Fence Palings Calculator

Understanding fence palingss in Australia

Working out how many palings you need

The paling count is straightforward arithmetic once you fix three variables: the length of the fence, the width of the paling, and whether the boards butt, lap or sit with a gap. For a butt joined fence the boards per metre is simply 1000 divided by the paling width in millimetres, so a nominal 100mm paling gives 10 boards per metre, a 150mm paling gives 6.7 and a 75mm paling gives 13.3. A lapped fence with a 15mm to 20mm overlap reduces the effective coverage of each board, typically increasing the count by 15 to 25 percent. A gapped fence with 15mm between boards reduces the count by roughly 12 to 15 percent. A double sided or good neighbour fence, where boards alternate on either side of the rails so both properties see a finished face, uses around 70 percent more timber than a single sided fence of the same length.

What palings cost in 2026

Treated pine palings are the volume product and prices are relatively stable. In 2026 a standard 1800mm by 100mm treated pine paling costs roughly $3.20 to $5.50 each depending on grade, treatment level and whether you buy by the pack or loose, with pack pricing usually 10 to 20 percent below the loose rate. A 150mm paling of the same height runs $4.50 to $7.50, and a 75mm paling $2.60 to $4.20. Merbau and hardwood palings are two to three times the price of pine, commonly $9 to $18 a board at 1800mm depending on width and species, and wider hardwood boards at 140mm sit at the top of that range. On a 25m fence at 1800mm with 100mm butt joined pine palings you need about 250 boards, which is roughly $800 to $1,400 in palings alone before rails, posts, concrete and fixings.

Rails, posts and the rest of the frame

Palings are only part of the material list, and people frequently underestimate the frame. Fences are built in bays, with treated pine paling fencing commonly using 2.4m bays, so a 25m fence has about 11 bays and needs 12 posts. A 1800mm fence normally uses three horizontal rails, at roughly 2.4m each per bay, so about 33 rails. Galvanised steel posts for a 1800mm fence cost $28 to $55 each depending on section and gauge, treated pine posts $22 to $45. Each post hole needs 20kg to 40kg of rapid set concrete, at $9 to $16 a bag. Rails are $12 to $22 each in treated pine. Add fixings, either galvanised nails or preferably decking screws, at $80 to $200 for a fence of that size. All up, the frame typically adds 60 to 90 percent on top of the paling cost, which is why a paling-only calculation badly understates a full material list.

Butt, lap or gap, and why it matters

The layout decision is aesthetic, practical and financial all at once. Butt joined fences look clean on the day they are built but treated pine palings shrink as they dry, and a fence built with green timber in winter will show daylight gaps by the following summer. That is precisely why lapping is the traditional answer, since a 15mm to 20mm overlap absorbs shrinkage and keeps the fence visually solid, at the cost of about 20 percent more boards. A deliberate gapped fence is used where you want airflow, a lighter look or partial screening rather than total privacy, and it uses the least timber. Note that a gapped fence with openings over 100mm will not satisfy AS 1926.1 if the fence also has to serve as a swimming pool barrier, which is a common and expensive oversight.

Treatment levels, waste and quality

Treated pine is rated by hazard class, and it matters more than brand. H3 is the correct rating for timber above ground and exposed to weather, which covers palings and rails. H4 is required for timber in ground contact, which means posts if you use timber rather than steel. Buying H2 or untreated stock because it was cheaper on the day is the single most reliable way to get a fence that fails in six years instead of fourteen, and there is no visual difference at the merchant, so ask for the treatment stamp and keep the invoice. On waste, allow around 7 percent on treated pine for cuts, splits and the occasional badly bowed board, and 8 to 10 percent on hardwood, where natural variation in width, wane and splitting means you will reject more. Order the allowance in the original delivery, because timber from a second batch differs in colour and moisture content and shows on a long run.

Dividing fences and who pays for the upgrade

If the fence is on a boundary, the paling choice interacts with your state's dividing fences legislation. Adjoining owners are generally each liable for half the cost of a sufficient dividing fence, judged against the standard of fencing in the locality, and that liability is only enforceable if you serve a formal fencing notice on the neighbour before starting work, with a statutory response period, commonly 30 days. Under the betterment principle, if the local standard is single sided 1800mm treated pine palings and you want hardwood, a double sided good neighbour layout or a capping rail, the neighbour owes half of the standard fence and you pay the whole difference. Since the double sided layout alone increases the paling count by about 70 percent, this is not a trivial distinction, and it is worth settling in writing before the timber is ordered.

Ordering and checking the delivery

When you order, specify the height, nominal width, thickness, treatment level and species, and ask whether the quoted length is the finished paling length or a longer board you will cut down. Palings are commonly sold at 1800mm and 2100mm finished, so a 1500mm fence usually means buying 1800mm boards and docking them, and that offcut is waste unless you can use it on a gate or a low return. Check the pack on arrival for consistent width, since nominal 100mm boards can vary by several millimetres between batches and a small variance compounds over 250 boards into a visibly uneven finish. Store the timber flat and off the ground under cover if it will not be installed immediately, because a pack of palings left leaning against a wall in the sun for a fortnight will bow and you will pay for that in waste.