Pickets, posts and concrete for a 250 ft privacy fence

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

A 250 ft wood privacy fence 6 ft tall takes 601 pickets (546 plus 10% extra), 33 posts, 96 2×4 rails and 132 bags of 50-lb Fast-Setting concrete.

5.5-in pickets butted tight: 3,000 in ÷ 5.5 in = 545.5 → 546 pickets, 601 with 10% spare for splits and knots.
33 posts — 31 line posts plus 2 end posts (32 sections). With a 4-ft gate in the run it becomes 34 posts, 2 of them gate posts, and 601 pickets; bent into a U of 62.5, 125 and 62.5 ft it takes 33 posts.
Buy 10-ft posts: a 6-ft fence buries 36 in (a third of the post) on 4 in of gravel, so it needs 9' — 8-ft posts would leave only 24 in in the ground.
3 rails per section → 96 2×4×8 rails, plus 3,276 2-in and 288 3-in galvanized screws or nails.
Concrete: 132 × 50-lb Fast-Setting (4 per post, 1.55 yd³) — 6,600 lb to haul and about 132 gal of water.
Materials come to about $3,825 ($15.30/ft) at October 2026 prices, versus $3,750–$11,250 installed (Modernize, Aug 2026).
601 pickets is 1.1 times Home Depot's 560-picket full pallet (about 257 ft of privacy fence). Ask about pallet pricing and delivery — a pallet weighs roughly 1,600 lb.
Built in cedar instead of pressure-treated pine, the same materials run about $4,835 ($1,010 more).

Adjust it to your exact job

Fence type

Style

1×6 pickets butted side by side on 2×4 rails — the classic 6-ft stockade-style fence.

Height

Post spacing

On center. Home Depot's install sheet caps wood fence posts at 8 ft apart; each side is divided evenly.

Fence line250 ft total

Fence length

= 250' · 76.2 m

Gates

Walk gates

Double drive gates

You need

601pickets (5.5 in × 6 ft)

33 posts · 96 rails · 132 × 50-lb bags of concrete for 250' of fence (2.18 pickets per foot, 10% extra included)

31 line2 end

Posts: 3331 line · 2 end
Rails (2×4×8): 963 per section
Concrete: 132× 50 lb4 per line & end post
Post spacing: 7' 9.75"on center, divided evenly

Posts to buy

Posts by type
Post	Buy	Hole	Fill
Line × 31	4×4 × 10 ft	10 × 40 in	4 bags
End × 2	4×4 × 10 ft	10 × 40 in	4 bags

Each post goes 36 in into the ground on 4 in of gravel, so a 6-ft fence needs posts at least 9' long. Concrete stops 3 in below grade so soil or sod can cover it.

Concrete: 132 × 50-lb Fast-Setting

41.8 ft³ · 1.55 yd³

Counted hole by hole: 4 per line & end post. Dry-poured bags can't be split between holes, so each post rounds up.
Water: about 132 gal (1 gal poured over each 50-lb bag). Weight to haul: 6,600 lb.
Filling the hole to the top with no gravel or soil cap would take 5 bags per line post — that is why bag counts online disagree.
Wait 4 hours before hanging rails, panels or gates on the posts.
With 80-lb Concrete Mix instead: 99 bags, about $641 versus $1,052 — cheaper per yard, but it must be mixed first and cures for 24 hours.

Different hole size or a single post? Use the post hole concrete calculator.

Pickets: 601

Fence sections: 546
Gate leaves: 0
Spare (10%): 55
On center: 5.5 in

Boards butted edge to edge — 2.18 per foot, 18 per 8-ft section. Keep the bottoms 2 in off the ground so they don't wick up water.

These holes take more than 30 in of concrete. Quikrete says to dry-pour Fast-Setting in lifts: fill to 30 in or less, soak with water, then add the rest.

Before you dig

Call 811 (free) a few days ahead to have buried utilities marked. Confirm the property line and set posts a few inches inside it, and check permit, zoning and HOA height rules — front-yard limits are often lower than backyard ones. In cold climates, ask your building department for the local frost depth and enter it above — posts that stop short of it can heave.

