Fence estimating software for linear feet, posts and gates

Fence estimating software takes linear footage by fence type and height and calculates posts, panels or fabric, rails, gates, hardware, concrete and labor from it, then produces a quote. For commercial fence subs bidding from plans, STACK and ScopeTakeoff offer fence takeoff and assemblies¹³; for residential and service-style fence companies, ProDBX and Werx focus on quoting, price books and billing⁵⁷. Published prices start at $49 a month for Werx⁷ and $100 per person per month for ScopeTakeoff⁴.

By Agustín Policano, founder of AmpCount, which makes electrical takeoff software. Facts about other products and statistics link to their source, checked November 3, 2026.

What a fence takeoff measures

Item	Unit	What to watch
Fence runs by type and height	LF	Separate chain link, ornamental, wood, vinyl and security fence, and each height. Changes in type mid-run are separate items.
Line posts	EA	Run length divided by post spacing, plus one per run. Spacing depends on fence type and wind exposure.
Terminal, corner and gate posts	EA	Counted at every end, corner, change of direction and gate. Heavier than line posts.
Gates	EA by type and width	Swing, double, cantilever and slide gates, with operators and access control priced separately.
Post footings	EA, converted to CY or bags	Hole diameter and depth from the detail times post count. Rock or core drilling changes labor.
Fabric, panels, rails and accessories	LF, EA	Fabric rolls, panels by width, top and bottom rails, tension wire, barbed wire or razor wire, ties and caps.
Demolition and removal	LF	Existing fence removal and disposal is often in the same scope and easy to forget.

How a fence estimate is built

Measure fence runs by type and height from the site plan or on site, and mark every corner, end, grade change and gate.
Count terminal, corner and gate posts, then calculate line posts from run length and spacing.
Add gates by type and width, with hardware, operators and any access control the plans call for.
Calculate fabric or panels, rails, wire and accessories from the linear footage, and footings from post counts and the footing detail.
Add removal, permits, locates and site conditions such as slopes, rock and access.
Price labor per foot or per post by fence type, apply margin, and send the quote or schedule of values.

What to look for in fence software

Fence assemblies by type

A run of 6 foot chain link and a run of ornamental steel produce different materials. Look for assemblies that turn linear feet into posts, fabric or panels, rails and footings per type.

Gates as their own items

Gates carry posts, hardware and often operators. The tool should price them separately with their own labor.

Price book and live material pricing

Fence material prices change often. A price book you can update, or supplier price links, keeps quotes current.

The right output for your customer

Commercial fence subs need a schedule of values for the GC; residential fence companies need a clean quote the homeowner can sign.

Software fence estimators use

Tool	What it does for fence	Price
STACK STACK Construction Technologies	Fencing takeoff from plans that measures linear footage, posts and materials, with automated material calculations so every post, panel and gate is accounted for.¹²	Free plan; Premium $299 and Pro $349 per user per month, billed annually
ScopeTakeoff ScopeTakeoff	Fence takeoff for commercial subs with chain link, ornamental, gate and guardrail assemblies, and schedule of values output for the GC.³⁴	$100 per person per month
ProDBX ProDBX	Fence estimating and price book with templates for wood, chain link and vinyl, linear foot calculations, adjustments for slope and custom gates, live material pricing and digital signing.⁵⁶	$19 to $139 per user per month list (introductory promos for new customers; higher plans require 5 to 10 users)
Werx Werx	Quoting, invoicing, progress billing and job costing for fence companies, with estimates built from per-foot material and labor lines and gates priced as their own items.⁷	From $49 a month; users $6 a month

As described on each vendor's own pages, checked November 3, 2026. Prices change; check with the vendor.

For tools that cover every trade on one plan set, see the construction takeoff software and construction estimating software guides.

Commercial fence bids vs residential fence quotes

Commercial fence work arrives as site plans and specs from a GC. The estimate is a takeoff by fence type, with gates, operators and bollards, and the deliverable is a bid and schedule of values. Plan takeoff tools like STACK and ScopeTakeoff fit that work¹³.

Residential work is measured on site or from aerial imagery, quoted the same day, and sold to a homeowner. Speed, a price book and a signable quote matter more than plan takeoff, which is where tools like ProDBX and Werx focus⁵⁷. Many fence companies do both and use one tool for each.

Gate operators, safety sensors and fence grounding

An automatic gate is three bids sharing one opening. The fence contractor usually furnishes the gate and operator, the electrical contractor brings the power circuit and disconnect, and the access control contractor wires card readers, intercoms and vehicle loops. The conduit that crosses the drive between the two sides of a gate is easy to leave out of all three, and it has to go in before paving.

Safety devices add wiring that the fence drawings rarely show. DASMA's summary of the UL 325 standard explains that all external entrapment protection sensors on a vehicular gate operator must be monitored, with the operator checking for each device during every open and close cycle, and that a table sets the minimum number of entrapment protection means per gate type⁸. Photo eyes and edge sensors on the far post need a raceway back to the operator, so count them when you count gates.

Grounding comes up around electrical equipment yards. NEC 250.194, as added in the 2014 edition, requires a metal fence enclosing a substation with exposed conductors or equipment, and within 16 feet of them, to be bonded with wire-type jumpers at each corner and at intervals of no more than 160 feet, with gates bonded to their posts and the grounding grid extended to cover the gate swing⁹. Most fences are nowhere near a substation, but customer-owned switchyards are, and the bonding is easy to leave out of the fence price. A gate at the far end of a long drive also deserves a voltage drop check before the operator circuit goes on the electrical estimate.

Where fence takeoffs go wrong

Calculating line posts from total footage instead of per run, which misses the extra post at the end of every run.
Treating every corner as a line post. Terminal and corner posts are heavier and need bracing.
Gates priced as fence footage instead of as their own items with posts, hardware and operators.
Ignoring slope. Racking or stepping panels on grade changes adds material and labor.
Footing concrete calculated without the specified hole size, or without allowing for rock and core drilling.

Trades that bid the same job

A fence bid rarely stands alone. The trades next to it on the schedule read the same drawings and often share scope lines, so it pays to know how they take off too: landscape estimating software, pool estimating software, sitework estimating software and low voltage estimating software.

Where AmpCount fits

AmpCount only counts electrical devices and fixtures, so it does not take off fence runs, posts or gates. Gate operators, card readers and site lighting along fence lines need power and low voltage, which is the electrical or low voltage contractor's scope, and those devices can be counted on the electrical sheets with AmpCount.

How electrical takeoff software counts a plan set

Questions

What is the best fence estimating software?

For commercial fence subs bidding from plans, STACK and ScopeTakeoff both offer fence takeoff¹³. For residential fence companies that quote on site, ProDBX and Werx focus on price books, quotes and billing⁵⁷. Pick by where your work comes from.

How do you calculate fence posts?

For each run, divide the length by the post spacing and round up, then add one for the end. Count corner, terminal and gate posts separately because they are heavier and braced.

How much does fence estimating software cost?

From vendor pages checked November 2026: Werx starts at $49 a month⁷, ScopeTakeoff is $100 per person per month⁴, STACK has a free plan and paid plans at $299 and $349 per user per month billed annually², and ProDBX lists $19 to $139 per user per month with introductory promos⁶.

Can fence software handle slopes?

ProDBX describes adjusting for slope and terrain in its fence templates⁵. On plans, check the grading sheet for grade changes along the fence line and price racking or stepping as needed.

Guides and tools for any trade

Sources

Product names are trademarks of their owners. AmpCount is not affiliated with any vendor on this page.