Wood Fence Cost Calculator
Wood Fence costs $4,450 to $6,725 for a typical 150 linear ft job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $5,425. Labor runs 19.8 crew hours at $40.06 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.
What makes up the price
Cost by size
National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.
| Length of fence | Linear feet | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 linear ft | 80 | $3,200 | $2,625 to $3,975 |
| 120 linear ft | 120 | $4,475 | $3,675 to $5,550 |
| 150 linear ft | 150 | $5,425 | $4,450 to $6,725 |
| 200 linear ft | 200 | $7,000 | $5,750 to $8,675 |
| 260 linear ft | 260 | $8,900 | $7,300 to $11,025 |
What you are actually buying
A 6 foot privacy fence is three things repeated down a line: posts every eight feet set in concrete below the frost line, two or three horizontal rails between them, and pickets fastened to the rails.
At $36 a linear foot, roughly $14 of that is the lumber and $2 the concrete and fixings. The rest is a crew digging, setting, lining and building — which is why a wood fence costs about the same per foot whether the pickets are $2.30 or $3.10 each.
What the pickets are made of
| Species | Material cost | Untreated life | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated pine | $14 / ft | 15–20 years | The default. Needs sealing to reach the top of that |
| Cedar | ~$21 / ft | 20–30 years | Naturally rot and insect resistant; silvers gracefully |
| Redwood | ~$28 / ft | 25–30 years | Mostly a west coast option on price |
Pressure-treated pine is the right answer for most back-yard fences and for anything that will be stained anyway. Cedar earns its extra 50% in two situations: where the fence is visible from the house or the street, and where nobody is realistically going to maintain it.
The decision that sets the lifespan
A pressure-treated fence that is sealed every two to three years lasts twenty-five years. The same fence left alone is soft, cupped and splitting in fifteen.
That is the single biggest number on this page and it is not in the installed price. Sealing 150 feet of fence takes a day and around $150 of stain, so over twenty years it is roughly $1,200 and ten weekends — against a $5,425 replacement.
What actually destroys a wood fence
- Water at the bottom of the posts. Rot starts at ground level, where the post is wet and the air cannot get at it. Gravel under the post and concrete sloped away from it is what prevents it.
- Sun on the pickets. UV breaks down lignin, which is what turns wood gray and then furry. This is what sealing stops.
- Sprinklers. A fence line watered twice a day fails at the bottom within a few years. Check where the heads throw.
- Vegetation. Anything growing against a fence keeps it wet. Keep a gap.
Wait six months before sealing a new pressure-treated fence. It arrives wet with treatment chemicals and will not take a finish until it has dried out.
Picket styles, and what they cost
Same materials, different arrangements, different prices:
- Dog-ear. The default. Pickets butted edge to edge with the top corners cut off. The baseline price.
- Flat-top or French gothic. Cosmetic, no real price difference.
- Shadowbox or board-on-board. Pickets alternate on either side of the rails, so it looks finished from both sides and air passes through. Around 20% more, and it survives wind far better.
- Spaced picket. Cheaper, because there are fewer pickets. No privacy.
- Horizontal. Fashionable and about 30% more: the boards span between posts, so they have to be thicker or the posts closer, and they sag if neither happens.
Shadowbox is worth the premium on a boundary both households look at, and on any run that catches wind. A solid privacy fence is a sail.
Which side faces out
Convention, and code in some places, puts the pickets facing the neighbor and the rails facing you. Shadowbox sidesteps the question entirely, which is part of why it gets specified on shared boundaries.
What goes wrong, and when
Year one. Boards shrink as the lumber dries. Small gaps appearing between pickets is normal and not a defect.
Year two to three. Posts that were set too shallow start to lean after the first hard freeze. This cannot be corrected without digging them out, which is why post depth is the question to ask before the job rather than after.
Year five. Without sealing, the gray is well established and the first boards are cupping.
Year ten to fifteen. Rails sag, gates stop closing, and individual pickets start failing. Most of this is repairable by the homeowner, which is wood's real advantage over vinyl: a $3 picket and twenty minutes against a panel that cannot be patched.