Shopping list

33 posts 4×4×10 ft ground-contact PT posts31 line, 2 end$649
601 pickets Pressure-treated pine dog-ear pickets, 5.5 in × 6 ft546 fence + 0 gate + 55 spare$1,370
96 boards 2×4×8 ft ground-contact PT rails3 per section · Estimate — we could not verify a current shelf price$670
132 bags Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004), 50 lb bags4 per line & end post$1,052
12 bags All-purpose gravel, 0.5 cu ft bags4 in drainage base under each post$83.40
3,276 pcs 2 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (pickets)2 per picket per rail
288 pcs 3 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (rails)
33 caps Post capsoften forgotten — keeps water out of end grain

Estimated total$3,825

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

4×4×10 ft ground-contact PT posts
33 posts × $
$649
Pressure-treated pine dog-ear pickets, 5.5 in × 6 ft
601 pickets × $
$1,370
2×4×8 ft ground-contact PT rails
96 boards × $Estimate — we could not verify a current shelf price
$670
Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004), 50 lb bags
132 bags × $
$1,052
All-purpose gravel, 0.5 cu ft bags
12 bags × $
$83.40

Materials total$3,825

Typical U.S. big-box prices, checked October 2026; posts and pickets are 2026 snapshots. Not in the total: 2 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (pickets), 3 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (rails), post caps.

Hiring it out instead?

Installed wood privacy fences run about $15–$45 per foot (Modernize, Aug 2026) — roughly $3,750–$11,250 for 250', against about $3,825 in materials above. Compare materials, gates and removal →

Did this answer your question?

Compare

250 ft of fence in every style

Style	Boards / panels	Posts	Concrete bags	Materials
Wood privacy, 6 ft	601 pickets	33	132	$3,825
Board-on-board, 6 ft	825 pickets	33	132	$4,336
Spaced picket, 4 ft	550 pickets	33	99	$2,524
Prebuilt wood panels, 6 ft	32 panels	33	132	$4,248
Vinyl privacy panels, 6 ft	31 panels	32	96	$5,745

How this was worked out

Posts: 250 ft ÷ 8 ft maximum spacing = 31.25, rounded up to 32 sections, spaced evenly at 7' 9.75". A straight run needs one more post than it has sections: 32 + 1 = 33. Every corner shares a post; every gate adds two.

Concrete per post: a 10-in hole has 78.5 sq in of area; minus the 3.5 × 3.5 in post leaves 66.3 sq in. Concrete fills 33 in (the 36-in embedment minus a 3-in soil cap): 66.3 × 33 ÷ 1,728 = 1.27 cu ft ÷ 0.375 cu ft per bag = 3.38 → 4 bags.

Prices used: 4×4×10 ft ground-contact PT posts $19.68; Pressure-treated pine dog-ear pickets, 5.5 in × 6 ft $2.28; 2×4×8 ft ground-contact PT rails $6.98 (estimate); Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004), 50 lb bags $7.97; All-purpose gravel, 0.5 cu ft bags $6.95. Tap any price in the calculator to use your store's.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main fence calculator page.

