Fence Cost Calculator
This fence cost calculator estimates your installed fence cost by material, height, length, gates, and state — the same numbers a contractor's quote would break down. Enter your project details below to get a materials-vs-labor total in low, mid, and high tiers.
Wood Privacy Fence, 6 ft, 150 ft — mid estimate emphasized
| Item | Low | High | % of Mid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,250 | $5,250 | 57% |
| Labor | $1,500 | $3,000 | 35% |
| Gates | $200 | $600 | 7% |
| Removal | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Permit | $40 | $200 | 2% |
2026 figures from published cost guides and retail prices; varies by region and contractor.
Fencing a 150-ft yard runs anywhere from $1,500 to $26,000 depending almost entirely on which material you pick — chain link and wood sit at one end, wrought iron at the other. Before you request quotes, it helps to see where your project lands and why. The cost calculators hub breaks every material out into its own page if you already know what you want installed.
How This Fence Cost Calculator Prices a Project
This fence cost calculator combines four published data points for whatever material you pick — material cost per foot, labor cost per foot, gate pricing, and your state's labor-cost index — into one installed total. Change the material, height, or length above and every number below updates to match, so you can compare options without doing the arithmetic yourself.
Fence Cost per Foot by Material
The table below uses a 150-ft run at 6 feet tall, installed (materials + labor), before gates, removal, or your state's multiplier are added.
| Material | Installed per ft | 150-ft total (low–mid–high) |
|---|---|---|
| Chain link (galvanized) | $10–35 | $1,500 – $3,000 – $5,250 |
| Split rail (wood, 4 ft) | $13–31 | $1,950 – $3,000 – $4,650 |
| Composite | $20–55 | $3,000 – $5,250 – $8,250 |
| Wood privacy | $25–55 | $3,750 – $5,550 – $8,250 |
| Vinyl privacy | $30–60 | $4,500 – $6,900 – $9,000 |
| Aluminum | $22–72 | $3,300 – $6,150 – $10,800 |
| Wrought iron | $95–175 | $14,250 – $21,000 – $26,250 |
Wood and chain link dominate search volume because they're the cheapest ways to enclose a yard; wrought iron and custom aluminum sit at the top because both are labor-intensive to fabricate and install. See the full fence cost per foot reference table for every material at 4, 6, and 8 feet.
What Drives the Price
Five variables move your total more than anything else: material, height, length, gates, and location. Material alone can swing the per-foot price by 7x (chain link vs. wrought iron). Height matters next — going from 6 to 8 feet typically adds 20-30% to the installed price because it needs taller posts, deeper footings, and more board or fabric per foot. Length has the smallest effect on the per-foot rate but the largest effect on your total bill, since it's a straight multiplication. If you already know your material and just need exact post, rail, and picket counts before you call a supplier, the fence calculator on the home page handles quantities without any pricing.
Labor vs Materials
Labor typically runs 35-45% of an installed fence's total cost, though the split varies sharply by material. Vinyl and chain link lean material-heavy because their components are prefabricated and snap or clip together quickly; wood and wrought iron lean labor-heavy because each board or panel is measured, cut, and fastened individually on site. A crew installing 150 feet of standard 6-ft wood privacy fence typically needs 1-2 days; the same length in prefab vinyl panels can go up in a single day.
Putting it together: a 150-ft, 6-ft wood privacy fence at mid-tier pricing runs about $5,550 for materials and labor, plus roughly $400 for one mid-tier walk gate and $120 for a typical permit — landing around $6,070 all in. Swap in vinyl privacy at the same length and height and that all-in total climbs closer to $7,420, since both the base installed cost and the gate hardware price out higher.
Gates, Removal, Permits
A walk gate (single, pedestrian-width) typically adds $130-$900 installed depending on material, while a drive gate wide enough for a vehicle runs $300-$3,000. Chain link gates sit at the low end of both ranges; aluminum and wrought iron gates, with heavier frames and hardware, sit at the high end. Removing an old fence before the new one goes in adds $3-$8 per linear foot — for 150 feet, that's $450-$1,200. Permits, where required, typically cost $40-$200 and are usually pulled by the contractor as part of the job — check local rules first, since height limits and setback requirements vary by city (our fence height and permit guide covers the basics). None of these figures include labor for grading uneven ground or working around slopes, which a contractor prices separately after a site visit.
DIY vs Hiring
Skipping labor and doing the install yourself saves roughly 35-45% of the total, since that's the labor share described above. On 150 feet of 6-ft wood privacy fence, that's the difference between an installed total around $5,550 and a materials-only total closer to $3,450 — a real savings, but it assumes you already own or can rent a post-hole digger, a level, and basic power tools, and that you have a full weekend or two free. Chain link and split rail are the easiest DIY materials because they use fewer fasteners per foot; wrought iron and custom panel work are the hardest to DIY well because layout errors are difficult to hide. Whichever direction you go, nail down your exact post and picket count first — get your quantities free before you buy any materials, and see how the main options stack up in our fence materials comparison.
Regional Differences
CalcFence applies each state's labor-cost index to your whole project total, not just the labor line, to approximate how far material and labor dollars stretch in that state. On a 150-ft, 6-ft wood privacy fence with a $5,550 national mid-tier total, the highest-cost states add roughly 16-28%: Hawaii ($7,080), Alaska ($6,800), New York ($6,660), California ($6,520), and Massachusetts ($6,440). The lowest-cost states shave off 5-8%: Mississippi ($5,130), Arkansas ($5,190), Alabama and West Virginia ($5,220 each), and South Carolina ($5,270). Select your state in the calculator above to apply your local multiplier automatically.
Get Quotes
Use the numbers above as a baseline before you call contractors, then get 2-3 written quotes to compare against it. A quote that's far outside these ranges either includes work this calculator doesn't account for — heavy grading, rock excavation, extensive tree clearing — or is worth a second look. These figures reflect 2026 published cost-guide and retail pricing data, so treat them as a planning benchmark and always confirm current material costs with local suppliers before budgeting.