How to Measure Your Pitch for Perimeter Fencing
An accurate measurement is the foundation of an accurate quote, and of a fence that fits first time. Get the setback and perimeter right and everything downstream — post count, panel count, gates, price, grant figures — follows cleanly. This guide shows you how to measure your pitch for fencing, including the setback rules, the one mistake almost everyone makes, and how to turn the result into a material list.
Measure the playing area at the turf edge, not the line markings, add the required setback to every side, and the result is your fence line. For a standard 105 × 68m football pitch at a 2,250mm setback, the fence line is 109.5m × 72.5m, giving a perimeter of 364m. Then deduct your gate modules, because gates sit within the line rather than adding to it — which brings a typical four-gate pitch to about 350m of fencing.
Step 1: Measure the Playing Area
Start with the pitch itself. Measure the length and width of the actual playing surface — the edge of the turf or playing area, not the painted touchlines, which sit inside it. A long surveyor's tape and a helper make this far easier than a short builder's tape.
A full-size football pitch is commonly 105m × 68m, but pitches vary considerably at non-league level. Always measure your own rather than assuming the standard, and measure both diagonals too — if they do not match, your pitch is not square, and that affects how the fence line sets out.
The single most common measuring error is taking the setback from the painted touchline rather than the edge of the playing surface. The line sits inside the playing area, so measuring from it puts your fence too close — and a barrier installed short of the minimum setback is a grading failure that costs a full rebuild, not an adjustment.
Step 2: Add the Setback
The fence does not sit on the touchline — it sits a set distance back from the edge of the playing area. This setback, also called the run-off, is defined by your sport and level.
| Level | Minimum setback |
|---|---|
| FA Step 1 | 2,250mm, ideally 2,750mm |
| FA Steps 2–7 | 1,830mm |
| Rugby union | 5m ideal, 3.5m/3.0m minimum |
Add the setback to every side. A 2,250mm setback adds 4,500mm to both the length and the width of the fenced rectangle — 2,250mm at each end. For rugby, remember to include the in-goal areas when working out the ends. See our ground grading guide and RFU requirements for the detail.
First, we recommend 2,250mm across all levels rather than the bare minimum. It meets the Step 1 requirement outright, so the barrier never needs moving if your club is promoted. Second, if the Premier League Stadium Fund is paying for a new barrier at Grade 1, it must be set at 2.75m — so check your funding position before you peg out the line, not after.
Step 3: Calculate the Perimeter
Once you have the fence-line length and width, the perimeter is simply (length + width) × 2.
- Pitch: 105m × 68m
- Add 2,250mm setback each side: fence line = 109.5m × 72.5m
- Perimeter: (109.5 + 72.5) × 2 = 364m
Step 4: Deduct Your Gates
This is the step most people get backwards, and it costs money. Gates sit within the fence line, replacing a section of it — so gate modules come off your total rather than being added to it.
| Item | Run consumed |
|---|---|
| Single gate module (1.5m leaf) | 2,024mm |
| Double gate module (3.0m) | 3,637mm |
| Our recommended set: 2 single + 2 double | 11.3m total |
So on our worked example: 364m perimeter, less 11.3m of gate modules, gives 352.7m of fencing — which we round to 350m. That is the figure every price on our site is based on, so you can compare directly against our 2026 price guide.
Add your waste margin separately, on panels and rails rather than on the run — around 5% covers tolerance and breakage. Inflating the perimeter figure instead is how clubs end up with thirty spare metres of fence in a container behind the clubhouse.
Step 5: Plan Posts, Panels and Gates
With the run known, the rest follows. Posts sit at 2,500mm centres, so divide your fencing run by 2.5 for the bay count — 350m gives about 140 bays. Then add the four corner posts, and remember gate posts are doubled up, two side by side at each hinge and latch position, so each single gate adds two posts and each double adds four.
Planning post positions so bays divide evenly avoids cutting panels. Our installation guide covers setting out in detail, and the installation reference page has the full post and panel schedule.
Decide gate positions now rather than later. As a standard we recommend two 3.0m double gates for machinery and emergency vehicle access, and two 1.5m single gates for players, officials and spectators — the FA and the Premier League Stadium Fund both require provision for all four.
Send Us Your Measurements for an Exact Quote
Measured your pitch? Send us the dimensions and your step and we will return a fixed written quote within 24 hours, with the post and panel schedule and a grant-ready specification included. Not confident in the measurements? We can survey it for you.
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