Cedar Fence Cost Calculator
A cedar fence quote can swing by thousands of dollars on the same yard, and the difference is usually hiding in the line items: gates, stain, removal, permits, and the buffer nobody added for a sloped lot. A single per-foot number cannot tell you which quote is honest.
This calculator prices the fence by style and height from 2026 US installed ranges, adds gates and extras as separate lines, totals the sides of your yard with a measuring helper, applies an optional budget buffer, and finishes with a materials checklist and a 20-year ownership comparison against pressure-treated pine.
Measure helper: side lengths in feet (optional)
Extras
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Fence | — | — |
| Gates | — | — |
| Extras | — | — |
| Total | — | — |
Estimates from 2026 US ranges, not a quote. Local labor rates, cedar grade, terrain, and access move real bids. Get at least three written quotes with the same line items this calculator shows.
Quick Answer
Key takeaways
- Installed cedar runs $25 to $75 per linear foot in this tool 2026 ranges, depending on style and height; a 6-foot privacy fence is $37 to $60.
- DIY mode prices materials at 45% of the installed rate. The saving is real; so is the weekend of digging.
- Gates, stain, removal, and permits are separate lines on purpose: they are where competing quotes quietly differ.
- Over 20 years, cedar midpoint plus restaining lands near pine in this comparison, and cedar typically lasts longer: 20 to 30 years against 15 to 20.
How to use the cedar fence cost calculator
Measure first. Walk the fence line and measure each straight section, then either add the sections yourself or enter up to four sides in the helper and press Total the sides. Do not subtract gate openings; the calculator prices gates separately, and the posts and framing a gate needs roughly offset the boards it replaces.
Set the fence: length, height, and style. Style moves the rate more than most people expect; horizontal slat at 6 feet runs $45 to $65 per foot against $37 to $60 for privacy.
Choose install or DIY: professional mode returns the installed range; DIY returns materials only, at 45% of that rate.
Add gates and extras honestly: walk gates at $300, drive gates at $550, stain at $4 per foot, old-fence removal at $7 per foot, permit at $150 flat.
Pick a buffer if your yard fights back: slopes, rocky soil, and tight access routinely add 10 to 20%. Flat, clear, easy yards can skip it.
Read the breakdown before the total. If a contractor quote lands far below the low end, the missing money is usually in the lines this calculator separates: ask whether gates, stain, removal, and the permit are in their number or waiting as change orders. Homeowners pricing the lumber itself can cross-check board counts with the board calculator, and anyone pouring a concrete pad or footing on the same project can size it with the concrete volume calculator.
How the estimate is built
The core is a rate table, not a single national average. Each style and height pair carries its own low to high installed range for 2026.
| Style | 4 ft installed | 6 ft installed | 8 ft installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picket | $25 to $35/ft | $30 to $40/ft | $38 to $48/ft |
| Privacy | $30 to $50/ft | $37 to $60/ft | $45 to $60/ft |
| Board-on-board | $40 to $50/ft | $50 to $60/ft | $55 to $70/ft |
| Shadowbox | $35 to $50/ft | $40 to $55/ft | $48 to $62/ft |
| Horizontal slat | $40 to $55/ft | $45 to $65/ft | $55 to $75/ft |
The materials checklist uses simple field rules: posts at roughly 8-foot spacing (length / 8, rounded down, plus one), pickets at 2.2 per foot, two rails per post bay (three on an 8-foot fence), and one bag of concrete per post. It is a sanity check for a materials quote, not a cut list; corners, gate posts, and slope stepping all add pieces. Western red cedar natural resistance to rot and insects is the reason it commands these rates; the USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook documents the durability classes behind that premium.
Worked example: 150 feet of 6-foot privacy fence
The calculator is pre-filled with this case, and every figure below is what it returns.
