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Easily find how deep to bury your fence posts with our Wood Fence Post Depth Calculator. Fast, accurate, and perfect for any wood fence project.
When building a wooden fence, one of the most common questions is: how deep should a wooden fence post be? Getting this depth right is crucial for the stability and lifespan of your fence. If the post isn’t buried deep enough, it can lean, wobble, or even fall over. That’s why we created the Wood Fence Post Depth Calculator a simple tool to help you figure out the ideal post depth based on your fence height and soil conditions.
The general rule of thumb is:
1/3 of the fence post’s total length should be buried underground.
So if you’re installing a 6-foot tall fence, the total length of the post should be 9 feet with 3 feet buried underground.
This rule helps ensure the post is stable and strong enough to resist wind, weight, and ground movement. But keep in mind, factors like soil type and weather conditions can affect this calculation.
It depends on the height of your fence.
If your fence is 4 to 5 feet tall, then 2 feet deep is usually enough for your wooden post. However, if the fence is taller say 6 or 8 feet then you’ll need to go deeper than 2 feet for solid support.
Soft or sandy soil may also require deeper holes to keep your posts from shifting.
Using the 1/3 rule, a 5-foot post would need to be buried about 1.66 feet (approximately 20 inches) into the ground.
But in practice, most fence posts are sold in standard sizes like 6, 8, or 10 feet. For a final fence height of 5 feet, you’d typically use a 7.5-foot post, with 2.5 feet buried and 5 feet above ground.
Here’s the simple formula our Wood Fence Post Depth Calculator uses:
Post Depth = Total Post Length × 1/3
Or, if you know your desired fence height:
Post Depth = Fence Height ÷ 2
(For fences under 5 feet)
Post Depth = Fence Height ÷ 3
(For fences 5 feet and taller)
Using our calculator is super easy. Just enter the height of your fence in feet, and it will instantly calculate how deep your post should be buried.
For example:
You can also adjust the settings if you have soft soil or want extra support. The calculator will then suggest a deeper depth for added stability.
A strong, long-lasting fence starts with correctly installed posts. And that means knowing exactly how deep to bury them. Whether you’re asking “is 2 feet deep enough for fence posts?” or “how deep to bury a 5 foot post?” our Wood Fence Post Depth Calculator gives you instant, reliable answers.
Stop guessing and start building with confidence. Use our tool today to get the perfect post depth for your fence project.
A 6-foot fence post should be buried about 2 feet deep, based on the 1/3 rule of thumb.
In most cases, yes. But if you’re in a windy area or have loose soil, consider going deeper up to 3 feet.
Clay or compacted soil holds posts better than sandy or loose soil. If you have soft soil, dig deeper or use concrete to secure the posts.
Yes, concrete adds extra stability. Just make sure the bottom of the hole drains well to prevent water from rotting the wood.