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We will cover the main styles of garden fencing found here in the UK as most homes will have either wooden fence panels or close board fencing; we will aim to cover the questions of how to calculate the number of fence panels you will need.
As with any do-it-yourself task, you will need to have the measurements before ordering any materials, and fencing has a sometimes-odd way of measuring its materials.
Our fence panel calculator is easy to use and easy to understand. As with any job your local fencing supplier will be able to help with any questions unanswered by us today. The supplier will be the one who delivers the materials to you so building a good relationship with them will make this whole process easier.
A Brief History Of Fence Calculations
Way back before the early 1970s, the UK was solely measuring distance based on imperial measurement, which is feet and inches, and had been doing so since the early 1600s. This was not a scale of measurement employed by many other nations, so it was agreed that decimalisation would start here in Britain.
The British standard for measurement was not introduced as law until 1980, but in some areas of construction, this has been disregarded for a number of reasons, and one of those industries is the fencing sector.
This is not a belligerent approach adopted by fence manufacturers and installers but a much more practical reason than you would expect.
Most fence posts are set into the ground using concrete and are, therefore, hard to remove, so if you need to replace or repair a fence panel, it may only require replacing the old panel with a new one.
This is where the imperial measurement comes into its own. As many fence panels would have been installed before decimalising, the distance between the posts will be either six feet or 10 feet, depending on the style of fence initially erected.
Therefore, many fencing manufacturers and suppliers still make and supply fence panels and pales using those older imperial measurement standards.
So, if you are contacting your local fencing supplier to request a delivery, do not be surprised to be ordering fence panels and pales in feet and inches while requesting posts and metal fixing in centimetres and millimetres.
Types Of Fencing
The two main fencing styles most associated with a British garden are the fence panel and close board fencing. There are slight differences in not just the way they look but the way in which they are constructed. For this calculation, we are only dealing with wooden fence panels.
Fence Panel
The wooden fence panel has become the most popular way in which modern fences are erected since mass production methods have made it easier and cheaper to manufacture.
To most professionals, it is also quicker to install and repair. Its longevity, however, differs from its much sturdier alternative in close board fencing.
Cheaper materials are, in part, responsible for the average wooden fence panel to be less resistant to the ravages of Mother Nature. That said, there are now much sturdier and, in some opinions, prettier styles of fence panels available, but they will come at a premium in terms of cost.
If you want your fence to have a longer life and invest in more expensive and better-quality panels, should you have the budget to do so?
The majority of fence panels are 6 feet (183 centimetres) wide, and you usually have a choice of heights ranging from 2 feet 6 inches (76.3 centimetres) right up to 6 feet 6 inches (198.2 centimetres).
How To Get Your Quantities
If you are building a brand-new fence, you will need the measurement of the area and then choose the type of fence before ordering.
A fence that will be made of fence panels is the length of the area divided by the width of the panel and fence post.
Fence posts come in various sizes, but the most popular are three inches by three inches or four inches by four inches.
The width of a fence post and fence panel (either six feet three inches or six feet four inches) is divided into the length of the area.
A four-inch by four-inch fence post will be more resilient to weather conditions, and I recommend using this size over anything smaller.
That will mean one panel and one post every six feet 4 inches.
Example: A garden that is 70 feet long (840 inches) will be divided into increments of six feet four inches (76 inches).
This is equal to 11 fence panels and 12 fence posts.
For an entire fence, you have one more post than the total of panels.
Fence Posts
As before, it is recommended to choose a wide fence post as it will last longer. Posts must be inserted into the ground to a minimum depth of eighteen inches (45 centimetres), but most professionals will go deeper to 24 inches (61 centimetres). This gives it much more rigidity.
For every fence post you put into the ground, you will need to add concrete, and the easiest method is to use a pre-made concrete, known as post mix which usually comes in 20kg bags. It is very simple to use as you just add water.
You will need four bags of post mix per fence post hole.
Fixings
By this, we mean nails and screws. In most fencing galvanised nails are used to adhere the fence panel panel to the post, but you can also use screws—at least four per panel.
Fencing is a challenging job to take on, but the correct preparation can be easily accomplished with the proper knowledge and a lot of do-it-yourself determination.
Final Word
In the UK the maximum height that your fence is allowed to reach is 2 metres high!
