Bamboo Fence: How It Is Built and What It Takes
A bamboo fence is rolled bamboo screening fastened to a wood frame of posts and rails. The canes are wired together and carry no load, so the frame does. A 56-ft run, 6 ft tall, with one 4-ft gate and posts 8 ft apart takes 10 posts, each an 8-ft 4×4 set 2 ft deep, plus 21 rails and 13 rolls of 36 × 96 in screening hung in two rows.
Updated
4x4 posts (3.5" actual), 2 ft bury depth.
The post counter above is set to the 56-ft run and splits its 10 posts into 6 line, 2 end and 2 gate posts. Rails, rolls and concrete follow below from the 7 sections that run makes. Other framed and open builds are on the fence styles hub.
The frame carries the screen
Forever Bamboo, a bamboo seller, lists a 36 × 96 in roll of canes about ¾ in across, at 35 lb a roll. "Each pole is secured by sturdy galvanized steel wires to provide flexibility," the listing says. That wire is why a roll can follow a curve, and also why it cannot stand up by itself. In the close-up, the canes sit between the posts under a wide top rail, and washered screws hold the edge canes beside the post.
Hunker's guide to rolled bamboo (Ella Buchan, updated September 26, 2021) builds a lighter frame than the one counted here. Its posts go about 12 ft apart in 30-in holes, with two 2×4 rails "leaving around 5 inches from the top and bottom." The frame on this page uses three rails and 8-ft spacing, which gives the screen a third line of screws at mid-height and puts every roll joint at a post.
How many posts does a bamboo fence need?
Ten, for this run. The 4-ft gate opening comes out of the 56 ft first, which leaves 52 ft of fence: six full 8-ft bays and one 4-ft bay. Seven sections in a straight line sit on 8 posts, the two at the ends counted as end posts, and the gate hangs between 2 more.
Each post is an 8-ft 4×4. The calculator's rule buries a third of the fence height, 2 ft at the least and in half-foot steps, so a 6-ft fence puts 2 ft in the ground and uses the whole 8-ft stick. Nothing is left over above grade, and that matters once the screen goes up. Where frost reaches below 2 ft, a 10-ft post is the next stock length; fence post depth and frost line by state gives the depth. In 10-in holes the 10 posts take 20 bags of 80-lb mix, and the concrete per fence post calculator reworks that for a wider hole.
Rails and rolls at three spacings
Spacing moves the posts and rails. It barely moves the screening, because rolls are bought by the length of fence they cover, and a joint between two rolls can fall anywhere along a rail.
| Post spacing | Sections | Posts | Rails, 3 per section | Opening between 4×4s | 36 × 96 in rolls, two rows | Roll joints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft | 9 | 12 | 27 | 68.5 in | 13 | mid-bay |
| 8 ft | 7 | 10 | 21 | 92.5 in | 13 | at the posts |
| 10 ft | 6 | 9 | 18 | 116.5 in | 13 | mid-bay |
At 8 ft one roll fills one bay with 3.5 in to trim off, so each row is six whole rolls plus half a roll in the 4-ft bay, and the two halves come out of a thirteenth roll. The rails come from 20 boards of 8-ft stock: 18 for the full bays and 2 for the three short rails of the 4-ft bay.
Height is the tighter fit. Two rows of 36-in roll stack to 72 in, the full 6 ft of post above the ground, yet Forever Bamboo's install guide says to raise the roll 1 in off the ground "if necessary" so it does not soak up moisture. On an 8-ft post there is no inch to give. Masters of Bamboo, a Dutch importer, sells a 180 × 180 cm roll instead. At 70.9 in tall it hangs in one row with 1.1 in to spare at the bottom, a little more than the 2 cm the importer asks for, and the 599.5 in between posts on this run takes 9 of them.
Bamboo fence panels
Everything on this page counts rolls fixed to a frame you build. Screening that comes already set in its own frame hangs between posts like a wood fence panel, so the fence panel calculator counts posts and panels for that kind of build, with the post spacing taken from the panel's width.
How do you attach bamboo fencing to an existing fence?
If an old fence is still sound, the rolls go onto it with no new posts. Forever Bamboo's install guide (no date) sets out three cases:
| Existing fence | Fastener | Spacing | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 2–2½ in wood screws through pre-drilled poles | every 12 in, alternating top and bottom | start at a top corner |
| Chain link | galvanized tie wire, 14–16 gauge | every 12 in, alternating top and bottom | roll level and 1 in above the ground |
| Block or brick wall | deck screws into 2×4 rails of treated lumber | every 12 in | rails near the top and bottom of the wall |
Hunker does chain link with cable ties, each looped around two or three poles and the mesh, about every 12 in. Masters of Bamboo drills through the canes every 20 cm on a wood fence or wall and screws them at the top, middle and bottom. The weight goes onto the old posts. At Forever Bamboo's 35 lb a roll, two rows add 70 lb to each 8-ft bay, so a fence whose posts already rock in the ground is a poor base.
A patio screen and a gate
One side of a patio is a short version of the same frame. A 16-ft side with posts 8 ft apart is 2 sections on 3 posts, 6 rails and 4 rolls in two rows. The screen in the photo stops at a bottom rail a few inches above the gravel strip, which keeps the cane ends off the wet ground.
The gate in the photo is a leaf with its own dark frame, strap hinges and a latch, screened like the fence beside it. The 4-ft opening was left out of the roll count above, so a screened leaf needs screening of its own: under 48 in wide, it takes half a roll per row, which brings the run to 14 rolls.
Key Takeaways
- Masters of Bamboo's canes are 5–6 cm thick, about 2 to 2⅜ in, against ¾ in on Forever Bamboo's 36-in roll.
- Set the fence at 8 ft and the calculator moves to 6×6 posts, 12 ft long and 3 ft deep.
- Without the gate, the same 56 ft takes 8 posts.
- In 60-lb bags, the 10 posts take 30 bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many posts for 100 ft of bamboo fence?
14 on a straight run with posts 8 ft apart and no gate: 12 line posts and 2 end posts. A gate adds 2.
Do bamboo fence posts need concrete?
The calculator sets every post in concrete, 2 bags of 80-lb mix per 4×4 in a 10-in hole. Whether gravel or a post spike will do in your soil is a question for your building department.
How much does a bamboo fence cost?
The national cost data behind CalcFence has no bamboo row, so there is no per-foot figure for it. The frame is ordinary treated lumber, which the wood fence cost calculator prices as a wood fence, and the rolls are priced per roll by the seller.
How tall can a bamboo fence be?
The frame here is 6 ft, which is the side and back yard limit in three of the four cities in fence height rules and permits. Dallas is the exception: it allows up to 9 ft and wants a permit above 6 ft.
Sources
- Forever Bamboo, "How To Install Bamboo Fencing on Existing Fencing," seller blog, no date, accessed November 1, 2026: blog.foreverbamboo.com/bamboo-fencing-installation-how-to
- Forever Bamboo, "Caramel Brown Bamboo Fence ¾" D x 36" H X 96" L," seller product page, no date, accessed November 1, 2026: foreverbamboo.com/caramel-brown-bamboo-fence-36-h-x-96-l
- Masters of Bamboo, "Bamboo Fencing Roll Deluxe Black 180 x 180 cm," importer product page, no date, accessed November 1, 2026: mastersofbamboo.com/en/products/bamboo-fencing-roll-deluxe-black-180-x-180-cm
- Hunker, Ella Buchan, "How To Install Rolled Bamboo Fencing," updated September 26, 2021, accessed November 1, 2026: hunker.com/13424966/how-to-install-rolled-bamboo-fencing
