How Much Does Fencing Cost Per Metre in 2026?

Fitted price per metre, by fence type

These are our own 2026 fitted rates across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, including labour, posts, fixings and taking the old fence away. Garden fence panels work out at £65 to £140 per panel, which is roughly £40 to £85 per metre. Closeboard on concrete posts runs £70 to £110 per metre. Estate post and rail is £45 to £75 per metre, and steel estate railings £85 to £120.

On the commercial side, weld mesh runs £95 to £165 per metre, steel palisade £110 to £190, bow top and vertical bar railings £110 to £180, and acoustic barriers £150 to £280 because of the panel mass and the deeper foundations a solid barrier needs.

Why the same fence gets three different prices

Height is the obvious one, but ground conditions move a quote further. A run on clay or made ground needs wider, deeper post foundations, and a compound near live buried services means hand dug holes rather than an auger, which can double the groundworks time on that section.

Access is the second. If panels can be barrowed straight off a van the labour is minimal. If they go down a 700mm side alley, across a lawn on boards, or into a yard that has to stay operational, the same metre rate stops applying.

The third is what has to come out first. Broken concrete footings dug out properly, a rotted run with buried spurs, or a failed chain link line with the wire grown into a hedge all add time before a single new post goes in.

Where the low quotes are hiding money

The cheapest quote almost always leaves out disposal, cuts the post foundation depth, or fixes new panels to old posts. Fixing new to old is the worst of the three, because the run fails at the posts within a couple of winters and the panels you paid for come down with them.

On commercial work, look for the omissions that matter to you rather than to the fencer: RAMS, insurance certificates, out of hours working and making the perimeter secure at the end of each day. If those are not priced, they will either be added later or not done.

What a metre rate never covers

Gates. A pedestrian gate with a self closer starts around £950, manual commercial gates from £1,800, and automated cantilever sliding gates from £7,500. Corners, stepped runs on slopes and any change of level also cost more per metre than the straight sections either side.

Getting a comparable price

Ask every quote to state post type and foundation depth, panel or mesh specification, whether disposal is included, and the guarantee. Ours are written down as standard, along with £5m public liability cover and a written workmanship guarantee. Send a photo and a rough length to 07538 218723 and we can usually give an indicative figure before a visit.