Wood Fence Cost Calculator

For a quick comparison across five materials, start with the main fence cost calculator. This page sticks to wood privacy fences: solid board fences, usually 6 feet tall, built to block the view into your yard.

How the wood fence cost calculator works

The material is set to wood privacy here. You enter your ZIP code, the length of the fence line in feet, the height, the number of gates and whether an old fence has to come out. The calculator multiplies your length by an installed price per foot, applies a height factor if you pick 8 feet, adds a wood gate for each gate, adds tear-out if you need it and then adjusts everything for your state.

The breakdown splits the bill into materials, labor and the permit. On our 150-foot example, materials and labor each come to $1,470–$3,490, typical $1,660, and the permit adds $28–$180, typical $100. The even split comes from one source that puts labor near 50% of a fence job. Permit fees stay at national levels because cities set them. For the full method, see How we calculate.

Wood fence cost per linear foot

Installed, a 6-ft wood privacy fence runs $18–$45 per linear foot, typical $21. Four sources stand behind that range. The typical price sits close to the low end, which tells you most wood privacy fences are fairly plain board-and-rail builds. The long tail toward $45 covers fancier styles, better board grades and harder sites.

Wood compared with other fence materials

On our 150-foot example with one gate, wood privacy has the lowest typical price of the solid fences we track:

• Wood privacy: $2,970–$7,160, typical $3,410
• Composite: $3,030–$6,930, typical $4,980, without a gate, because we don't have a reliable composite gate price
• Vinyl: $3,200–$6,880, typical $5,040
• Aluminum: $3,930–$8,680, typical $6,300

Chain link comes in lower at $1,330–$5,080, typical $3,050, but it's a see-through fence. Notice that wood's high end is above composite's and vinyl's. A plain wood fence is cheap; a premium wood fence is not, and the price can pass a basic vinyl one. The chain link fence cost calculator and the vinyl fence cost calculator cover those options in detail.

Wood fence gates

A wood gate costs about $240 in our data, which makes it the cheapest gate type we track. Vinyl gates run $250–$700 and metal gates $600–$1,000. We have only one figure for wood gates, so the calculator can't show a real low-to-high spread for them, and actual quotes may differ.

A wood gate is heavy for its size and works hard every time it swings. Posts that carry gates are often set deeper or larger than line posts, and a diagonal brace keeps the gate from sagging at the latch side. If you need a double gate for a mower or a car, ask for it by name, because a wide drive gate costs more than a walk-through one.

What affects the price

Length

The calculator scales the fence line directly with length. A 300-foot fence costs roughly twice as much as a 150-foot one, apart from gates and the permit. Measure along the actual fence line, not the property line, and count every corner, because corner and end posts take extra work.

Height

The calculator's prices are for 6-ft privacy fences, the usual height for wood. An 8-ft fence adds 25–35% to the fence line, based on one source. We don't have enough data on 4-ft fences, so the calculator shows 6-ft prices for them and notes that a shorter fence will likely cost less. Many cities cap backyard fence height, so check your local rules before you pay for 8 feet.

Board style and grade

Our data doesn't split wood fences by style, but style is where much of the spread between $21 and $45 a foot comes from. Board-on-board and shadowbox designs use more lumber than a single row of boards. Thicker boards, better-grade lumber, decorative tops and heavier posts all push toward the high end. Ask each contractor to name the wood, the board size and the post size in writing.

Old fence removal

Tearing out an old fence adds $6.50–$13 per linear foot, typical $9.50. Our two sources disagree on the figure, so treat it as rough. On a 150-foot job, removal moves the total to $3,940–$9,040, typical $4,840. Ask whether hauling the old boards away is part of that price.

Ground and access

Slopes, roots, rocky soil and narrow side yards all add labor. The calculator doesn't price them separately. A wood privacy fence on a slope is either stepped down in sections or cut to follow the ground, and both take extra time.

Staining, sealing and upkeep

A wood fence costs less to put up than vinyl, but it asks for more care afterward. Bare wood weathers to grey, and over time boards can warp, split or rot where they meet the ground. A stain or sealer slows that down. Many homeowners let new boards dry out for a while before the first coat, then repeat the job every few years.

None of that is in the calculator, because our data doesn't price finishing. If low upkeep matters more to you than the lowest price, compare your wood estimate with a vinyl one before you decide. If you like the look of wood and don't mind a weekend with a brush now and then, wood is usually the better value.

Wood fence cost by state

Labor is about half of a wood fence bill, so the typical price follows local wages. For our 150-foot example, it runs from $2,940 in Oklahoma, $2,960 in Arkansas and $3,000 in South Dakota up to $3,930 in California, $3,980 in Illinois and $4,280 in Hawaii.

Ways to lower the cost

• Keep it at 6 feet unless you need the extra height; 8 feet costs more and may need a permit review.
• Pick a simple board style. Single-row boards use less lumber than board-on-board or shadowbox.
• Plan one gate where you need it, sized for what has to fit through.
• Stain it yourself once the wood is ready, instead of paying for it in the install quote.
• Ask about the fence line. Straighter runs with fewer corners take less time to build.

Hiring tips

Ask three contractors to quote the same wood fence: same length, height, board style, post size and number of gates. Each quote should name the type of wood, how deep the posts go and what holds them in the ground, and list removal, haul-away and the permit as separate lines. Lay those next to the breakdown above.

Before work starts, confirm who calls in the utility locate, who handles the permit and which side of the fence faces your neighbor. I'd also ask what the warranty covers on boards and on workmanship, and for how long. Check that the company has a license where your state requires one and can show proof of insurance. Bring the ballpark. Ask for the line items.