How to estimate a wood fence (cost per linear foot)
A 6-ft wood privacy fence is the bread-and-butter residential job, and it is also the easiest to misquote because picket and rail counts move with every gate, corner, and grade change. Estimate it per linear foot off a clean material recipe and your bids stay consistent crew-to-crew.
Installed range
$25–$45/ft
Typical height
6 ft
Post spacing
8 ft o.c.
The per-linear-foot formula
Start from the total fence length in linear feet (LF). Everything else derives from it.
Posts: divide LF by your post spacing (8 ft on center is standard for wood) and add 1 for the closing post — then add one extra post per corner and one per gate side. Posts = ceil(LF ÷ 8) + 1 + corners + gate posts.
Pickets: for a standard 6-inch dog-ear picket with no gap, pickets = LF × 2 (because 12 inches ÷ ~5.5 in actual width ≈ 2 per foot). Tighten or loosen for board-on-board (×3) or a spaced picket look.
Rails: 2 rails for a 4-ft fence, 3 rails for 6 ft and taller. Rails = (LF ÷ 8) × rails-per-section, ordered in 8-ft lengths.
Concrete: 1–2 bags of fast-set per post depending on post size and soil. Gates and end posts often get 2.
- Posts = ceil(LF ÷ 8) + 1 + corner posts + gate posts
- Pickets ≈ LF × 2 (×3 for board-on-board)
- Rails = sections × (3 for 6-ft privacy)
- Concrete = 1–2 bags per post
Material checklist
Price each line from your own supplier sheet — pressure-treated vs cedar swings the number by 30%+.
- 4x4 posts (PT or cedar), set in concrete
- 2x4 rails (2–3 per section)
- Pickets (dog-ear, flat-top, or board-on-board)
- Fast-set concrete
- Exterior screws or ring-shank nails
- Gate hardware (hinges, latch, drop rod for doubles)
- Post caps (optional)
Labor considerations
Wood is labor-heavy because every picket is hand-fastened. A two-person crew installs roughly 100–150 LF of privacy fence per day on flat, dig-able ground.
Build in time for: hauling and mixing concrete, letting posts cure before hanging panels, and stick-building around obstacles. Rocky or clay soil, slopes, and tear-out of an old fence each add hours that should show up as line items, not as margin you eat.
- Old-fence tear-out and haul-off
- Hard digging (rock, clay, roots) or hand-digging where machines can’t reach
- Grade changes requiring stepped or racked panels
- Staining or sealing as a separate scope
What moves the price
The biggest swings are species (PT vs cedar vs redwood), height, and picket style. After that it’s site access and soil. A same-length job can vary 40% on these factors alone — which is exactly why a consistent recipe beats eyeballing.
wood fence FAQ
- How much does a wood fence cost per linear foot?
- Installed, a standard 6-ft wood privacy fence typically runs $25–$45 per linear foot depending on species (pressure-treated vs cedar), height, picket style, and site conditions. Always confirm against your own current lumber pricing.
- How many posts do I need for a wood fence?
- Divide the total length by 8 ft and add one for the end post, then add a post for each corner and each gate side. A 200-ft run with two corners and one gate needs about 26–28 posts.