Determining Picket Spacing

This is an example

Take measurement of picket. In this example I use a picket that is 1.5” in diameter. If the diameter is smaller, use that measurement.

Take inside to inside measurement from post to post, straight across from inside of post to inside of post, not at any angle. If that measurement is 24”, add the diameter of one picket. If the picket is 1.5”, then your calculation for spacing will be 25.5”.

By sight, make an educated guess of how many pickets you want equally divided into that 24” space. For this exercise, let’s say 4 pickets.

Divide 25.5” by 5, one more picket than you estimated. That figure is 5.1”. Now take 5.1” minus ½ the picket dimension (.75”) = 4.35”. That will be the spacing from the inside of the post to the center of the first picket. Spacing from inside of post to the left side of the first picket will be 5.1” minus 1.5” (diameter of picket) = 3.6”

Picket spacing center to center is 5.1”

The spacing between pickets, inside to inside, will be 5.1” minus 1.5” or 3.6”

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1/32” = .031” (rounded)
1/16” = .063” (rounded)
1/8” = .125”

If pickets are 1 3/8” (1.375”) then ½ of that dimension is 11/16” or .069” (rounded)