Fencing Cost Australia 2026 | Colorbond $85-$160 per m

Boundary fencing - per metre, installed

Material	Installed rate	Notes
Colorbond steel	$85-$160/m · typical $110-$140/m	The default Australian boundary fence. Materials alone run about $55-$100/m, so labour is roughly half the installed price.
Treated pine	$75-$150/m · typical $110-$130/m	Cheapest timber option; paling fences. Published bands vary; the calculator uses $85-$150/m.
Hardwood (e.g. merbau)	$100-$190/m · typical $130-$140/m	One marketplace source prices hardwood barely above pine - a $5/m gap we do not believe and do not publish; the gap across the rest of the sources is much wider, as shown here.

The extras - where quotes diverge

Removal of the old fence: $15-$35/m for timber or Colorbond is the typical band (wider published range runs to $50/m). Brick removal is $50-$120/m - plan on the high end.
Plinths: a timber sleeper plinth runs $40-$80/m on the defensible part of the published range (sources go as low as $30/m, which we treat as weak). A concrete retaining plinth is $250-$600/m and is really retaining work - it can need engineering and a permit.
Gates: pedestrian gates $350-$700; double/driveway gates $900-$2,500; automated gates $2,800-$5,500+ (single-source figure, flagged).
Height: 1.8 m is the standard boundary height; 1.5 m saves roughly a tenth, 2.1 m adds roughly a fifth - and 2.1 m may need council approval depending on where you live.

A worked example

Colorbond, 30 m at 1.8 m, removing the old timber fence, flat ground, vehicle access, one pedestrian gate, NSW: fence line 30 m × $100-$160 = $3,000-$4,800; removal 30 m × $15-$35 = $450-$1,050; gate $350-$700. Total $3,800-$6,550 - an effective $127-$218 per metre all-in. That is the calculator's default example, and it is a useful benchmark: if a quote for this spec lands far outside it, ask what is included (or missing).

Pool fencing - different product, legal rules

Material	Installed rate	Notes
Aluminium tubular	$150-$280/m · typical ~$200/m	The budget compliant option.
Semi-frameless glass	$250-$450/m	Posts between panels.
Frameless glass	$350-$650/m · most jobs $430-$600/m	Spigot-fixed panels. Sydney premium work can reach $800/m.
Glass pool gate	$400-$900 each	Must be compliant: self-closing, self-latching, opening outward.
Inspection + certification	$150-$500	Budget figure - an installer's quote and a compliance certificate are different things.

What AS 1926.1 actually requires

Barrier at least 1.2 m high, measured on the outside.
Gaps no more than 100 mm - under the fence, between panels, anywhere a small child could fit.
A non-climbable zone: 900 mm outside the barrier (and a 300 mm inside measure) kept clear of climbable objects - trees, furniture, taps, pot plants.
Gates must open outward (away from the pool), self-close from any position, and self-latch; the latch release sits at least 1.5 m up or shielded on the pool side.
The house wall can form part of the barrier only under strict conditions - doors cannot open straight into the pool area in most states anymore; windows have their own rules.

Certification cycles differ by state

Queensland: non-shared pools need a pool safety certificate every 2 years (shared pools 5 years).
New South Wales: pools must be registered, with a compliance certificate valid 3 years.
Victoria: barriers must be lodged with council and certified every 4 years.

Buying glass? Do not shop on price per metre alone - panel thickness, spigot quality and whether the installer certifies are where cheap pool fences fail inspections.

What drives the price - and what to watch

1. Length

The honest driver: fencing scales by the metre. The exception is short runs - under about 20 m, per-metre quotes climb because setup and delivery do not shrink.

2. Ground and access

Sloping lines need stepped or racked panels, rocky ground slows every hole, and hand-carrying materials down a tight side path adds labour. Combined, these can add 15-40%.

3. The extras stack

Removal, plinth and gates added 20-40% to the worked example above. The most common quote trick is leaving them out of the headline and adding them later - compare quotes line by line.

Dividing fences: your neighbour usually pays half

For a boundary (dividing) fence, the standard position across Australia is that adjoining owners share the cost of a "sufficient" fence 50/50. The process matters more than the principle: talk first, then serve the formal written notice your state requires (Queensland uses a Notice to Contribute, Form 2; NSW and Victoria have their own fencing-notice processes) and get agreement - or a QCAT / tribunal order - before building. If you build first and ask later, recovering the other half gets much harder. Anything above the standard sufficient fence (extra height, premium materials) is normally paid by the owner who wants it.

Licensing thresholds

Queensland: fencing work over $3,300 must be done by a QBCC-licensed contractor.
New South Wales: work over $5,000 needs a licensed contractor on the main published position - but one secondary source puts the NSW threshold at $1,000. The sources genuinely conflict; verify with Building Commission NSW before relying on either figure.
Victoria: sources cite $10,000 / $16,000 practitioner-registration and insurance thresholds - single-source, so verify current rules with the Building and Plumbing Commission.
Asbestos: pre-1990s fibro fences (including Super Six profile) may contain asbestos. Never demolish one yourself - removal must be done by a licensed asbestos removalist, and it is priced after inspection, not by the metre.

One marketplace note: Oneflare closes on 30 June 2026, so older quote comparisons sourced from it will age out - another reason to get fresh quotes rather than relying on historic marketplace data.

Prices cross-checked against hipages, What's The Damage, Service.com.au, Airtasker, Yellow Pages, ServiceSeeking, Jim's Fencing, Project Price Point, Pool Advisor, Canberra Glass Fencing and QBCC / state regulator guidance, October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Colorbond fencing costs $85-$160 per metre installed (typically $110-$140/m); pool fencing runs $150-$280/m for aluminium and $250-$650/m for glass. Fencing is priced honestly by the metre - the surprises live in the extras: removal, plinths, gates and, for pools, certification.

The biggest drivers are length, ground and access and the extras stack. Each one is worked through with prices in the guide above, and the calculator prices them for your job.

Use the free calculator linked from this guide - it prices your job with the same installed ranges used here, in about 30 seconds. It is a guide range, not a quote: your contractor confirms a fixed price after seeing the job.

No - they are researched guide ranges, cross-checked across at least two published sources, not quotes. Prices move with your area, the condition of the site and the scope you choose. Get itemised quotes in writing, and check the tradesperson's licence with your state building authority before you book.

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