Solve backwards
How much fence will my stain cover?
- 5 galThe example worked below
- Wood Fence Stain CalculatorEvery figure is its own
You have
How much fence stain?
That is 5 gal(18.9 L). Worked by the Wood Fence Stain Calculator at the settings below.
The settings it uses
- Fence Height
- 6 ft
- Staining Both Sides?
- Yes — both sides
What it will do
750 sq ft of fence face
69.7 m²
One fence. Enough for 62.5 ft of fence 6 ft high.
Or several. Less than one fence of the size the Wood Fence Stain Calculator opens on (98 ft of fence 6 ft high).
Check it forwards
- Fence Length
- 62.5 ft
- It asks for
- 5 gal
- You have
- 5 gal
The Wood Fence Stain Calculator asks for 5 gal at that size, and 6 gal one step larger.
If you had more, or less
Around your amount
Each worked by the Wood Fence Stain Calculator at the same settings.
Half
2.5 gal
300 sq ft
25 ft of fence 6 ft high
Yours
5 gal
750 sq ft
62.5 ft of fence 6 ft high
Half as much again
7.5 gal
1,050 sq ft
87.5 ft of fence 6 ft high
Double
10 gal
1,500 sq ft
125 ft of fence 6 ft high
Common amounts
What each amount of fence stain covers
The sizes it is usually sold in, each worked by the Wood Fence Stain Calculator at the settings above.
| You have | It covers | As one fence | Average fences |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gal(3.8 L) | 150 sq ft(13.9 m²) | 12.5 ft of fence 6 ft high | under 1 |
| 5 gal(18.9 L) | 750 sq ft(69.7 m²) | 62.5 ft of fence 6 ft high | under 1 |
| 10 gal(37.9 L) | 1,500 sq ft(139 m²) | 125 ft of fence 6 ft high | 1 |
Rough-sawn pickets go a short way
The calculator holds 150 square feet per US gallon, about 14 m² per 3.8 litres, because rough-sawn fence boards are more textured than smooth deck boards. That is its source's figure for picket fencing; a smooth, previously stained fence will go further, and a bare grey one that has never been sealed will drink the first coat hard.
Both sides doubles it, and so does a second coat
The calculator opens staining both sides, which doubles the area of a fence against its length. A fence shared with a neighbour is often done on your side only, and then the same stain covers twice the run. The answer is one coat; a solid-colour stain that builds its film in two halves the run again.
Buy it in one go
Stain from a second batch bought weeks later rarely matches the first, and the seam shows as a band down the run. So the useful question before starting is whether what you have reaches the end — and if it does not, buying the rest now, from the same batch, rather than when the first lot runs out.
How the answer is worked
Nothing here is a second formula. The Wood Fence Stain Calculator runs forwards — a size in, a quantity out — and this page grows its own starting fence in proportion until the quantity it asks for is what you have. Where it rounds up to whole containers, the answer is the largest size before the next one would be needed.
Where the calculator adds an allowance for cuts or breakage when you order, the same allowance comes off here, because it is the same calculator: a stack you already own finishes less than its face value. Where it adds none, neither does this page — the settings beside the answer say which.
Wood Fence Stain Calculator
runs it forwardsEstimate how many gallons or litres of stain you need for a wood fence, based on length, height, and sides.
Work out what to buy insteadSolve backwards
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Solve backwards
Start from what is already in the yard
Paint, sheets, rolls, bags and pieces, each read the other way by the calculator that orders it.
The calculator's own figures
Nothing is estimated twice: the page runs the same calculator you would order with.
The largest size that fits
Where a calculator rounds up to whole containers, the answer stops before the next one.
Both unit systems
Gallons and litres, square feet and square metres, side by side.
Frequently asked questions
- How much fence face does 5 gal of fence stain cover?
- At the Wood Fence Stain Calculator's own settings, 750 sq ft (69.7 m²) — 62.5 ft of fence 6 ft high. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How much fence face does 20 L of fence stain cover?
- At the Wood Fence Stain Calculator's own settings, 69.7 m² (750 sq ft) — 19.4 m of fence 1.8 m high. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How many square feet of fence does a gallon of stain cover?
- About 150 square feet per US gallon per coat on rough-sawn fencing, roughly 14 m² per 3.8 litres — less than a smooth deck board takes, because picket texture holds more. Staining both sides counts the area twice, so a gallon finishes half as much fence length.
- Does a board-on-board fence take more stain?
- Yes, noticeably. A board-on-board or shadowbox fence sets a second layer of boards behind the gaps, and their faces and edges are all stainable surface a length-times-height measurement never sees; a lattice top carries far more surface per foot than solid boards. Measure those sections as their own job.
- How many coats does a wood fence need?
- It depends on the stain and the wood. A semi-transparent oil on sound wood is often one saturating coat, a solid-colour stain builds its film in two, and a bare grey fence that has never been sealed takes the first coat so hard it barely changes colour. Buy for the coats you intend to apply.