Barrow Load

Fencing calculator

Pick your fence type, enter the length and height, and get the posts, rails, palings, panels or mesh to order, plus the concrete to set it all in.

Fence type
Your fence line

Add a separate run for each straight section between corners or ends.

m
m
Timber paling options
Style

mm
m
Prices (optional)

Add your supplier's prices to get a materials estimate.

Change the assumptions
mm
mm
m³
m
%

Your order list

How to work out fencing materials

Measure the full fence line and split it into straight runs. Each run needs a post at both ends, plus posts in between at the spacing your fence type uses: around 2.4 m for timber, about 2.35 m for Colorbond panels, and around 3 m for chain wire.

For timber paling fences, the number of rails depends on height: two rails up to 1.2 m, three up to 1.8 m, and four above that. Good neighbour and lap and cap styles use more palings than a standard fence because the palings overlap.

Before you dig

  1. Confirm where the boundary is. Your survey plan or a surveyor's pegs are the only reliable guide.
  2. Call Before You Dig Australia (1100.com.au) to locate underground services.
  3. Talk to your neighbour. On a shared boundary you'll usually split the cost, and there's a formal notice process if you can't agree.
  4. Check your council's rules on height, front fences, corner blocks and anything over about 2 m.

These results are estimates to help you plan and order. Product sizes, bay widths and post requirements vary between manufacturers and suppliers, so check with them before you buy. Pool fences must meet the pool safety standard in your state and should be checked by a licensed pool safety inspector. Wind load, sloping ground and soil conditions can all change what a fence needs.