Fence Post Calculator
Count line posts, corner posts and brace assembly posts for a fence run from its length, fence type and terrain — and price the posts before you order.
Your numbers
5,280 ft of barbed wire (conventional) at 11.9 ft spacing
484 posts total
- Line posts (incl. spares)
- 468
- Corner, end and brace posts
- 16 across 10 braces
- Post cost for the run
- $3,394 ($0.64/ft)
- Anchor posts are 16 of 484 posts but 10% of the post cost — corners, gates and ends are where a fence budget actually goes.
- This counts posts only. Wire, staples, clips, brace rails, brace wire, gates and labor are separate line items.
- Tighten spacing further anywhere cattle press the fence — a lane, a corner approach, or along a water gap.
Show the math
- Spacing used14 ft base × 0.85 (Rolling ground) = 11.9 ft
- Line posts5,280 ft ÷ 11.9 ft + 1 = 445 posts
- Brace assemblies(4 corners × 2) + 2 ends = 10 assemblies
- Anchor posts4 corner + 2 end + (10 assemblies × 1 extra brace post, corner/end post shared) = 16 posts
- Spare line posts445 × 5% = 23 posts
- Total posts445 + 16 + 23 = 484 posts
- Line post cost468 × $6.50 = $3,042
- Anchor post cost16 × $22.00 = $352
- Cost per foot$3,394 ÷ 5,280 ft = $0.64/ft
Assumptions this calculator used
Nothing here is hidden. Change any figure you have better local data for.
Leave at 0 to use the spacing implied by fence type and terrain. Source: USDA NRCS Fence Conservation Practice Standard 382.
ftTotal posts in one H-brace assembly, including the shared corner/end post. Single H-brace = 2; double H-brace on long pulls or loose soil = 3. Source: Standard H-brace construction, extension fencing guides.
postsBreakage while driving, rock refusals and re-sets. Source: Field allowance.
%
How to calculate fence post
A post count is two separate numbers added together. Line posts come straight out of run length divided by spacing, with one extra because a run of ten spaces needs eleven posts. Anchor posts — corners, ends, gates and the brace assemblies behind them — do not scale with length at all; they scale with how many times the fence changes direction or stops.
Line posts = (length ÷ spacing) + 1
Brace assemblies = (corners × 2) + ends
Anchor posts = corners + ends + (brace assemblies × posts per brace)
Worked example
One mile of barbed wire on rolling ground with four corners and two ends: spacing is 14 ft base × 0.85 for rolling = about 12 ft, so 5,280 ÷ 12 + 1 = 441 line posts. Corners give 4 × 2 = 8 brace assemblies, plus 2 at the ends, for 10 assemblies. Each assembly is the corner or end post (already counted) plus one shared brace post, so that is 10 extra brace posts on top of the 4 corner and 2 end posts — 16 anchor posts. At 5% spares that is roughly 480 posts on the order.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the plus-one post. Dividing length by spacing counts spaces, not posts. On a short run of pens that error repeats at every fence line.
- Bracing a corner in only one direction. A corner pulls two ways and needs an assembly running back down each fence line, or it walks out of the ground.
- Using flat-ground spacing on broken country. Wire that follows the ground on paper sags through every dip in reality, and cattle find it.
- Setting steel where tension lands. T-posts are line posts. Ends, corners and gates need wood set deep, no matter how good the steel is.
Post spacing and posts per mile by fence type and terrain
Line posts only — corner, end and brace posts are counted separately. Posts per mile includes the plus-one post on the run.
| Fence type | Flat spacing | Broken ground | Line posts / mile (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbed wire, 4-5 strand | 14-16 ft | 8-10 ft | 331-378 |
| Net / woven wire | 14 ft | 10 ft | 378 |
| Net wire with barbed top | 12-14 ft | 8-10 ft | 378-441 |
| High-tensile electric, permanent | 40-50 ft | 25-30 ft | 106-133 |
| Polywire, temporary electric | 50-60 ft | 35-40 ft | 89-106 |
| Pipe / continuous panel | 20-24 ft | 16-20 ft | 221-265 |
| Corral or working pen fence | 8 ft | 8 ft | 661 |
Calculators to run next
- Barbed Wire CalculatorUse once posts are counted and you need wire rolls and cost for the same run.
- Corral Space CalculatorUse when laying out pens or checking whether a set of corrals will hold a load.
- Cattle Trailer Capacity CalculatorUse before hauling, to know how many head fit and how many trips it is.
- Livestock Hauling Cost CalculatorUse when freight is the deciding factor between two buyers or two markets.
- Cattle Water Requirement CalculatorStart here — tank, well and pipeline sizing all hang off daily gallons.
- Stocking Rate CalculatorStart here when the question is how many cows the whole place will run for a season.
Guides that use this calculator
- Fencing a Rotational Grazing System Without Overbuilding ItLay the paddocks out around water first. Order the posts second. Most people do it the other way and pay for it.
Questions ranchers ask
How far apart should fence posts be for barbed wire?
Conventional barbed wire on flat ground is usually set with line posts 12 to 16 feet apart, tightened to 8 to 10 feet on rolling or broken ground and in high-pressure areas like a corner approach or a lane. Stays or droppers between posts let you widen spacing without letting cattle spread the wires.
How many posts do I need per mile of fence?
At 16 ft spacing a mile takes about 331 line posts; at 12 ft it takes about 441; at 20 ft it takes about 265. Add corner, end and brace posts on top of that, plus one extra line post per run because a run of n spaces needs n+1 posts.
How far apart can electric fence posts be?
Because a hot wire is a psychological barrier rather than a physical one, permanent high-tensile electric fence commonly runs 30 to 50 ft between posts on flat ground, and temporary polywire on step-in posts can go 40 to 60 ft. Tighten spacing wherever terrain would let the wire sag to grazing height or lift over a dip.
What is an H-brace and how many posts does it take?
A single H-brace uses two posts plus a horizontal brace rail — three pieces — and is used at every end, corner and gate. A double H-brace, used on long pulls or in loose soil, adds a third post and a second rail. Corners generally need two brace assemblies, one running each direction from the corner post.
How deep should fence posts be set?
A general rule is one third of the post length in the ground, so an 8 ft post is set roughly 2.5 to 3 ft deep. Corner and brace posts go deeper — commonly 3.5 to 4 ft — because they carry the whole tension of the run, and in frost country every post should be below the frost line.
Do I need a brace at every rise and dip?
Not a full H-brace, but you do need an anchor. Wire pulls up out of a dip and down over a rise, so a dip needs a post tied down or a longer post set deep, and a crest needs a heavier post to carry the downward load. Skipping this is the most common reason a new fence goes slack in the first year.
Are steel T-posts or wood posts better?
T-posts are cheaper, faster to drive, and fine as line posts. Wood is what you want anywhere the fence is anchored — ends, corners, gates and brace assemblies — because steel will not hold against tension. Most working fences mix them: wood at every stress point, steel between.
How much does the corner and brace count add to a job?
On a short run it dominates the bill. A 300 ft fence with two ends only (no corners) might need about 21 line posts and 4 brace-assembly posts — roughly a sixth of the posts, and a much larger share of the cost since brace posts run three to four times the price of a line post. On a mile of straight fence with two ends, braces are under 1% of the count. Always price the corners separately.
Fencing new ground for cattle you have not bought yet?
Fence gets built for a stocking rate, and stocking rate depends on what class of cattle you run. Settle the herd plan first, then browse verified lots on Agrilot with documented weights and classes so the fence you build in spring matches the cattle you actually turn out.