Free tool for landowners and buyers
Fence Cost Calculator for Texas Ranch Land
Pick the sides of a tract right on the satellite map, or type your own runs, and this calculator sizes the whole job: wire, posts, braces, gates, concrete and hardware, plus the labor days. Prices are our own Hill Country supplier receipts (Jan 2026–Mar 2026) where we have them, and prices scaled from those receipts for the rest (Sep 2026); change any of them to match your own quotes. Everything here is an estimate, free, with no obligation.
Looking for the land itself? Browse land by type and price, compare a deer lease with owning or see every open tract.
Either way the same engine sizes the job.
Your runs
Each connected chain of sides becomes one run. Tap a side on the map to add or remove it, or switch to Draw runs and tap the map to place fence corners anywhere.
Pick a ranch and its surveyed tracts load on the map.
| Run | Feet | Corners | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | 4,175 | 4 | 0 |
Fence options
Every choice recomputes the estimate instantly.
Stay-Tuff rolls are listed by part number; the rest are generic wire or pipe.
Inches from the ground to the top wire. 48 for cattle, 60–72 for horses and goats, 96 for deer.
Drill stem is the Hill Country standard; square tube is lighter and takes a gauge.
Feet between steel line posts. 50 ft is typical; closer on rough ground.
Feet between T-posts inside each span. 10 ft is standard; 8 ft for deer fence.
Five strands is the Texas standard for cattle; six to eight for goats or a taller fence.
Two-point is the usual pasture wire; four-point for pressure.
Accessories
Brace preferences
Double-H holds a long fixed-knot pull; single H is fine for barbed wire.
An N-brace uses one less post than a corner brace with two legs.
Gates
Each gate adds the frame, hinges, latch, gate posts and their concrete.
Sets the concrete per hole and how long the ground work takes.
Contractor labor per foot of fence. 0 = I'm building it myself.
Estimated total
$22,458
Barbed wire · $5.38/ft
Materials, labor, gates and paint together. Before tax and delivery.
Per foot
$5.38/ft
Total feet
4,175
Corners
4
Brace assemblies
4
Line posts
84
T-posts
336
Labor days
23
Compare with
The same runs and options at another fence. Tap one to switch.
Materials
| Item | Qty | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wire | $1,746 | ||
| 4-Point Barbed Wire (1320' roll)4,175 ft + 10% overlap = 4,592 ft × 5 strands ÷ 1,320' rolls | 18 roll | $96.99 | $1,746 |
| Posts | $4,349 | ||
| Drill Stem 2-3/8" OD — 31' joint (line & brace posts)84 line posts + 12 brace posts = 96 posts at 7' cut, 4 per 31' joint (3' scrap per joint) | 24 joint | $80.00 | $1,920 |
| T-Post 6' (1.33 lb/ft)84 spans × 4 T-posts (50' ÷ 10' − 1) | 336 each | $7.23 | $2,429 |
| Braces | $400 | ||
| Corner Brace assembliesbends of 75° or more; 3 posts + 2 rails & diagonal each — posts, pipe and concrete are priced in their own lines | 4 assembly | $0.00 | $0 |
| Drill Stem 2-3/8" OD — 31' joint (brace rails & diagonals)8 brace bays × (8' rail + 9.2' diagonal) = 137 ft ÷ 31' joints | 5 joint | $80.00 | $400 |
| Concrete | $1,204 | ||
| Concrete Mix (80 lb bag)84 line posts × 2 + 12 brace posts × 3 (8" hole, 2.5' deep, moderate soil ×1.1) | 204 bag | $5.90 | $1,204 |
| Hardware | $356 | ||
| Fence Clips/Staples (box of 500)336 T-posts × 4 clips = 1,344 ÷ 500 per box | 3 box | $30.00 | $90 |
| Wire Tie (pre-formed)84 line posts × 3 ties (every other strand of 5) | 252 each | $0.24 | $60 |
| Inline Wire Tensioner7 terminations (1 per 660 ft of each run) × 5 strands | 35 each | $5.87 | $205 |
| Materials total | $8,055 | ||
Labor
23 work days (216 hours), $14,403
- Auger 84 line post holes (15 min each) × 1.15 for the ground24.2 h
- Set 84 line posts in concrete (30 min each) × 1.15 for the ground48.3 h
- Build 4 corner / end assemblies (3 posts + 1 h welding each) × 1.15 for the ground15.0 h
- Drive 336 T-posts (5 min each) × 1.15 for the ground32.2 h
- Unroll & tension 4,175 ft × 5 strand runs (300 ft/h)69.6 h
- Clip & tie 1,596 fastenings (1 min each)26.6 h
By run
| Run | Feet | Corners | Ends | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | 4,175 | 4 | 0 | $22,458 |
Sizing
6' T-Posts · 7 ft post cut (2.5 ft in the ground) · 4 posts per joint · 48" wire · 1320 ft rolls
What we assumed
- Prices are our own Hill Country supplier receipts (Jan 2026–Mar 2026) where we have them, and prices scaled from those receipts for the rest (Sep 2026); your supplier's quote will differ. Wire is bought 10% over the fence length for overlap and tensioning.
