TallyTakeoff
Calculators

Fence Installation Cost Calculator

This fence cost calculator gives you an installed range — wood fence cost per foot included — before you call a contractor: by material, height, and length, with DIY and professional labor broken out separately. Add gates, a sloped lot, or old-fence removal, and the range updates to match your actual job.

Six materials compared liveRanges reviewed July 2026DIY vs installed, side by side
150 ft runpine
Height
Lot slope
Regional cost level

Installed $/ft ranges are TallyTakeoff Editorial estimates · reviewed July 2026.

INSTALLED COST150 FT · 6 FT PRESSURE-TREATED
$4,350 – $7,150
$29.00–$47.67/linear ft
base fence$4,200 – $6,750
gates$150 – $400
EVERY MATERIAL AT 6 FT, YOUR SETTINGS
Pressure-treated pine$4,200 – $6,750
Cedar$5,250 – $8,250
Vinyl (PVC)$5,250 – $9,000
Chain-link (galvanized)$3,000 – $5,250
Aluminum / ornamental steel$6,000 – $10,500
Composite$6,750 – $11,250

Estimates only, not quotes. Prices are editable national averages — confirm current pricing and quantities with your supplier before you buy.

Plain-English tour

How installed fence cost per foot is calculated

Every material in this calculator carries its own installed cost-per-linear-foot range, because fencing materials don't just cost different amounts per foot of raw product — they take different amounts of labor, post spacing, and post-setting depth to install correctly. A privacy-height chain-link run installs faster than the same length of board-on-board cedar, even where the raw fabric and lumber cost similarly per foot.

Multiplying your run length by that per-foot range gives the base installed cost. Two adjustments scale that base directly: lot slope (terracing or racking the fence line adds labor and sometimes custom cuts) and a regional cost level, since labor rates vary far more by region than material prices do. Gates and fence removal are added on top as flat items rather than scaled by the per-foot rate.

Installed cost is only half the long-run picture for a wood-vs-vinyl decision. A wood fence typically needs restaining or resealing every 2-3 years — figure $2-$4 per foot each time — while vinyl needs essentially none. Over 15 years that's 5-7 staining cycles, adding roughly $10-$28 per foot on top of the installed price, which can erase most or all of vinyl's higher sticker price by year ten to twelve.

A legitimate installed-fence quote should itemize, at minimum: linear footage and height; material and grade; post spacing and setting depth; number and type of gates; any grading or haul-away work; and a start/completion window. A one-line lump-sum quote with none of that detail is the easiest way to end up with a different fence than you priced.

Finished six-foot cedar privacy fence along a backyard property line — wood fence installation cost per linear foot
Installed fencing is priced per linear foot — materials and labor together.
White vinyl fence panels along a front yard — vinyl vs wood vs chain-link installed cost comparison
Material choice moves installed cost 2–3× at the same run length.
Show the math

The formula

base = length × [installed $/ft lo, hi] × slope × region
gates = walk × $150–$400 + drive × $600–$1,500 (flat)
removal = removal ft × $3–$5 (if checked)
total = base + gates + removal · DIY = × 50%
multipliers — slope: 1.00 / 1.10 / 1.25 · region: 0.85 / 1.00 / 1.20
With the defaults

Worked example: 150 ft of 6-ft wood privacy fence

Using the calculator's own defaults: 150 ft of pine fence at 6 ft height, one walk gate, no drive gate, a flat lot, a typical-cost region, professionally installed.

  1. 1. Base150 × [$28, $45] × 1.00 × 1.00 = $4,200 – $6,750
  2. 2. Gates1 × [$150, $400] = $150 – $400
  3. 3. Removal$0 (not selected)
  4. 4. Total$4,350 – $7,150 · $29.00–$47.67 per linear ft
  5. 5. DIY modesame job → $2,175 – $3,575 (materials only)
What we assume

Assumptions & defaults

Installed cost per linear foot by material (4 / 6 / 8 ft)
Pressure-treated pine$18–28 · $28–45 · $40–62
Cedar$24–36 · $35–55 · $50–75
Vinyl (PVC)$25–40 · $35–60 · $50–85
Chain-link (galvanized)$15–28 · $20–35 · $28–48
Aluminum / ornamental steel$30–55 · $40–70 · $55–95
Composite$35–55 · $45–75 · $65–105
Walk / drive gate$150–$400 · $600–$1,500 each
Old-fence removal$3–$5 per linear ft
DIY materials share50% of installed total

DIY mode estimates materials at 50% of the professionally-installed total, a common rule-of-thumb split between materials and labor for fence work. It doesn't add back tool rental, a truck to haul posts, or the value of your own time — budget those separately if you're pricing a real DIY project. Ranges reviewed July 2026.

