Pickets

• A picket fenceImage by Flickr.com, courtesy of Alex
  
  Pickets are a series of wooden boards that form a fence panel.
  
  

Solid Panels

• These panels use closely spaced pickets to block the surrounding view. They are usually 4 to 6 feet tall.
  
  

Spaced Panels

• These panels have a gap between the pickets. Spaced panels are shorter, generally less than 4 feet.
  
  

Posts

• Posts are anchored in the ground and serve to keep the fence stable. Main posts anchor the corners and gates, while line posts lend stability to the panels.
  
  

Rails

• A split-rail fenceImage by Flickr.com, courtesy of Tony
  
  Rails are horizontal beams running between the posts. These rails appear at the top and bottom of fence panels, and sometimes along the middle. A split-rail fence has only posts and rails without pickets.
  
  

Gates

• A gate--the door that lets you in and out of the fenced area--can swing inward, outward or both ways.