How this calculation works
Count each named endpoint once, even when multiple runs meet there. Classify endpoints touching gates separately for costing. Add only the interior posts needed within each fenced run; gates receive no ordinary line posts or infill. Convert pooled wire/mesh length into whole stock units and show a budget from your own prices, gate allowances, labor and extras.
Posts = unique named endpoints + Σ[ceil(fenced run / maximum spacing) − 1]; stock = ceil(allowance-adjusted infill / stock length)A worked example
A–B is 20 m fenced, B–C a 3 m gate, and C–D 12 m fenced. At maximum spacing 3 m, the runs need 6 and 3 interior posts. Four unique endpoints give 13 posts total. Four wire courses need 128 m net, or 140.8 m with 10% allowance: three 50 m coils. With the example’s entered prices, the budget is ₹22,850 before any separately added contingency.
Good to know
A named-endpoint quantity model, not a geometric survey or structural design. Shared IDs assume one suitable physical post; duplicate endpoint pairs and self-edges are rejected. No brace/foundation/fitting design, market pricing, tax, gate support suitability or recommended spacing. Pooled stock assumes joins and offcut reuse; no guaranteed no-splice cutting plan. Gate rows do not receive ordinary infill or interior line posts.
Check the land-unit definitions and sources
The standard factors use the international foot and an acre of 43,560 sq ft. Cent means 1/100 acre; gunta means 1/40 acre; the selected Chennai ground means 2,400 sq ft.
The Assam report defines bigha as 14,400 sq ft, katha as 2,880 sq ft and lecha as 144 sq ft. The cited West Bengal court order mentions a 720-sq-ft katha convention. These are explicit presets, not an automatic definition for every record or every place using the same name. Match your record to the stated convention, or use its verified custom factor.
- NIST: exact international-foot and acre factors (opens in a new tab) ↗
- API Setu MDDS: acre/cent and acre/gunta relationships (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Greater Chennai Corporation: one ground is 2,400 sq ft (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Government of Assam AIRBMP framework: section 7.2, page 28 (bigha, katha and lecha) (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Supreme Court order, 7 May 2025: paragraph 2, page 2 (West Bengal katha) (opens in a new tab) ↗
The acre relationships are converted using exact base factors. Rounded or unrelated regional values in a reference table are not substituted for these definitions.
Name shared posts before adding the run counts
The fence post calculator handles one straight, open-ended run. A site with several runs needs another decision: which endpoint locations are the same physical post? This planner makes that sharing explicit with names such as A, B and C. Reusing B in two rows means one named post at B, not two posts merely because two rows mention it.
For example, A–B is a 20 m fenced run, B–C is a 3 m gate opening, and C–D is a 12 m fenced run. At an entered maximum spacing of 3 m, the first fenced run needs seven spans and six interior posts. The second needs four spans and three interior posts. The four named endpoint locations A, B, C and D bring the total to thirteen posts.
The gate is not a fenced run shortened by three metres. Its endpoints B and C still need to exist, while the opening receives no ordinary line posts or wire/mesh infill in this model. Both B and C use the entered gate-post price class, even though each also touches a fence row. No segment is added automatically to close a boundary.
The fence post calculator counts one open-ended straight run. Segmented fence materials instead count explicitly shared endpoints once and keep gate openings separate from ordinary infill.
Separate net material from what a supplier sells
The example has 32 m of fenced runs. Four wire courses require 128 m net. An entered 10% infill allowance raises that requirement to 140.8 m; three 50 m coils provide 150 m. The remaining 9.2 m is stock above the allowance-adjusted need. It is different from the 12.8 m allowance already included in that need.
Mesh mode uses one full-height strip along the fenced length. Enter the chosen roll’s height to report net mesh area, and enter its length for the roll count. The page does not stack short rolls to achieve a greater height or decide that a particular mesh height is suitable. Wire-course count is disabled in mesh mode so it cannot multiply the mesh quantity accidentally.
Stock is pooled across the site: this quantity model allows joins and reuse of offcuts. A rule that every run must come from an unbroken coil, or that offcuts cannot move between runs, can require more stock. The skirting and trim cut planner solves a separate straight-piece cutting problem with its own kerf and stock assumptions; it should not be mistaken for a fencing installation design.
Use the cost breakdown to check what is still missing
The example prices are editable assumptions. Nine interior posts at ₹350, two non-gate endpoint posts at ₹800, two gate endpoints at ₹1,500, three coils at ₹2,500, a ₹6,000 gate-row allowance and 32 m of labor at ₹50 give ₹22,850. A 5% contingency on that subtotal would add ₹1,142.50. These are worked arithmetic, not local quotations.
Each gate row can carry its own optional INR amount. An omitted amount is zero, which means the budget includes no allowance for that opening. The labor rate applies only to fenced length; include gate installation, brace assemblies, concrete, fixings, transport, tax or other work in gate-row amounts or the separate lump sum when you want them represented.
A named junction counted once is an input assumption, not proof that one post can safely support the connected runs or gates. UGA Extension distinguishes line posts and the end/corner/gate assemblies needed by different systems. This calculator does not choose those assemblies, their foundations, wire tension or spacing. It also cannot determine a unique perimeter from an acre count; measured plot area and a checked layout remain separate tasks.
Read more: UGA Extension: fence systems, planning and post assemblies (opens in a new tab) ↗
A few questions, answered
How do I represent two fences that meet at one corner?
Use the same endpoint ID on both rows, such as A B 20 fence and B C 12 fence. B is counted once. Different IDs are always treated as different physical posts, even if you intended them to represent the same place.
Can a post be shared by two adjacent gate openings?
Yes, if you deliberately reuse its ID. A–B gate and B–C gate use three unique gate endpoints. The calculator does not determine whether the shared post is structurally suitable.
Does allowance add more posts?
No. The allowance applies to infill length only, before rounding to whole coils or rolls. Post quantities follow named endpoints and the entered maximum span assumption.
Can I enter disconnected runs or an open boundary?
Yes. Rows need not form a closed loop. No missing run is inferred, and naming a connected graph does not validate its real geometry or boundary.
Why is the result different from adding a straight-run calculator for every row?
A straight-run count includes both endpoints every time. Adding those counts can double-count shared endpoints, while a gate creates an opening with its own endpoint requirements. This planner separates those contributions explicitly.