Fencing cost in Australia, per metre
Fencing runs roughly $75–$190 per metre installed depending on material, or $2,250–$5,700 for a typical 30-metre boundary. But one Coffs Harbour homeowner's $7,500 fence came with a $5,000 retaining wall attached — and that's the cost nobody quotes for.
What fencing costs in Australia
Fencing is priced per metre, and the material you choose sets the band you're in. Installed 2026 pricing across Australia:
- Chain wire — roughly $30 to $70 per metre. Functional, not private.
- Treated pine paling — roughly $75 to $130 per metre. The budget standard, and it needs staining every few years.
- Colorbond — roughly $75 to $160 per metre, with most standard 1.8m jobs landing around $100 to $130.
- Hardwood timber — roughly $100 to $190 per metre. Lasts longer than pine, costs more up front.
- Aluminium slat screening — roughly $150 to $350 per metre.
- Pool fencing — aluminium from around $100 per metre, frameless glass $300 to $800.
For a standard 30-metre boundary run, that puts most residential jobs somewhere between $2,250 and $5,700 supply and installed. Removing an existing fence typically adds $12 to $20 per metre on top.
Contractor pricing on identical fencing work commonly varies by 20 to 30%. This is one of the categories where getting three quotes reliably saves real money — the product is standardised, so you're mostly comparing labour and margin.
A real Coffs Harbour fence — and what came with it
Keryn had fencing done at her mid north coast home about ten years ago. The fence came to $7,500, and it's one of the few jobs where she got more than one quote.
But the fence wasn't the whole cost. A retaining wall, roughly $5,000, had to be built at the same time — in her words, it had to be done to fit in with new fencing.
So the real number for that project was closer to $12,500, and the second half of it was structural work she was quoted for a fence to discover she needed.
The ground decides what you're actually buying
This is the thing fencing quotes routinely fail to prepare people for. A fence is a straightforward product installed onto a site that is frequently not straightforward.
Sloping ground means stepped or raked panels, which commonly adds 10 to 30% to the cost. On a significant slope, or where the ground level differs meaningfully between your block and next door, you may not be able to run a fence at all until the level is held — which is where retaining comes in.
A retaining wall is not a fence. It's structural. It holds ground back, it has to be engineered above certain heights, and depending on the height and location it may need council approval in its own right. Discovering you need one after you've budgeted for fencing is a genuinely unwelcome surprise, and on Keryn's project it was two-thirds again on top of the fence price.
Rocky ground raises post-hole costs, and tight access can force hand-digging instead of an auger. Both are site conditions a quote given over the phone cannot possibly account for.
Get the fencer to physically walk the line. Ask specifically: does the ground need retaining or levelling anywhere along this run, and is that in your price or not? If there's a height difference between properties anywhere along the boundary, ask about it directly. It is far cheaper to know at quote stage than at excavation stage.
Rural boundaries work differently again, and the totals are larger because the runs are longer — see what fencing and the rest of acreage ownership costs.
The bit that's unique to boundary fences
A dividing fence is the only home improvement you make jointly with someone you didn't choose.
Across Australian states and territories, dividing fence legislation generally provides that adjoining owners share the cost of a sufficient dividing fence — meaning a reasonable standard for the area, not necessarily the fence you'd like. If you want something above that standard, the difference is typically yours.
The practical implications are worth knowing before you order anything:
Talk to your neighbour before you commission work, not after. There are formal notice processes in most jurisdictions, and skipping them can leave you carrying the whole cost of a fence you assumed would be split.
Get agreement on the standard, not just the fact of the fence. "We'll go halves on a new fence" and "we'll go halves on aluminium slat screening" are very different conversations.
Rules vary by state and by circumstance, so check your own before you commit. Most standard residential boundary fences under about 1.8 metres don't require development approval, but pool fencing is separately and strictly regulated everywhere in Australia.
Check the finish before you pay
Keryn's verdict on the retaining wall was that she'd do it again, but with an eye for detail once again — not finished off well.
That's a recurring theme across her projects, and fencing and retaining work is particularly prone to it because the last 5% is all visible and none of it is structural. Capping, post caps, the join where panels meet a gate, how the fence terminates against the house, whether the top line is actually straight, whether the retaining wall is level along its top course.
Walk the full run before the final payment. Sight along the top of the fence from one end. Check every gate opens, closes and latches without lifting. Look at the ends and corners, which is where rushed work shows first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does fencing cost per metre in Australia?
Colorbond runs roughly $75 to $160 per metre installed, treated pine paling $75 to $130, hardwood $100 to $190, and aluminium slat screening $150 to $350. A standard 30-metre boundary run typically comes to $2,250 to $5,700 supply and installed.
Why do fencing quotes vary so much?
Contractor pricing on identical work commonly differs by 20 to 30%, which makes fencing one of the categories where three quotes genuinely pays. Site conditions account for the rest — slope, rocky ground and access can all change the job substantially.
Will I need a retaining wall?
Possibly, and it's the most common unbudgeted cost in a fencing project. Where ground levels differ across a boundary or the site slopes significantly, the ground may need to be held before a fence can run. On one Coffs Harbour project a $7,500 fence came with a $5,000 retaining wall attached. Ask the fencer about it at quote stage.
Does my neighbour have to pay half?
Dividing fence legislation across Australian states generally provides for adjoining owners to share the cost of a sufficient dividing fence — a reasonable standard for the area. If you want something above that standard, the difference is usually yours. There are formal notice processes in most jurisdictions, so talk to your neighbour before commissioning work rather than after, and check the rules in your own state.
Do I need council approval for a fence?
Most standard residential boundary fences under about 1.8 metres don't require development approval, though this varies by council. Retaining walls above certain heights often do, and pool fencing is separately and strictly regulated everywhere in Australia. Check locally before you build.
Sources & further reading
- First-hand figures contributed by Keryn, a homeowner in Coffs Harbour NSW: fencing approximately $7,500 and an associated retaining wall approximately $5,000, both around ten years ago. Multiple quotes were obtained for the fencing.
- Australian per-metre pricing cross-checked against 2026 published pricing from Australian fencing contractors and trade cost aggregators, including What's The Damage, Yellow Pages trade guides and Australian fencing suppliers.
- Dividing fence obligations are set by state and territory legislation and vary. Confirm the rules and notice requirements that apply where you live before commissioning work.
- Pool fencing is separately regulated in every Australian state and territory.
Cost ranges here are planning estimates that vary by region and home — see how we research and what our numbers mean, and always confirm with local, itemised quotes.