Use the calculated run stations to prepare a fence field record. Start with the selected system’s maximum spacing and a sketch that identifies ends, corners and gates; this guide helps retain those boundaries when transferring equal spans to the fence line.
Field transfer: record each run's start and end post centres, shared corner, gate offset and clear width, and the externally selected maximum spacing. The calculator turns that record into count and station positions; this guide does not choose a safe spacing for the system.
Use the fence-post calculator after drawing the segments and openings. The spacing input is an assumption you supply, not a spacing recommendation generated by MaterialNest.
Record boundaries before marking line posts
- Draw and label every straight fence segment.
- Identify terminal ends and shared corners.
- Place gates on their owning segments. Measure each offset from the start endpoint-post centreline to the near inside face of the clear opening, and measure the width between the opening's inside faces.
- Obtain the maximum line-post spacing for the selected system and site.
- Split each segment at gate openings.
- Divide every remaining run into equal spans.
- Review the actual calculated spacing, post categories, and field conditions.
Worked example: a 100-foot straight run
Assume a straight 100-foot fence, no gates, and a user-selected maximum spacing of 8 feet.
Open the fence-post calculator, expand the 100 ft solved example, and choose Load this example to populate these exact inputs.
ceil(100 / 8) = 13 equal spans. The actual spacing is 100 / 13 = about 7.69 feet, which is approximately 7 feet 8.3 inches.
Thirteen spans have 12 line posts between two terminal posts, producing 14 layout posts total before any deliberate spares. Rounding 12.5 down to 12 spans would create spacing of about 8.33 feet, exceeding the selected maximum.
The downloadable straight-run diagram is a four-span schematic, not this 13-span example. Redraw 13 equal centre-to-centre intervals for this field record, with marks measured cumulatively from the start post centre; redraw each uninterrupted run separately around corners or gates.
Layout decision logic
- Straight open run: two terminal endpoints plus line posts between them.
- Shared corner: one corner condition joins the adjoining segments and should be counted once.
- Gate: two gate boundaries split the segment into separate fenced runs.
- Several gates: calculate every uninterrupted run; do not spread line posts through an opening.
- Separate adjacent gates: leave a positive fenced run between them. This calculator assigns two distinct posts per gate and rejects touching openings; enter a multi-leaf manufactured assembly as one clear opening when appropriate.
- Rectangle: four shared corners; do not add separate terminal posts at the same locations.
- Grade or direction change: flag it for product-specific review rather than silently treating it as an ordinary line post.
Carry the stations into the field record
Label each uninterrupted run by its segment and boundary posts. Copy that run's actual equal spacing and positions from the drawing, using its named start as the measuring origin. Do not lay out every interval from a rounded segment-average value: a gate can leave runs with different spacings.
Keep the installed count separate from spares, and record the spare product category. Retain grade, soil, utility and access observations for the appropriate project review; the station arithmetic does not resolve them.
For a gate, carry the clear opening and selected hardware allowances into Gate Clearance. Record ground elevations across its swing from one datum; equal post spacing does not establish passage or swing clearance.
For chain-link work, create the layout with the chain-link measurement guide and then verify the full chain-link material checklist.
Use the general measurement guide for accepted feet, inches, fractions, and metric input formats.
Limits and sources
There is no universal fence-post spacing in this guide. Fence material, height, wind exposure, soil, gates, terrain, post section, and manufacturer requirements can change an acceptable layout. The Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute product manual, revised March 2017, is one primary industry reference showing that chain-link post spacing and post selection are system- and exposure-dependent; it should not be generalized to every fence type. The fence formula methodology documents only MaterialNest's run-splitting and equal-spacing arithmetic.
This is a material-planning procedure, not footing design, wind design, installation instruction, permit advice, or code approval.
Send corrections to feedback@materialnest.com.