About this calculator
Everything for a Colorbond steel or timber paling fence: panels or palings, posts, rails, gates and rapid-set concrete.
How it’s calculated
Sections = (fence length − gate widths) ÷ post spacing, rounded up. Posts = sections + 1, plus one extra per gate. Colorbond panels are 2.36 m wide, so posts go at about 2.4 m centres. Lapped palings overlap by about 25%. Posts are about 1.5 × the fence height so a third or more is buried.
Worked example
With these inputs:
- Fence length
- 30 m
- Fence height
- 1.8 m
- Style
- Colorbond steel panels
- Post spacing / panel width
- 2.4 m
- Gates
- 1
- Gate width
- 0.9 m
- Waste allowance
- 5%
the result is:
- Panels and posts
- 15 posts
- Sections / bays
- 13
- Posts (incl. gate posts)
- 15
Tips from the trade
- Set the end and corner posts first, then string a line for the rest.
- Check the boundary and your council’s height limits before you build. Under state dividing fence laws, neighbours usually share the cost of a standard fence, but you need to agree it or give written notice first.
- Pool barriers must meet AS 1926.1 and your state’s pool safety rules. This calculator is not for pool fencing.
- Gate posts take more load: go bigger and deeper.
Common questions
How many Colorbond panels do I need?
Divide the fence length by 2.4 m (the bay, post to post) and round up. You need one more post than panels, plus extra posts at gates.
Results are estimates for planning and pricing. Check quantities against your drawings, the manufacturer’s data and the NCC and Australian Standards before ordering.