The pine question

Wood fence cost per foot: pressure-treated pine vs cedar

"Wood fence" hides the biggest price fork on this page. Pressure-treated pine is the budget default — widely stocked, takes stain well, and sits at the bottom of the wood rows in the material comparison above. Cedar costs more per foot for the same height because the wood itself carries natural rot and insect resistance instead of a chemical treatment, holds its look longer unstained, and warps less as it dries. Same posts, same labor, different boards — which is why the comparison table prices them as separate rows rather than one "wood" number. Count the actual boards with the fence calculator (its per-post concrete comes from the concrete calculator's bag math), and the five-step method behind both is in how to estimate materials.

Where the numbers come from

Sources & standards

Installed cost-per-foot ranges are TallyTakeoff Editorial estimates, reviewed on the same cadence as every other price on this site — see how our price reviews work. Material standards referenced when relating relative material costs: ASTM F1043 (protective coatings on steel fence framework) and the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute product guide for chain-link; the American Wood Protection Association's Use Category System (AWPA UC4A/UC4B) for ground-contact wood posts. Get at least three local, in-person quotes before committing — installed pricing is the most regionally variable number on this entire site.

Before you sign

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to install a fence per foot?
Nationally, installed wood fencing typically runs $18-$75 per linear foot depending on height and wood species, vinyl and composite run roughly $25-$105, chain-link is the cheapest at about $15-$48, and aluminum or ornamental steel runs $30-$95 — all before gates, removal, or your region's labor rates. Enter your specifics above for a number scoped to your job.
How much can I save by installing my own fence instead of hiring a contractor?
This calculator assumes DIY materials run about half of a professionally-installed price, so switching to DIY mode is roughly a 50% savings on the estimate — but that assumes you already own or can borrow a post-hole digger or auger and a level, and that you're comfortable setting posts plumb and square without a crew.
Why does a sloped yard cost more to fence?
A sloped lot needs either stepped panels — each section level, with a small gap underneath that grows downhill — or a racked, continuously-angled line, and both take more layout time and often more cuts than a flat run. This calculator applies a 10% surcharge for a moderate slope and 25% for a steep one, on top of the base per-foot rate.
Does removing my old fence add much to the cost?
Budget roughly $3-$5 per linear foot to tear out and haul away an existing fence, separate from the cost of the new one. It's a flat per-foot add rather than a percentage, since demolition labor and dump fees don't scale with what's being installed afterward.
Do I need a permit to install a fence?
Many municipalities require a permit above a certain height — commonly 6 ft in front yards, sometimes higher elsewhere — or for any fence near a property line, but the exact rule varies widely by city and county. Check with your local building or zoning department before you dig; this calculator prices materials and labor only, not permit fees.
Is vinyl or chain-link cheaper than wood?
Chain-link is usually the least expensive fencing option per foot, often half of wood or less at the same height. Vinyl typically costs more than pressure-treated pine up front but can land close to cedar, trading a higher initial price for near-zero repainting or restaining over the fence's life — see the staining-cost math in How it works above.
How much does a 6 ft privacy fence cost per foot installed?
Set the calculator to wood at 6 ft — its default privacy configuration — and the per-foot line in the results panel is the installed answer for your run length, with pressure-treated pine at the low end of the range and cedar above it. Per-foot cost drops slightly on long straight runs and rises with slope, gates, and old-fence removal, which is why this page computes it from your inputs instead of quoting one national number.
What share of an installed fence price is labor?
Flip the calculator between DIY (materials only) and contractor modes and the difference between the two totals is the labor-and-overhead share for your exact configuration — typically a large minority to roughly half of the installed price depending on material and terrain. Chain-link shifts the balance toward labor (cheap material, fiddly tensioning); vinyl shifts it toward material.
COST ↔ QUANTITY TWIN
Know the budget. Now count the posts and pickets.
Fence Calculator
Keep estimating

Related calculators

Fence CalculatorFull wood-fence materials list from run length and height: posts, rails, pickets, concrete bags per post, and hardware.Deck Cost CalculatorDeck budget from size and material choice: framing, decking, railing, and footings costed for pressure-treated wood vs composite.Concrete CalculatorTurn slab, footing, or column dimensions into cubic yards and an exact 40/60/80-lb bag count, with a ready-mix vs bagged cost comparison.