Fencing: Pickets Per Section

All versions

Once the posts are set, each section gets filled with pickets. How many depends on the picket width and the gap between them — a solid privacy run packs in far more boards than an open picket fence over the same span.

Quick formula: Section width over the picket-plus-gap, rounded up:

=ROUNDUP(B2/(C2+D2),0)

A 96-inch section with 5.5-inch pickets and a 3/8-inch gap fits about 16.3, so you cut 17.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

ROUNDUP

The example

Three 96-inch sections built three ways: tight privacy, spaced shadowbox, and open picket.

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Section	Width	Picket	Gap	Pickets
2	Privacy	96	5.5	0.375	17
3	Shadowbox	96	5.5	2	13
4	Picket	96	3.5	2.5	16

The formula

Each picket claims its own face width plus one gap, so the divisor is the two added together:

=ROUNDUP(B2/(C2+D2),0) // section width over (picket face + gap), rounded up

How it works

The gap is the piece people forget:

C2+D2 is the space one picket really takes — its face plus the gap that follows it.
B2/(...) divides the section width by that spacing to get the picket count.
ROUNDUP(...,0) rounds up so the section is fully filled rather than ending a hair short.
Wrap the addition in parentheses; without them Excel divides by the face and then adds the gap, which is a different, wrong number.

Multiply pickets per section by the number of sections for the whole-fence order, and add a few percent for culls — not every picket off the pile is straight enough to hang.

Try it: interactive demo

Interactive

Enter the section width, picket face width, and the gap between pickets.

Section width (in)

Picket face (in)

Gap (in)

Variations

Whole fence at once

Multiply by the section count for the total picket order.

=ROUNDUP(B2/(C2+D2),0)*F2

Board feet of pickets

Convert the count into lumber for a material cost.

=ROUNDUP(B2/(C2+D2),0)*G2

Pitfalls & errors

A shadowbox fence has pickets on both sides of the rail, so double the count from this formula — it sizes one face at a time.

Measure the actual picket face, not the nominal size. A 'six-inch' dog-ear picket usually measures 5.5 inches, and that half inch adds up across a long run.

Practice workbook

📊

Download the free Fencing: Pickets Per Section practice workbook

Edit the yellow width, picket, and gap cells; the picket count recalculates.

Frequently asked questions

Should the last gap count?

For estimating, rounding up covers it — the extra picket absorbs the odd end. For a precise layout, subtract one gap from the width first, since a run of N pickets has only N minus one gaps between them.

How much overage should I add?

Five to ten percent for culls and cutoffs is typical. Cedar and pine pickets vary in quality, so buy a little long rather than making a second trip mid-build.

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Function references: ROUNDUP