Methodology
A plan you can trace back to the measurements.
The worksheet uses the entered runs, connections and product assumptions. It does not supply local prices or engineering requirements.
Last reviewed: October 12, 2026Runs and connections
Each straight run has two endpoints. A shared corner joins adjacent endpoints into one terminal post. Separate ends and gate openings keep both terminal posts. A closed perimeter adds a connection from the last run to the first. The tool rejects fewer than three sides in closed mode and impossible perimeter lengths, but it cannot verify actual angles or surveyed boundaries.
Post spacing
Wood and chain-link runs are divided into the smallest whole number of equal bays that keeps spacing at or below the entered maximum. Vinyl uses full installed panel modules and shows a final panel cut when the run length is not a multiple of the panel width. The installer must confirm permitted cuts and product dimensions.
Gate openings
A gate connection sits between two runs. Its clear opening width is excluded from the fence material length and added to the total project span. The two gate-side endpoints count as terminal posts. Gate leaves, hinges, latches, reinforcement and labor require a separate entered price; the calculator does not infer them.
Material takeoff and supplier packages
Wood rails equal sections multiplied by rails per section, then the entered waste allowance is applied. Pickets use total fence length, picket width, gap and waste allowance. Vinyl panels count full placements plus one purchased panel for each final cut; no offcut reuse is assumed. Chain-link defaults to linear-foot requirements. If you enter stock or roll lengths, each run including waste is rounded up separately to whole packages, without offcut reuse between runs. Material pricing then uses the full purchased footage. This conservative purchase plan is not a cut or splice optimization. Confirm product compatibility and joint rules. Concrete bags use your bags-per-post assumption; bag size and footing volume are not designed here.
One ID per physical post
The post schedule contains one row per physical post. A shared corner has one ID with both run references. Line, corner, end and gate posts are separated in the shopping list. Gate posts are a subset of terminal posts, not extra posts. Optional terminal and gate price overrides replace the base post rate for those posts only. A zero override falls back to the terminal or base rate as labeled.
Projects, backups and customer copies
Jobs and their last five saved revisions stay in this browser only. Saving changes updates a job; saving a copy creates another. Archiving is reversible. A downloaded JSON backup includes customer details and internal prices: keep it private. Import never overwrites conflicting saved projects. The customer PDF groups fence materials, installation and margin into a selling price; additional work and tax amounts remain separate. The supplier CSV contains internal costs and is not a customer estimate.
Estimate math
Material quantities are multiplied by the contractor-entered unit prices. Labor uses the entered price per fence foot. The contractor may add hardware, gate assemblies, custom line items, material markup and an explicit tax and fee amount. The site does not calculate jurisdiction-specific tax or provide supplier or labor prices. It withholds the total until required prices are entered. A priced brief remains subject to site verification and final scope.
Outside the model
Slope, grade, changes in height, corner angles, wind loads, soil, footing depth, permits, property lines, utility locations and manufacturer rules are not determined here. Verify each before ordering or digging. See the official 811 Before You Dig guidance ↗ for utility marking.
Reusable configurations and two-option proposals
Named configurations contain your product assumptions and rates, not customer details or job measurements. They are stored on this device and have their own exportable backup. Updating a configuration never updates an existing job or captured option. Capture A and B from complete drafts for the same customer, runs, connections and gate widths. Each option keeps a fixed copy of its own material quantities, prices, scope, extras and tax amount. Review both before exporting. The comparison is not engineering equivalence, acceptance or a contract. Prices are entered by you; there is no live supplier price feed.