Halloween graveyard fence panel count
Plan a spooky picket or wrought-iron-style graveyard fence along a Prince William County front yard: panels, posts, pickets, and rail feet from the length you measured and the walk-through openings you want to leave.
net = run − openings × opening width; panels = ceil(net ÷ panel width); posts = panels + 1 + openings; pickets = panels × pickets per panel; rail feet = 2 × net
When to use
Use this when you are buying store-bought graveyard fence sections or building your own from furring strips, and need the count before the shopping trip.
Each walk-through opening breaks the fence into separate runs, and every run needs a post at both ends — that is why openings add posts even though they remove fence length.
If the net length is not an even multiple of the panel width, the last panel is cut down. The result tells you exactly how long that trimmed panel should be.
Measure along the yard edge where the fence will stand.
Check the package or your DIY design.
Gaps for a path or driveway.
About 3–4 ft for a walking path.
For DIY panels; enter 0 for store-bought.
Worked example
With the form defaults, here is the arithmetic the Calculate button runs:
Net length = 40.0 − 1 × 4.0 = 36.0 ft.
Panels = ceil(36.0 ÷ 4.0) = 9 with no trimming.
Posts = 9 + 1 + 1 = 11; pickets = 9 × 6 = 54; two rails = 72.0 ft of rail stock.
Second example: one input changed
From the defaults (Total fence line (ft) = 40; Panel width (ft) = 4; Walk-through openings = 1; Opening width (ft) = 4; Pickets per panel = 6), the calculator shows:
Net fence length: 36.0 ft
Panels: 9
Posts or stakes: 11
Pickets: 54; rail stock: 72.0 ft (two rails)
Now change Panel width (ft) from 4 to 3.5 and keep the other entries. The result becomes:
Net fence length: 36.0 ft
Panels: 11 (last panel trimmed to 1.0 ft)
Posts or stakes: 13
Pickets: 66; rail stock: 72.0 ft (two rails)
Narrower panels add two panels, two posts, and twelve pickets, and leave a 1-ft trimmed panel at the end. If you would rather not cut a panel, nudge the opening width — a 5-ft opening makes the net 35 ft, an even ten panels at 3.5 ft.
Limits / assumptions
Units: feet.
Assumptions: straight runs; one post at every panel joint and at both ends of each run; openings are placed between runs, not at the very ends of the fence line.
Not modeled: corners where two panels share a post (subtract one post per shared corner), gate hardware, or slope.
Planning tips
- Lay the panels out on the lawn before driving any stakes; it is much easier to shift an opening when nothing is in the ground yet.
- Rebar or metal garden stakes behind each post hold lightweight foam or plastic panels steady in a windy Halloween week.
- Pair the fence with a few tombstones set 18–24 in behind it so the fence frames the graveyard instead of hiding it.
Keep the fence on your own lawn — not on the public sidewalk — and leave the path to the front door and the mailbox clear. If posts go deeper than a garden stake, contact Virginia 811 before you dig.
FAQ
How wide are store-bought graveyard fence sections?
Widths vary by product — measure one section end to end, including its connector, and enter that as the panel width.
Do I need posts with plastic fence kits?
Most kits push into the lawn with built-in spikes; count each spike pair as a post and use the post count to check you bought enough sections.
What about an L-shaped fence?
Run the calculator once per straight side, add the results, and subtract one post for each corner shared by two sides.
How many pickets look right?
Gaps of 3–5 in between pickets read as a fence from the street; wider gaps start to look like stakes.