Gate Calculator
Leaf width, pickets, frame and brace lengths, weight and the load each hinge carries.
Results
Width of each leaf
1.7700
m
Pickets per leaf
15
Pickets in total
30
Frame length per leaf
7.1400
m
Diagonal brace length
2.5245
m
Mass of one leaf
66.226
kg
Infill area per leaf
3.1860
m²
Weight carried by each hinge
33.113
kg
Pull on the top hinge
48.841
kg
What this tool does
A gate is a frame that has to stay square while hanging from one side, and the number that decides whether it will is not the weight — it is the weight times how far out the centre sits, divided by the gap between the hinges. That is the pull the top hinge has to resist, and it is why a wide gate on closely spaced hinges sags. The page works it out alongside the parts list.
Formula
leaf = (opening − clearance) ÷ leaves · pickets = ⌈leaf ÷ (width + gap)⌉ · brace = √(leaf² + height²)
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
op | Width of the opening | m |
lv | How many leaves | — |
gp | Total clearance to leave | m |
h | Height of the gate | m |
pw | Width of one picket | m |
pg | Gap between pickets | m |
km | Frame profile, mass per metre | kg/m |
pm | Picket, mass per metre | kg/m |
hg | Distance between the hinges | m |
LW | Width of each leaf | m |
NP | Pickets per leaf | — |
TP | Pickets in total | — |
FP | Frame length per leaf | m |
BR | Diagonal brace length | m |
LM | Mass of one leaf | kg |
IN | Infill area per leaf | m² |
HV | Weight carried by each hinge | kg |
HH | Pull on the top hinge | kg |
Worked example
- Width of the opening3.6 m
- How many leaves2
- Total clearance to leave0.06 m
- Height of the gate1.8 m
- Width of one picket0.09 m
- Gap between pickets0.03 m
- Frame profile, mass per metre3.5 kg/m
- Picket, mass per metre1.2 kg/m
- Distance between the hinges1.2 m
- Width of each leaf1.7700 m
- Pickets per leaf15
- Pickets in total30
- Frame length per leaf7.1400 m
- Diagonal brace length2.5245 m
- Mass of one leaf66.226 kg
- Infill area per leaf3.1860 m²
- Weight carried by each hinge33.113 kg
- Pull on the top hinge48.841 kg
Limitations
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.
- The calculation runs at full precision and only the display is rounded. If you copy an intermediate value and retype it, small differences can appear.