Chain Link Fence Cost Calculator

What goes into a chain link price per foot

Chain link is a kit of parts, and most of them are priced by the foot or by the piece. To build a price per foot, add up the parts for your run and divide by the length:

• Fabric (the woven mesh), sold in rolls by height and gauge.
• Line posts along the run and heavier terminal posts at ends, corners and gates.
• Top rail, with sleeves where pieces join.
• Tension bars, tension bands and brace bands at each terminal post.
• Post caps, loop caps, ties and concrete for the posts.

Height and coating change the number

Taller fabric and heavier gauge wire cost more per foot, and so do vinyl-coated colors. A 4 ft yard fence and a 6 ft security fence can have very different prices per foot, even with the same layout. Price the exact height you plan before entering a number. In the example, $12.00 per foot over 150 ft gives $1,800.

Labor runs faster than wood

Chain link goes up quicker than a board fence: there are no pickets to nail and the fabric hangs in long rolls. Our estimate for 150 ft is 33 hours, compared with 40.5 hours on the wood fence cost page. At the Texas median of $17.92 an hour for fence erectors, that is $591.

The labor line uses the wage paid to workers, not the rate a company bills. A company adds overhead, insurance, equipment and profit on top, so expect a contractor's price to sit well above the labor figure here. Our method page explains how the hours are set.

Costs to add on your own

The estimate covers material and installation time. It leaves out a survey or line marking, permits, removal of an old fence, digging through rock, and delivery. Ground that rises and falls also needs extra fitting time, since chain link has to be stretched along each slope.

Setting the posts

Terminal posts take the pull of the stretched fabric, so they are set deeper and in concrete. Use the post hole concrete calculator for bag counts once you know your post sizes.