Similar jobs

Other sizes people check

Sources

Data behind this answer

The Home Depot — Do It Yourself Fence Installation sheet — posts ≤ 8 ft on center, 10 in holes, 4 in gravel, rails ≤ 24 in apart, 6 fasteners per picket, pickets 2 in off the ground · checked October 2026
Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix No. 1004 — data sheet (rev. Nov 2025) — 50 lb = 0.375 cu ft; hole 3× post width; fill to 3–4 in below grade; ~1 gal water per bag; lifts ≤ 30 in; 4 h before load · checked October 2026
Quikrete Concrete Mix No. 1101 — data sheet (rev. Oct 2022) — 80 lb = 0.60 cu ft; 6–9 pt water per bag; 24 h before strain · checked October 2026
Quikrete — Setting Posts in Concrete (how-to) — bury 1/3 of the post (= half the above-ground height) plus 6 in of gravel · checked October 2026
Western Red Cedar Lumber Association — fence specifications — 4×4 dresses to 3-9/16 in, 6×6 to 5-1/2 in · checked October 2026
Master Halco — Western Red Cedar fence boards — actual picket widths 3-1/2, 5-1/2 and 7-1/2 in · checked October 2026
Catalyst Fence — Privacy Vinyl Fence Kit instructions (rev. 1.25) — post centers = panel + post width; 10 in holes for 5×5; 6 in gravel; 2 in ground clearance · checked October 2026
Catalyst Fence — Newbury vinyl SKU pages (rev. 6/2026) — 6 and 8 ft panels on 5×5 posts; 97 in post centers (Premium LX); 108 in posts for 6×8 · checked October 2026
Catalyst Fence — Vinyl privacy & picket gate instructions — vinyl gate posts need a stiffener insert, sold separately · checked October 2026
CPSC — Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools (Pub. 362) — 48 in minimum height, 1-3/4 in / 4 in openings, 1-1/4 in chain-link mesh, 2 in bottom gap over grass · checked October 2026
Home Depot & Lowe's listings — PT posts, pickets and 6×8 panels (2026 snapshots) — 4×4×8 $11.18, 4×4×10 $19.68, 6×6×8 $37.68, pickets $2.28 PT / $3.96 cedar, PT panel $76.98 · checked October 2026
Home Depot — Veranda vinyl fence panels and posts (2026 snapshots) — 6×8 white privacy panel $119.47 typical; 5×5 posts $35.40–$62.99 · checked October 2026
Home Depot price history — Quikrete 50 lb Fast-Setting (Glassit tracker) — $7.97 per bag (Aug 2026); 80 lb Concrete Mix $6.47 (Sept 2026) · checked October 2026
Sakrete All-Purpose Gravel / Mulch Pros price list — 0.5 cu ft per bag; $6.95 per 0.5 cu ft bag (Oct 2026) · checked October 2026
Thompson's WaterSeal — Semi-Transparent Wood Sealer — 150–400 sq ft/gal; wait 30 days on new pressure-treated wood · checked October 2026
Ready Seal — FAQ — new pressure-treated wood: 1 month minimum, 2–3 months recommended before staining · checked October 2026
Minnesota Rules 1303.1600 — footing depth for frost protection — 60 in in Zone I (north), 42 in in Zone II (south) · checked October 2026
Modernize — Fence installation cost (updated Aug 12 2026) — installed $/ft by material, labor $5–15/ft, 150-ft totals · checked October 2026
Fixr — Wood, picket, chain-link and vinyl fence cost guides (Jan 2025) — $/ft by style and species, gates, removal $2–5/ft · checked October 2026

Short answer

A 250 ft wood privacy fence 6 ft tall takes 601 pickets (546 plus 10% extra), 33 posts, 96 2×4 rails and 132 bags of 50-lb Fast-Setting concrete.

5.5-in pickets butted tight: 3,000 in ÷ 5.5 in = 545.5 → 546 pickets, 601 with 10% spare for splits and knots.

33 posts — 31 line posts plus 2 end posts (32 sections). With a 4-ft gate in the run it becomes 34 posts, 2 of them gate posts, and 601 pickets; bent into a U of 62.5, 125 and 62.5 ft it takes 33 posts.

Buy 10-ft posts: a 6-ft fence buries 36 in (a third of the post) on 4 in of gravel, so it needs 9' — 8-ft posts would leave only 24 in in the ground.

3 rails per section → 96 2×4×8 rails, plus 3,276 2-in and 288 3-in galvanized screws or nails.

Concrete: 132 × 50-lb Fast-Setting (4 per post, 1.55 yd³) — 6,600 lb to haul and about 132 gal of water.

Materials come to about $3,825 ($15.30/ft) at October 2026 prices, versus $3,750–$11,250 installed (Modernize, Aug 2026).

601 pickets is 1.1 times Home Depot's 560-picket full pallet (about 257 ft of privacy fence). Ask about pallet pricing and delivery — a pallet weighs roughly 1,600 lb.

