How Much Fence Is Needed for 1 Acre?
One of the most common questions in the fence world is how much fence is needed for 1 acre. The answer is not quite as simple as you might think.
Let’s take a closer look at how much fence is needed for 1 acre if your site is square and level and how to calculate how much fence you will need if it’s not.
How Much Fence is Needed for 1 Acre On a Square and Level Site?
Calculating the amount of fence you need for any site means adding up all the fence lines on the perimeter of the site, which seems simple enough.
However, an acre is a measure of area. In fact, it’s 43,560 square feet. We know that to calculate the perimeter of a perfectly square acre, all you need to do is get the square root of 43,560, which is 209. This means that each side would be 209 feet or a total of 835 linear feet of fence.
The problem with this solution to how much fence is needed for 1 acre is that there are very few perfectly level, perfectly square sites out there. There are many different ways that your property’s area could be 43,560, and none of the others will work out quite so neatly.
Why Does It Matter If Your Site Is Level?
You might be wondering why we mentioned that your site needs to be level for the above solution to the question of how much fence is needed for 1 acre to apply.
The answer is that when fencing is installed on a slope, more material is required to build the same amount of fence that you would measure off a flat plan.
Again, this comes down to math, and in this case, the important formula is Pythagoras. When you install a fence on a slope, you’re effectively installing it on the hypotenuse of a giant triangle.
So How Can You Find Out How Much Fence You Need?
If you still need to know how much fence you need for a 1-acre property, there are a few things you can do.
First, you can get a site plan for your property. In most cases, you can get this from your local municipality, usually for a very small fee. This sketch of your property will show the property lines and dimensions, and usually has a scale, too, so you can calculate any unknown dimensions. However, again, remember that if there are slopes on any parts of your fence line, it will actually require more fencing.
The other option, if you want to know exactly how much fence you need for your 1-acre property, use a measuring wheel or a digital measuring device and walk the fence lines, measuring and marking your site plan as you go.
The last thing you need to know is that in most cases, fence is not sold or installed for a per-foot rate. That’s because different elements like ends, corners and gates can increase the material and labour costs, and that’s why you usually need to provide a site layout or have a site visit done to get a quote for fencing.
