Fence Installation Cost Estimator
Rates are rough national placeholders — replace them with local quotes.
Carpentry
Fence Cost Calculator
Quick answer: fence cost = (material + labor per linear foot) × fence length + gates + tear-out + permit. At a placeholder $26/ft for 6 ft wood privacy, 146 ft of fence plus one $350 gate totals $4,146 — $27.64 per foot over a 150 ft run, or about $3,500–$4,800 allowing ±15%.
Budget a new fence before you call installers. Pick a material, enter the length and height, and the calculator splits the price into material, labor, gates, removal of the old fence, and permit, then shows cost per foot and a low–high range.
How to calculate fence cost
Fence contractors price most jobs by the linear foot, then add line items that do not scale with length: each gate, tearing out and hauling away an old fence, and permit or survey fees. Splitting the price this way makes quotes easier to compare, because two installers with the same per-foot rate can still be hundreds of dollars apart on gates and extras.
(M × H ÷ Hbasis + Lab) × (L − gates × Wgate) + gates × G + R × L + P
M, Lab = material and labor $/ft · L = total length · G = price per gate · R = removal $/ft · P = permit
- Measure the fence line along the ground, corner to corner, including gate openings. Walk it with a 100 ft tape or a measuring wheel; satellite map tools are fine for a first pass but often miss jogs around trees and slopes.
- Subtract the gate openings. Gates are priced as separate units, so the per-foot rate applies only to the fence panels.
- Adjust material for height. Boards, pickets, and panels scale with height. The calculator multiplies the material rate by your height ÷ the preset's basis height (6 ft for privacy styles, 4 ft for picket, chain link, aluminum, and steel).
- Add labor per foot for digging holes, setting posts in concrete, and hanging rails and boards.
- Add fixed items: gates × gate price, removal of the old fence over the full length, and permit or survey fees.
- Divide by total length for an all-in cost per foot, then treat ±15% as the realistic spread between quotes.
Worked example
A 200 ft backyard run of 6 ft vinyl privacy fence has two 4 ft gates. The old wood fence must come out at $4 per foot, and the city charges $150 for the permit. Rates: vinyl material $22/ft, labor $12/ft, gates $500 each.
- Fence panels: 200 − 2 × 4 = 192 ft
- Material: 192 × $22 = $4,224; labor: 192 × $12 = $2,304
- Gates: 2 × $500 = $1,000; removal: 200 × $4 = $800; permit $150
- Total: $8,478 → $8,478 ÷ 200 = $42.39 per foot; ±15% range ≈ $7,206–$9,750
Notice that removal, gates, and the permit add $1,950 — almost a quarter of the job. That is why the per-foot number on a quote often looks higher than the advertised “installed price per foot.”
Calculator presets: placeholder rates by fence material
These are the editable starting values the calculator loads for each material. They are rough national ballpark placeholders we chose for planning — not survey data or a price guarantee. Local lumber prices, soil (rock adds a lot of labor), access, and season move real quotes well outside these numbers.
| Material (basis height) | Material $/ft | Labor $/ft | Installed $/ft | 100 ft, no gates (±15%) | Gate preset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood privacy (6 ft) | $14 | $12 | $26 | $2,600 ($2,210–$2,990) | $350 |
| Wood picket (4 ft) | $9 | $10 | $19 | $1,900 ($1,615–$2,185) | $250 |
| Vinyl privacy (6 ft) | $22 | $12 | $34 | $3,400 ($2,890–$3,910) | $500 |
| Chain link, galvanized (4 ft) | $8 | $8 | $16 | $1,600 ($1,360–$1,840) | $250 |
| Aluminum ornamental (4 ft) | $24 | $12 | $36 | $3,600 ($3,060–$4,140) | $450 |
| Wrought iron / ornamental steel (4 ft) | $32 | $18 | $50 | $5,000 ($4,250–$5,750) | $600 |
| Composite privacy (6 ft) | $38 | $16 | $54 | $5,400 ($4,590–$6,210) | $600 |
Fence budgeting tips and common mistakes
- Compare quotes line by line. Ask each installer to separate fence footage, gates, tear-out and haul-away, and permit. A low per-foot price with $900 gates can cost more than a higher per-foot price with $400 gates.
- Price the height you actually want. Going from a 4 ft to a 6 ft chain link fence raises the material rate by half in this calculator (6 ÷ 4 = 1.5). Taller fences also need deeper posts and more concrete, which usually raises labor too — ask installers.
- Slopes, rock, and roots cost extra. Stepped or racked panels on a hillside, auger refusal on rock, and hand-digging near tree roots are common add-ons. Raise the labor rate when your yard is anything but flat and open.
- Know the property line before you buy. A boundary survey is often worth its cost when the fence runs on or near the line; add it to the permit/fees field. Many cities also set height limits and setbacks.
- Call 811 before anyone digs. The utility-locate service is free and required in most states before digging post holes.
- Check HOA rules first. HOAs often restrict material, color, and height, and an unapproved fence may have to be replaced at your cost.
- Plan for gates wide enough. A 4 ft walk gate will not pass a riding mower or a trailer; a 10–12 ft double drive gate costs much more than two walk gates. Price the gates you will really use.
Fence cost FAQ
How much does a 100 foot fence cost?
Multiply 100 ft by the installed price per foot and add gates. Using this page's placeholder rates, 100 ft of 6 ft wood privacy fence at $26 per foot is about $2,600 before gates, 4 ft chain link at $16 per foot is about $1,600, and 6 ft vinyl at $34 per foot is about $3,400. Replace the rates with local quotes for a real budget.
How do you calculate fence cost per linear foot?
Divide the total project price by the total fence length. A $4,146 quote for 150 ft of fence (146 ft of fence panels plus one 4 ft gate) works out to $27.64 per linear foot. Comparing quotes per foot only works when every quote includes the same gates, tear-out, and permit.
How much does it cost to fence 1 acre?
A square 1-acre lot is about 208.7 ft on each side, so its perimeter is about 835 linear feet. At $16 per foot for chain link that is roughly $13,400, and at $26 per foot for wood privacy roughly $21,700, before gates. Long, narrow lots have more perimeter for the same acreage.
What is the cheapest type of fence to install?
Chain link and short wood picket fences are usually the lowest-cost options per foot, while ornamental steel, wrought iron, and composite are usually the most expensive. In this calculator's ballpark presets chain link starts at $16 per foot installed and composite at $54 per foot, but local material prices and labor rates decide the real ranking.
Do you need a permit to build a fence?
Many cities and counties require a fence permit, especially for fences over about 6 ft, front-yard fences, pool barriers, and fences in historic districts or HOAs. Fees vary from nothing to a few hundred dollars. Check with your local building or zoning office before ordering materials, and enter the fee in the calculator.
How we built this calculator: results use the standard volume, area, and coverage formulas shown on this page, with typical U.S. material densities, bag yields, and waste factors that you can override. Written and checked by the YardsCalculator editorial team. Last reviewed: October 2026.