Chain link fence calculator: how much chain link fence material do I need?
3 rolls, 18 posts
12 line and 6 terminal · 7 top rails of 21 ft · 8 tension bars, 32 tension bands · 146 ties · for 150 ft, 4 ft high
Run your own numbers
Enter it the way you measured it: 4.5, 4 1/2,
3/8 or 10' 6".
3 rolls, 18 posts
12 line and 6 terminal · 7 top rails of 21 ft · 8 tension bars, 32 tension bands · 146 ties
Source: Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute, Step by Step Method for Installing Your Own Chain Link Fence (CLF-S8S0110, rev. March 2018), materials list, read October 23, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
150 feet of 4 ft chain link fence with two corners and one 4 ft gate takes 3 rolls, 18 posts: 6 terminal posts and 12 line posts no more than 10 feet apart, by the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute.
A worked example
A closed 236 ft yard, 5 ft high, with 4 corners and two 3 1/2 ft gates needs 5 rolls. 229 feet of fabric is 4.58 rolls of 50 ft. Six stretches of 38.2 ft take 3 line posts each, 18, plus 4 corner and 4 gate posts; 12 tension bars and 60 tension bands, one per foot of height on each bar.
How far apart are chain link fence posts?
No more than 10 feet on center between terminal posts, by the CLFMI product manual; its step by step guide gives 7 ft minimum and 10 ft maximum. A 36 ft stretch between two terminal posts takes 3 line posts.
How many tension bands for chain link?
One per foot of fence height on each tension bar, by the CLFMI materials list: 4 on a 4 ft fence. End and gate posts take 1 tension bar, corner posts 2.
What else it is called
Chain link is also called cyclone fence or hurricane fence; the mesh is the fabric, and the posts are terminal (end, corner, gate) and line posts. Searched as a chain link fence calculator, chain link fence materials calculator or chain link post spacing.
Rolls and posts by fence length
| Fence length | Fabric rolls | Line posts | Terminal posts | Top rails of 21 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 100 ft | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
| 150 ft | 3 | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| 200 ft | 4 | 18 | 4 | 10 |
| 300 ft | 6 | 28 | 4 | 15 |
A straight run with two end posts and one 4 ft gate, so four terminal posts; line posts no more than 10 ft apart, the CLFMI limit, with both stretches equal. Fabric in 50 ft rolls, top rail in 21 ft lengths.
Where the numbers come from
- Materials list: Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute, Step by Step Method for Installing Your Own Chain Link Fence (rev. March 2018): fabric 50 feet per roll; line posts 7 to 10 ft apart; tension bar, 1 per end or gate post and 2 per corner post; brace band and rail end, 1 per tension bar; tension bands, 1 per foot of fence height on each bar; a carriage bolt per band; ties, 1 per foot of fence, 100 per bag. Read October 23, 2026. CLFMI step by step (PDF)
- Spacing and rail: CLFMI Product Manual CLF-PM0610 (updated March 2017): line posts «set no greater than 10 feet on center between the terminal posts»; top rail in 21 ft lengths joined with sleeves at least 6 in long; fences 12 ft or higher need a mid rail. Read October 23, 2026. CLFMI product manual (PDF)
- The rest is arithmetic: stretches between terminal posts = corners + gates + end posts − 1; line posts = stretches × (stretch length ÷ 10, rounded up, − 1), with the stretches taken as equal; terminal posts = ends + corners + 2 per gate.
Stretches are taken as equal; a short stretch next to a long one can need one line post more or less, so count those runs on their own if they differ much. Post depth and concrete depend on your frost line and soil.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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