Repair or replace
If the posts are sound, the fence is worth repairing — rails and pickets are cheap and bolt onto what is already standing.
If the posts are rotted at ground level, it is a replacement. Everything above them is only as good as what it is fastened to, and setting new posts means taking the fence apart anyway. The test is simple: push hard on a post. If it moves at the ground, it is finished.
Questions worth asking
- Pressure-treated or cedar, and which grade?
- How deep are the posts, and is there gravel underneath?
- Are the posts 4x4 or 4x6, and what spacing?
- Nailed or screwed? Screws cost a little more and hold decades longer.
- Is the top rail doubled or capped? It is what keeps the fence straight.
- How long before it can be sealed, and will they come back to do it?
Common questions
How much does a wood fence cost?
Around $36 a linear foot installed, so about $5,425 for a 150 foot run, with most jobs falling between $4,450 and $6,725. Roughly $14 of each foot is the lumber — the rest is the crew digging, setting and building, which is why the picket grade changes the total far less than people expect.
Is cedar worth the extra cost over pressure-treated pine?
In two situations. Where the fence is visible from the house or the street, because cedar silvers rather than going gray and furry; and where nobody is realistically going to seal it every few years, because cedar resists rot and insects on its own. It is around 50% more in material. For a back-yard fence that will be stained anyway, pressure-treated is the better buy.
How long does a wood fence last?
Fifteen to twenty-five years, and which end you land on is decided almost entirely by sealing. A pressure-treated fence sealed every two to three years reaches twenty-five; the same fence left alone is soft, cupped and splitting at fifteen. That maintenance is about $150 and a day every few years against a $5,425 replacement.
When should a new wood fence be stained or sealed?
Wait about six months. Pressure-treated lumber arrives wet with treatment chemicals and will not take a finish until it has dried out — sealing it early traps the moisture and the finish fails. After that, every two to three years, and sooner on the side that gets the most sun.
What is a shadowbox fence and is it worth it?
Pickets alternating on either side of the rails, so it looks finished from both sides and air passes through the gaps. It costs around 20% more and it is worth it in two cases: on a boundary both households look at, and anywhere that catches wind. A solid privacy fence is a sail, and shadowbox is what stops it being blown flat.
How deep should wood fence posts be set?
A third of the post length and below the local frost line, in concrete, on a few inches of gravel for drainage — two to three feet in most of the US. Posts set too shallow start leaning after the first hard freeze, and that cannot be corrected without digging them out, which is why this is the question to ask before the job rather than after.
Why is my new fence developing gaps between the boards?
Normal, and not a defect. Pressure-treated lumber arrives wet and shrinks across its width as it dries over the first year. Pickets fitted tight will separate slightly; a good installer allows for it. Gaps that keep widening after the first year are a different problem and usually mean the rails are sagging.
Should a wood fence be nailed or screwed?
Screwed, with exterior-rated screws. It costs a little more in fasteners and labor and holds for decades longer — nailed pickets work loose as the wood cycles wet and dry, which is why old fences rattle. It also makes repairs possible without damaging the boards either side.
Can a leaning wood fence be fixed?
It depends on the posts. If they are sound and the rails have sagged, yes, and cheaply. If the posts have rotted at ground level, no — everything above them is only as good as what it is fastened to, and setting new posts means dismantling the fence anyway. Push hard on a post: if it moves where it meets the ground, that section needs replacing.
What makes a wood fence rot?
Water sitting where air cannot get at it, which is almost always the bottom of the posts. Gravel under the post and concrete sloped away from it prevents most of it. The other culprits are sprinklers throwing onto the fence line twice a day and vegetation growing against it, both of which keep the wood permanently wet.
Where these numbers come from
Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.
- All other specialty trade contractors, United States: $40.06/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023899003)
- Pressure-treated wood fence: $14.00 per linear foot (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)
- Concrete, gravel and fixings: $2.20 per linear foot (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)