Chain Link Fence Materials List: Everything You Need (4ft & 6ft)

July 17, 2026 · Fenctimator+ Team

Chain link looks simple from the street — fabric and posts. Then you get to the supply counter and discover it's the fence with the longest parts list in the business. Miss one line item and you're driving back mid-build. Here's the complete bill of materials, plus how to figure quantities.

The framework

• Line posts — the intermediate posts along each run. Typically 1-5/8" or 2" diameter for residential. Spaced at a maximum of 10 feet on center.
• Terminal posts — ends, corners, and both sides of every gate. Beefier than line posts (commonly 2-3/8" residential) because they take the tension of the stretched fabric.
• Top rail — usually 1-3/8" tubing running the full length of the fence, connecting post to post.

Post length rule of thumb: fence height plus 3 feet in the ground. That depth is what keeps a chain link fence straight and tight for decades instead of leaning after the first hard winter. So a 4ft fence wants ~7ft line posts, and a 6ft fence wants ~9ft.

The fabric

• Chain link fabric in your height (48" or 72") — commonly 11.5 gauge for standard residential, 9 gauge where you want it tougher. Standard 2" or 2-1/4" mesh.
• Sold in rolls (50ft is the common residential roll) — total footage minus gate openings, rounded up to full rolls.

The fittings — where most people come up short

• Tension bars — one woven into the fabric at every terminal post connection (so: one per end, two per corner).
• Tension bands — clamp the tension bar to the terminal post. Rule of thumb: one band per foot of fence height, minus one (a 4ft fence takes 3 per tension bar; 6ft takes 5).
• Brace bands + rail ends — attach the top rail to each terminal post.
• Post caps — dome caps for terminal posts, loop caps for line posts (the loop carries the top rail).
• Tie wires — fasten fabric to rail and posts. Figure roughly one every 24" along the top rail and every 12" down each line post, then buy extra. They're cheap; running out isn't.
• Tension wire (recommended) — runs along the bottom to keep the fabric from being pushed up. With hog rings to fasten it.

Gates

• Walk gate and/or double drive gate — prefabricated frames in your height and opening width.
• Gate hardware — male and female hinges per leaf, plus a fork latch (walk gate) or drop rod and latch (drive gate).

Concrete

Every post gets set in concrete for a fence that's still straight in ten years. With posts going a full 3 feet down, figure one to two 50-60lb bags per line post and two or more for terminal and gate posts, depending on your hole diameter. Dig line post holes about 3× the post diameter and terminal holes wider.

Quick quantity math for a sample job

Say you're running 150 feet with two corners, two ends, and one walk gate, at 4ft height:

• Terminal posts: 2 ends + 2 corners + 2 gate posts = 6
• Line posts: spans divided by 10ft spacing, rounded up — roughly 14 for this layout
• Top rail: ~147 linear feet (footage minus the gate opening)
• Fabric: three 50ft rolls
• Tension bars: 6 · Tension bands: 18 · Brace bands + rail ends: 6
• Caps: 6 dome + 14 loop · Ties: ~200 with spares · Concrete: 30+ bags depending on hole size

The faster way to build this list

If you price chain link for a living, you shouldn't be rebuilding this list on a legal pad for every quote. Fenctimator+ generates the complete chain link bill of materials — every post, band, cap, and bag of concrete — from the footage, gates, and your own supplier costs, for 4ft and 6ft builds. Enter the job, get the material list and the customer price in the same two minutes. Free for 14 days.