- Steel line posts every 50 ft with 4 T-posts between them every 10 ft. Posts: 2-3/8" Drill Stem cut to 7' (4.5' above ground, 2.5' buried), 4 per 31' joint. T-posts: 6' T-Post for 48" wire.
- Bracing: a bend of 15° or more gets an H-brace, 75° or more a corner brace; every open run ends in a double H-brace end assembly; each gate adds two H-braces. Brace rails are 8' with a 9.2' diagonal. Runs entered by hand count each corner as a corner brace.
- Concrete: 8" holes 2.5' deep, 80 lb bags at 0.6 cu ft, 2 per line post and 3 per brace post in moderate soil.
- Hardware: 4 clips per T-post, 3 ties per line post, tensioners for 5 strands at every termination (one per 660 ft of run and one per gate).
- Contractor labor at $6/ft × 1.15 for moderate terrain × 0.5 because barbed wire strings in half the time of net wire; the hours are a crew-time guide at 9.5 h per work day, with augering, setting posts, driving T-posts and building braces also × 1.15 for the ground.
- No gates.
Get the printable estimate
A PDF with your map, the materials list, the labor phases and every assumption, ready for a supplier or a contractor. We'll email the link and can text it to you.
Questions? Call (830)-307-7533.
How we figure it
Every quantity comes from the same rules a fencing crew would use in the field. Nothing is a flat per-foot guess.
Feet and corners
Each side you tap is measured on the ground from the survey boundary. Where a run changes direction by 15° or more we count a corner; a gentler bend gets a line post, not a brace.
Braces and ends
Every corner gets a corner brace and every open end of a run gets an end assembly. A closed perimeter has no ends. Long straight stretches get a pull brace at the spacing the wire maker recommends.
Posts
Steel line posts go in at your spacing (30–70 ft), and T-posts fill the spans between them at 7–15 ft. Post length follows the fence height plus the bury depth for your terrain.
Wire
Rolls are counted from the total feet plus a splice allowance, rounded up to whole rolls. Barbed strands, top and bottom wires and Stay-Tuff rolls are all sized from the same footage.
Concrete, hardware, gates
Every brace post gets concrete; bags follow the hole size for the post material. Clips, staples, tensioners and gate hardware are counted from the post and gate counts, not guessed.
Labor
Labor is a per-foot rate you set, adjusted for terrain (rock takes longer to drill) and split into phases so you can see where the days go. Set it to zero for a do-it-yourself materials-only number.
The Ranch Enterprises family
Selling Texas land for over 25 years
Guadalupe Ranch Co. is part of the Ranch Enterprises family — surveyed tracts, deeded access, and owner financing serviced in-house. We're the seller and the lender, not a broker handing you off to a bank.
- 25+ yrs
- Selling Texas land
- 320,000+
- Acres sold · TX, CO & NM
- 5,000+
- Tracts financed in-house
- 20+
- Texas counties
Frequently asked
- How accurate is this?
- It is a sizing tool, not a bid. The quantities follow standard fencing practice and the prices are a Hill Country supplier average on the date shown, so a real quote will land in the same neighborhood but never to the dollar. Rock, access, gate placement and the crew's own method all move the number. Use it to compare options and to know what a fair bid looks like.
- Does Guadalupe Ranch Co. build fences?
- No. We sell owner-financed land. This is a free tool for landowners and buyers who want to know what fencing a tract will run before they buy or before they call a contractor.
- What does it cost to fence a 10-acre tract?
- A square 10 acres is about 2,640 feet of perimeter. With T-posts and five strands of barbed wire the materials alone often run a few thousand dollars; Stay-Tuff fixed knot on steel line posts is a few times that; pipe fence is the most. Run the calculator with your own runs, terrain and labor rate for a real number.
- T-post fence or pipe fence?
- T-posts with wire are the workhorse for pasture and property lines: cheap, quick and easy to repair. Pipe fence costs several times more per foot but lasts decades, holds up to cattle and horses leaning on it and looks like a ranch entrance should. Many owners pipe the road frontage and the pens and run wire on the back sides.
- What about rock?
- Much of the Hill Country has caliche or limestone within a foot or two of the surface. Choose the terrain that matches your tract: it changes the bury depth, the concrete and the labor hours. On solid rock, crews drill and set posts in concrete or drive pins, and the labor line is where you will see it.
- Can I use my own prices?
- Yes. Open the material prices panel, type what your supplier quoted you, and the whole estimate recomputes. Your prices stay in your browser only.
Looking for the land itself? Browse land by type and price or see every open tract.