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Fence: 150 ft x $37 to $60 | $5,550 | $9,000 |
| Gates: 1 walk gate | $300 | $300 |
| Extras: stain 150 ft x $4 | $600 | $600 |
| Total | $6,450 | $9,900 |
| With 10% buffer | $7,095 | $10,890 |
The 20-year ownership line for this fence reads: cedar about $10,875 against pressure-treated pine about $10,129, installed. The build-up is the midpoint of the installed range ($7,275) plus restaining at $4 per foot every 3 years for cedar (6 cycles, $3,600) against pine installed at 65% of the cedar midpoint (about $4,729) plus restaining every 2 years (9 cycles, $5,400). Cedar costs about $746 more across 20 years on those assumptions and typically lasts 20 to 30 years against pine 15 to 20, so the second pine fence replacement, which the 20-year window only just touches, is where cedar pulls ahead. Treat the comparison as illustrative: it ignores inflation, repairs, and the silver-gray option of never staining at all.
Cedar against the alternatives, honestly
Cedar is not the cheapest fence you can stand up, and this page will not pretend otherwise. Pressure-treated pine installs for less per foot and is the right call for a fence you expect to replace or leave behind in a few years. Vinyl costs more up front and asks almost nothing in upkeep, but it cannot be spot-repaired board by board the way wood can, and it reads as vinyl from the street.
Cedar case is durability without treatment chemicals, boards that take stain evenly, and a fence that still looks deliberate when the stain schedule slips. Its weakness is the schedule itself: color needs stain every 2 to 3 years, and ground-contact posts are the failure point on any wood fence, which is why post material and concrete footing matter more than picket grade. The DIY saving follows the same logic: materials at 45% of installed cost look like a bargain until you price two weekends, an auger rental, and a sore back honestly.
What competing calculators miss
Most fence cost tools give a single installed total, and the national cost guides give ranges with no way to test a quote against them.
Miss 1: no line items. A ZIP-code total cannot be argued with. This calculator separates fence, gates, and extras, so when a bid comes in $1,500 under the range you can find which line went missing instead of guessing.
Miss 2: no materials list. Guides tell you a price; they do not tell you the job takes about 19 posts and 330 pickets. The checklist lets you vet a materials quote or a DIY shopping list in one pass.
Miss 3: no ownership horizon. Cedar argument is a 20-year argument: higher install cost, fewer restains, longer life. Tools that stop at install day structurally favor the cheapest first price, which is pine, without showing how thin that margin gets by year 20.
Miss 4: no buffer for the yard you actually have. Slopes and rock are not edge cases; they are half the jobs. The optional buffer prices them in advance instead of as a mid-project surprise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Installed, roughly $25 to $75 per linear foot in this calculator ranges, depending on style and height. A 6-foot cedar privacy fence typically runs $37 to $60 per foot installed; picket styles start lower and board-on-board and horizontal slat run higher.
Walk the perimeter and measure each straight section, then add the sections together. Do not subtract for gates; the calculator prices gates separately. The measure helper on this page totals up to four sides for you.
Materials typically run about 45% of the installed price in this tool, so DIY saves the labor share. Budget a weekend or two, plus post-hole digger or auger rental, and be honest about whether your yard is sloped or rocky, which is where DIY timelines slip.
About $300 per walk gate and $550 per drive gate in this calculator 2026 ranges, covering the heavier posts, framing, hinges, and latches gates require. Wide or automated gates cost more.
Every 2 to 3 years to keep the color and slow weathering. Cedar left unstained weathers to a silver-gray and still lasts 20 to 30 years. The 20-year comparison here assumes restaining every 3 years at $4 per foot.
Often yes: many cities require a building permit for new fence installation, commonly $50 to $250, and HOA communities usually need separate approval. The calculator includes a $150 flat permit line you can toggle. Confirm the property line with a survey before anyone digs.
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References
- USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, "Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material" - durability and decay resistance data for western red cedar and treated pine. FPL: Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190). Accessed October 2026.
- Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, "Fencing" guidance on cedar fence styles, grades, and finishing schedules. WRCLA: Cedar Fencing Guide. Accessed October 2026.
- International Code Council, "International Residential Code" fence and barrier provisions referenced by local permit offices. ICC: International Residential Code 2021. Accessed October 2026.
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, pool barrier guidelines that set minimum fence heights where a pool is present. CPSC: Pool Safety and Barriers. Accessed October 2026.
- American Fence Association, contractor resources on fence installation practices and materials. American Fence Association. Accessed October 2026.