole is 30 in deep, less 4 in of gravel base, leaving 26 in of concrete
  2. The 4x4 post itself takes up part of that, so each hole needs the remainder
  3. Across 40 posts
  4. Divided by the 0.6 cu ft a bag yields: 66.49, so buy 67 bags

Common questions

Does the house count as part of the boundary?
Only if you are fencing right up to it. Many owners run the fence to the corners of the house and let the building close that side, which removes fence but adds two end posts where the runs stop. Enter each fenced side separately if that is your plan.
Can I use the front boundary at full height?
Frequently not. A great many municipalities cap front-yard fence height well below what they allow at the back, and some require the front to be open in style rather than solid. This is a local rule and we do not model it — ask your building department before ordering.
What changes if the lot is not exactly rectangular?
Enter the sides you actually measured rather than the dimensions on the deed. Recorded lot sizes are rounded and older subdivisions are frequently a foot or two out, which is enough to change a bay at the end of a run.
Is the corner post different from the others?
It carries pull from two directions instead of one, so many builders step it up in size, set it deeper, or both. The calculator counts corner posts separately from line posts so you can price them differently on your shopping list.