Composite Fence: Cost, Panels and How It Compares to Wood
A composite fence is built from boards of recycled wood and plastic, set in posts and rails sold as a system. Budget and mid-tier systems run about $35 a foot installed at 6 ft at mid-range national prices, and premium systems start at 1.4 times that. A 120-ft backyard line with one walk gate comes to about $4,820 with the permit at the lower tier, 3% under dog-ear wood.
Updated
Composite Fence, 6 ft, 120 ft — mid estimate emphasized
| Item | Low | High | % of Mid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,680 | $4,560 | 57% |
| Labor | $720 | $2,040 | 30% |
| Gates | $250 | $750 | 10% |
| Removal | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Permit | $40 | $200 | 2% |
2026 figures from published cost guides and retail prices; varies by region and contractor.
The calculator above is set to a backyard line: 120 ft of 6-ft composite fence with one 4-ft walk gate, at national prices. It prices the fence by the foot and adds the gate, permit and any tear-out on top. It does not count boards, posts or panels, since composite systems differ in how they are put together; the wood layouts on the fence styles hub have counts of their own. Enter the length without the gate opening, because the gate is priced separately.
How much does a composite fence cost?
At mid-range national prices a 6-ft composite fence installs for less than dog-ear wood privacy, cedar and vinyl, and for more than pressure-treated pine. The cost guides behind those prices split into two groups. Most agreed on budget and mid-tier boards, which are the bars in the chart. A smaller group quoted premium systems from 1.4 times the chart's mid mark to 2.9 times or more. The calculator uses the first group, so a branded post-and-rail system can land well to the right of the bars. Get the price of a named product line before you compare it with wood.
At 4 ft the mid-range rate is 79% of the 6-ft rate, and at 8 ft it is 35% higher. On the 120-ft job, going from 6 to 8 ft adds 30% to the total. In fence height rules and permits, Sioux Falls, Orlando and Calumet City cap a residential back-yard fence at 6 ft, with Orlando allowing 8 ft next to commercial or industrial property, and Dallas allows up to 9 ft with a permit.
The 120-ft backyard against five other fences
Same 120 ft, one 4-ft walk gate, permit included, national mid-range prices from the fence cost calculator:
| Fence, 6 ft | Total vs composite | Labor share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | same | 30% |
| Pressure-treated pine | 21% less | 41% |
| Wood privacy, dog-ear | 3% more | 34% |
| Cedar | 21% more | 29% |
| Vinyl privacy | 27% more | 18% |
| Wood horizontal (estimate) | 42% more | 39% |
The walk gate is 10% of the composite total, and the table prices a composite walk gate 25% above a wood one. The wood fence cost calculator prices the dog-ear row by grade, and the vinyl fence cost calculator the vinyl one. The horizontal wood row is an estimate because its sources split widely.
Composite fence vs wood
Trex, a composite fencing seller, says on its fencing page that its boards are "an innovative blend of 95% recycled wood and plastic" and that the fence "never needs painting or staining." Outdoor Living, a St. Louis fence contractor, says "a wood fence lasts 10 to 25 years" and that "staining or sealing every 2 to 3 years adds cost." At the budget and mid-tier rate, composite and dog-ear wood cost about the same to put up, so the difference comes later, in whether you stain. Fence materials compared sets those figures beside the other materials.
The brown illustration shows a walnut-brown composite fence with dark posts beside a deck, a finish that on wood would be a stain. No source gives a lifespan for composite. Trex offers a 25-year limited warranty for residential use, and a warranty term is not a measured lifespan.
Panels, posts and section width
Most composite fence panels are really kits of loose parts. Trex's help center says its fencing "is sold in 8 foot wide sections" and ships unassembled: posts, an aluminum bottom rail hidden under a composite cover, a composite top rail, and pickets that interlock between them. A shorter section is made by cutting the rails and removing pickets, and Trex warns against ripping a picket to fit, because that damages the interlock. The same help center notes that "there are few composite fences that are full systems," so ask what a quoted board price includes.
The close-up shows horizontal grey boards under a flat top rail, beside a square post with a cap. The illustrations on this page show horizontal boards; the Trex kit described above uses vertical interlocking pickets.
How deep do composite fence posts go?
Trex's help center says a post "should be set to a depth of 30" in a 12" wide concrete footer when building a 6' tall fence." The calculator's rule for a 4×4 wood post on a 6-ft fence is a 10-in hole 24 in deep, so the composite footing is 6 in deeper and 2 in wider. The depth is a manufacturer's figure, and where the ground freezes deeper the frost line by state sets the hole. The concrete per fence post calculator shows what a 12-in hole takes in bags. Trex adds that "it is best to set them in concrete."
Horizontal composite boards
Composite boards also run sideways. The illustration shows charcoal slats with small gaps around a patio. Trex sells two horizontal lines, Horizons on a black metal frame and Solitudes with composite top and bottom rails, beside its vertical Seclusions line. The horizontal fence page has the board count and span limits for the wood version.
Is composite fencing worth it?
With budget or mid-tier boards, buy composite if you would otherwise stain: it costs 3% less than the dog-ear fence, and Outdoor Living puts staining or sealing wood at every 2 to 3 years. If the lowest price decides it, pressure-treated pine is 21% below the composite total. Against vinyl, composite is 21% less, but the quoted vinyl life of 20 to 30 years has no composite counterpart. A premium composite system costs at least 1.4 times the budget rate, and even the bottom of that range sits above cedar's mid-range rate.
Key Takeaways
- With a second walk gate, the composite and dog-ear totals come within 1% of each other.
- Trex's posts are 5×5 in and come in 8, 9 and 12-ft lengths.
- Composite's per-foot rate is about 5% below dog-ear wood at each height the calculator prices: 4, 5, 6 and 8 ft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is composite fencing cheaper than vinyl?
At national mid-range prices, yes: vinyl privacy costs 27% more on the 120-ft job. Labor is a smaller share of a vinyl bill, 18% against 30%, so building it yourself removes less from the vinyl price.
Can you paint or stain a composite fence?
Yes, for color. Trex adds that a coat "is not necessary for protection," and that paint "will require regular maintenance."
Can I install a composite fence myself?
Trex writes that its fence "does not require special tools." With the DIY option on, the calculator takes 35% off the 120-ft installed total.
How long does a composite fence last?
No source quotes a lifespan for composite. Trex's warranty runs 25 years for residential use and 10 years for commercial use.
Sources
- Trex, Trex Composite Fencing (product page, no date), accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.trex.com/fencing/
- Trex Fencing help center: "What is the warranty for Trex Fencing?" (updated June 4, 2021); "Can I paint Trex Fencing?" (updated August 19, 2021); "Can I shorten the span of the fence, or does it need to be 8' wide?" (June 25, 2021); "What Parts Do I Need to Build a Trex Seclusions Fence?" (July 19, 2021); "How do you build a composite fence?" (June 7, 2021); "Do I have to set Trex posts in concrete?" (July 19, 2021). https://trex-fencing-fds.helpscoutdocs.com/
- Outdoor Living, "How Long Should a Fence Last?" (blog post, no date), accessed November 1, 2026. https://outdoorlivinginc.com/blog/how-long-should-a-fence-last/
