Melbourne Fence Cost Index · November 2026 edition
What it really costs to build a lasting fence in Melbourne, line by line, refreshed every quarter. November 2026 edition.
November 2026 edition · published 7 November 2026 · next edition February 2027
| Cost line | Per metre | Share | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| MaterialsHardwood posts, concrete, three rails, palings, plinth, nails and fixings | $61range $55 to $70 | 32% | Bunnings retail prices checked 7 November 2026, GST removed (see the materials table) |
| LabourCrew time to set out, dig and concrete posts, fit rails, plinth and palings | $44range $35 to $52 | 23% | Award minimum $32.30 an hour plus about 35% employer on-costs, at about 1 crew hour per metre |
| Site costsSet out, service location request, delivery, offcut waste and clean up | $8range $5 to $12 | 4% | About $200 a job spread over a 25 m fence |
| Business costsVehicle and tools, insurance, registration and compliance, quoting and admin, warranty callbacks | $35 | 19% | About 19% of the total |
| MarginWhat is left to stay in business, honour the warranty and still be here next year | $24 | 13% | About 13% of the total |
| GSTCharged by every GST-registered business, 10% | $17 | 9% | One eleventh of the GST-inclusive total |
| Total | $189 | 100% | GST included |
Whole dollars, rounded so the lines add up to the total. Ranges show how the line moves with trade discounts, delivery and crew speed.
The index prices one fence, built the way it should be, so every edition compares like with like:
Cheaper fences exist. They usually save on the things in this list: treated pine posts instead of hardwood, shallow or no concrete, two rails instead of three, no plinth, cash with no GST, no registration, no insurance cover and no one to call when a post moves. See hardwood vs treated pine posts and paling fence heights and post spacing.
| Item | Public retail price | Quantity per metre of fence | Per metre, ex GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood post125 x 75 mm mixed hardwood post | $18.50 per linear metre (2.4 m $44.40, 3.6 m $66.50) | one 2.7 m post per 2.4 m of fence | $18.92 |
| Concrete20 kg fast set concrete | $14.22 per bag | two bags per post, one post per 2.4 m | $10.77 |
| Rails75 x 50 mm H3 treated pine fence rail, 5.4 m | $2.92 per linear metre ($15.75 a length) | three rails, plus 10% offcuts | $8.76 |
| Palings150 x 12 mm H3 treated pine paling, 1.8 m | $2.42 each | about 7 per metre, plus 5% offcuts | $16.17 |
| Plinth150 x 25 mm H3 treated pine plinth, 5.4 m | $2.96 per linear metre ($16 a length) | one run, plus a cleat or stake allowance, plus 10% offcuts | $3.87 |
| FixingsGalvanised flat head nails, 40 x 2.5 mm, 225 pack | $10.72 per pack | about 42 nails per metre (2 per paling per rail) | $2.73 |
| Materials | Retail, GST removed (a GST-registered business claims it back) | $61.22 | |
Retail shelf prices including GST, checked 7 November 2026. Trade and timber yard prices are often lower; delivery is extra. These are public shelf prices, not Expanse Fencing's supply costs.
The minimum hourly rate for a qualified tradesperson (CW3) under the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 is $32.30 from 1 July 2026, including all-purpose allowances. A legitimate employer then pays compulsory superannuation at 12% plus paid leave and public holidays, WorkCover premium and portable long service leave (our assumption: about 35% on top of the award rate). That puts the real cost of one hour of trade labour at about $44. A crew of two builds about 15 to 20 metres of 1.8 m paling fence a day, including setting posts in concrete, which is about 1 crew hour per metre, so labour is about $44 a metre ($35 to $52 depending on ground and access). This uses the award minimum, not any contractor's rates, so it is a floor.
About 19% of the total covers costs that never appear as a line on a quote but every legitimate fencing business pays:
WorkCover sits in the labour line (employer on-costs). Margin, about 13%, is what lets a business replace its tools, come back under warranty and still be trading when you need it. GST is 10% on top of everything for any GST-registered business.
| Fence length | At least, GST included | Each neighbour, half share |
|---|---|---|
| 15 m | $2,850 | $1,400 |
| 20 m | $3,800 | $1,900 |
| 25 m (median request) | $4,750 | $2,350 |
| 30 m | $5,650 | $2,850 |
| 45 m | $8,500 | $4,250 |
Minimum per metre x length, rounded to the nearest $50. Removal, gates, slope, tight access and extra height are on top, and runs under 16 m cost more per metre. Under the Fences Act 1968 (Vic), neighbours generally share a sufficient dividing fence equally; see who pays for a dividing fence.
Before you compare two quotes, check each one covers the same fence:
More detail: how to compare fence quotes and choosing a fencing contractor.
The index is a floor for a straight, simple boundary. Your fence has its own length, slope, access and old fence. Draw it on a satellite map for a free online instant estimate in about 2 minutes, then book a free, no-obligation on-site measure and written quote.
Get my free estimate →Between 26 August 2026 and 29 October 2026, 11 Melbourne fence requests to Expanse Fencing included a measured fence length, mostly through the online estimator, with the rest by phone and email (counts under 5 are not shown). Every figure below is a count or a length.
You are welcome to quote, chart or republish these figures with a link back to this page (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0). Please link the evergreen address, so your link always points at the current edition:
Expanse Fencing (2026). Melbourne Fence Cost Index, November 2026 edition. https://expanse.builders/guides/melbourne-fence-cost-index.htmlSuggested line: "A properly built timber paling fence in Melbourne costs at least $189 a metre to deliver, according to the Melbourne Fence Cost Index (November 2026)."
The CSV holds the published build-up, the public prices it uses with their sources and dates, and the aggregated, suppressed request figures shown on this page. For media questions, email info@expanse.builders.
Copy this snippet into any web page. It shows the current headline figure and links back here.
This is the first edition. When the next edition is published, this edition's figures stay online at their own permanent link: November 2026 figures (CSV).
A properly built 1.8 m timber paling fence (hardwood posts in concrete, 1.95 m with plinth) costs at least $189 per metre to deliver in Melbourne in November 2026, GST included, according to the Melbourne Fence Cost Index. A typical 25 metre fence is at least $4,700 before old fence removal and gates.
Materials and award-wage labour alone make up about 56% of $189 a metre. The rest is site costs, the costs every legitimate business carries (vehicle and tools, insurance, registration, quoting, warranty), a margin to stay in business, and GST. A price well under the minimum usually means something in that list is missing.
The headline is Expanse Fencing's cost model figure for one fixed fence specification. To show what is inside it, materials are rebuilt from public retail prices and labour from the award wage plus on-costs, each cited with a date; business costs and margin are shown as shares. Fence lengths come from anonymised requests, with any group under 5 suppressed.
Every quarter, at the same web address. The next edition is due in February 2027. Each edition's figures stay available as a permanent CSV download.
Yes. Quote, chart or republish the figures with a link to https://expanse.builders/guides/melbourne-fence-cost-index.html (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0). A CSV and an embed snippet are on the page.
Start with a free online instant estimate: draw your boundary on a satellite map and see a figure in about 2 minutes. Then book a free, no-obligation on-site measure and written quote. We need 24 hours' notice and there is no deposit to book.
Get my instant estimate → Call (03) 4328 3068General information only, current at 7 November 2026. Public prices change; each edition re-checks them. The minimum is a cost floor for one fence specification, not a quote. Expanse Fencing is a Melbourne fencing contractor, registered building practitioner CDB-U 67771.