Post spacing decides how sturdy a fence feels and how much it costs. Too far apart and the rails sag; too close and you are buying posts and digging holes you did not need. Here is how to pick a spacing and lay it out evenly.
Typical spacing by type
| Fence type | Common spacing |
|---|---|
| Wood | 6–8 ft |
| Vinyl | panel width (6 or 8 ft) |
| Chain link | up to 10 ft |
Wood rails come in 8 ft lengths, so 8 ft spacing uses them with no waste. Vinyl is fixed by the panel size. Chain link leans on the mesh and top rail, so it can span further. In exposed, windy spots, tighten the spacing a foot for a stiffer fence.
Spacing a run evenly
Rather than measuring a fixed 8 ft and letting the last bay be whatever is left, even it out:
- Divide the run by your maximum spacing and round up. That is your section count.
- Divide the run by that section count to get the even spacing.
- Posts are one more than sections.
A 100 ft run with an 8 ft maximum gives 13 sections (100 ÷ 8 = 12.5, rounded up), so the even spacing is 100 ÷ 13 ≈ 7.7 ft and you need 14 posts. Every bay matches, which looks better and makes the rails and panels cut cleanly.
Don’t forget the extras
Corners, ends and step-downs on a slope each need their own post, and every gate adds a post on the latch side. Count those on top of the straight-run total.
Lay it out fast
The fence post spacing calculator takes your run length and maximum spacing and returns the post count and the even spacing. For a yard with corners, the fence drawing tool places the posts as you draw.