Built in cedar instead of pressure-treated pine, the same materials run about $4,835 ($1,010 more).

Adjust it to your exact job

Fence type

Style

1×6 pickets butted side by side on 2×4 rails — the classic 6-ft stockade-style fence.

Height

Post spacing

On center. Home Depot's install sheet caps wood fence posts at 8 ft apart; each side is divided evenly.

Fence line250 ft total

Fence length

= 250' · 76.2 m

Gates

Walk gates

Double drive gates

You need

601pickets (5.5 in × 6 ft)

33 posts · 96 rails · 132 × 50-lb bags of concrete for 250' of fence (2.18 pickets per foot, 10% extra included)

31 line2 end

Posts: 3331 line · 2 end
Rails (2×4×8): 963 per section
Concrete: 132× 50 lb4 per line & end post
Post spacing: 7' 9.75"on center, divided evenly

Posts to buy

Posts by type
Post	Buy	Hole	Fill
Line × 31	4×4 × 10 ft	10 × 40 in	4 bags
End × 2	4×4 × 10 ft	10 × 40 in	4 bags

Each post goes 36 in into the ground on 4 in of gravel, so a 6-ft fence needs posts at least 9' long. Concrete stops 3 in below grade so soil or sod can cover it.

Concrete: 132 × 50-lb Fast-Setting

41.8 ft³ · 1.55 yd³

Counted hole by hole: 4 per line & end post. Dry-poured bags can't be split between holes, so each post rounds up.
Water: about 132 gal (1 gal poured over each 50-lb bag). Weight to haul: 6,600 lb.
Filling the hole to the top with no gravel or soil cap would take 5 bags per line post — that is why bag counts online disagree.
Wait 4 hours before hanging rails, panels or gates on the posts.
With 80-lb Concrete Mix instead: 99 bags, about $641 versus $1,052 — cheaper per yard, but it must be mixed first and cures for 24 hours.

Different hole size or a single post? Use the post hole concrete calculator.

Pickets: 601

Fence sections: 546
Gate leaves: 0
Spare (10%): 55
On center: 5.5 in

Boards butted edge to edge — 2.18 per foot, 18 per 8-ft section. Keep the bottoms 2 in off the ground so they don't wick up water.

These holes take more than 30 in of concrete. Quikrete says to dry-pour Fast-Setting in lifts: fill to 30 in or less, soak with water, then add the rest.

Before you dig

Shopping list

33 posts 4×4×10 ft ground-contact PT posts31 line, 2 end$649
601 pickets Pressure-treated pine dog-ear pickets, 5.5 in × 6 ft546 fence + 0 gate + 55 spare$1,370
96 boards 2×4×8 ft ground-contact PT rails3 per section · Estimate — we could not verify a current shelf price$670
132 bags Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004), 50 lb bags4 per line & end post$1,052
12 bags All-purpose gravel, 0.5 cu ft bags4 in drainage base under each post$83.40
3,276 pcs 2 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (pickets)2 per picket per rail
288 pcs 3 in hot-dip galvanized or stainless screws/nails (rails)
33 caps Post capsoften forgotten — keeps water out of end grain

Estimated total$3,825

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

4×4×10 ft ground-contact PT posts
33 posts × $
$649
Pressure-treated pine dog-ear pickets, 5.5 in × 6 ft
601 pickets × $
$1,370
2×4×8 ft ground-contact PT rails
96 boards × $Estimate — we could not verify a current shelf price
$670
Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004), 50 lb bags
132 bags × $
$1,052
All-purpose gravel, 0.5 cu ft bags
12 bags × $
$83.40

Materials total$3,825

Hiring it out instead?

Style

Boards / panels

Posts

Concrete bags

Materials

Wood privacy, 6 ft

601 pickets

132

$3,825

Board-on-board, 6 ft

825 pickets

132

$4,336

Spaced picket, 4 ft

550 pickets

$2,524

Prebuilt wood panels, 6 ft

32 panels

132

$4,248

Vinyl privacy panels, 6 ft

31 panels

$5,745

How this was worked out

The full method, material data and tips are on the main fence calculator page.