Do I count the gate openings out of the picket total?

The fence pickets, yes — a gate opening has no fence in it. But the gate itself is usually clad in the same boards, so most of what you save comes straight back. Treat the gate as its own small panel and add its boards separately.

Are all the pickets the same length?

On level ground, yes. On a slope they are not: a stepped fence keeps the panels square and lets the picket bottoms stair-step, while a racked fence follows the ground and needs the boards cut individually. Racking is more work and more waste.

Should I buy the pickets all at once?

Generally yes, and from the same batch. Timber from different deliveries can vary noticeably in colour and moisture, and a fence built from two batches often shows the join for a season or two until it weathers.

Fence Ledger

How many pickets for a 150 ft fence?

A hundred and fifty feet is a long side or two shorter ones, and it is enough fence that a small error in the board width compounds into a real one at the till.

Pickets needed

346

314 to cover the run, plus a 10% waste allowance.

What the usual answer misses

The single largest source of wrong picket counts is the label. A board sold as a 1x6 is 5.5 inches wide once it has been dried and planed, so a count based on six inches comes out roughly 9% short — on a run this long that is the difference between finishing the fence and driving back for another bundle.

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

Fence length

Height

Gates

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.

Post spacing

Gate width

Picket gap

Hole diameter

Hole depth

Gravel base

Bag yield

Waste allowance

Posts

Sections

Pickets

336

Concrete

35 bags

Estimated cost

Materials only (DIY)

$1,400 – $3,600

Professionally installed

$3,950 – $8,850

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
Material	Size	Quantity
Posts	4x4	21
Rails incl. waste	2x4	63
Pickets incl. waste	1x6	336
Concrete mix		35bags
Gravel		8bags
Exterior screws		≈2,200
Walk gate kit		1

Why these numbers

How we got the section count

Run 1: 146 ft ÷ 8 ft = 18.25, rounded up to 19 sections

How we got the post count

3 posts are fixed by the shape itself
2 at the open ends
1 carrying a gate
18 line posts spaced between them
21 posts in total

How we got the picket count

Each picket covers 5.5 in plus a 0.25 in gap, so they repeat every 5.75 in
146 ft of fence needs 305 pickets
Plus 10% for offcuts, rounded up to 336

How we got the concrete

Each 10 in hole is 30 in deep, less 4 in of gravel base, leaving 26 in of concrete
The 4x4 post itself takes up part of that, so each hole needs the remainder
Across 21 posts
Divided by the 0.6 cu ft a bag yields: 34.91, so buy 35 bags

Common questions

Do I count the gate openings out of the picket total?: The fence pickets, yes — a gate opening has no fence in it. But the gate itself is usually clad in the same boards, so most of what you save comes straight back. Treat the gate as its own small panel and add its boards separately.
Are all the pickets the same length?: On level ground, yes. On a slope they are not: a stepped fence keeps the panels square and lets the picket bottoms stair-step, while a racked fence follows the ground and needs the boards cut individually. Racking is more work and more waste.
Should I buy the pickets all at once?: Generally yes, and from the same batch. Timber from different deliveries can vary noticeably in colour and moisture, and a fence built from two batches often shows the join for a season or two until it weathers.