How do you price a fence installation?

Linear feet is the right unit for fencing, but the per-foot number on your quote is doing a lot of quiet work: it's carrying material, posts, concrete, and the run labor all at once. The jobs that lose money are the ones where the estimator priced the straight run and forgot that the corners, the gates, and the dirt are where the labor actually is.

Material sets the floor

Material is the single biggest driver, and the spread is wide:

• Chain-link ($15–$30/ft) is the economy option: fast to install, low material cost. Vinyl-coated runs above bare galvanized.
• Wood privacy ($25–$45/ft) is the bread-and-butter residential fence. The spread inside wood is real: pressure-treated pine is cheapest, cedar costs more; and style matters: a simple dog-ear panel is cheaper than board-on-board or shadowbox, which use more lumber and labor.
• Vinyl / PVC ($30–$55/ft) carries a higher material cost but installs cleanly and is low-maintenance, which is the customer's pitch.
• Aluminum and ornamental ($35–$60+/ft) are decorative; powder-coated aluminum is common, and welded steel ornamental sits at the top.

Quote the material the customer actually wants, and be specific in writing: "6-foot cedar board-on-board" prices very differently from "6-foot wood fence," and the difference is your margin if you guessed low.

Height and post setting

Two things inside the run move your number:

• Height. Going from a 4-foot to a 6-foot fence isn't a small bump: it's 50% more pickets or panel, taller posts, and more rail. Price by the actual height; don't carry one rate for all heights.
• Post setting. This is the hidden labor. Every post gets dug and most get set in concrete, and corners, ends, and gate posts take extra work and bracing. A long straight run with few corners is cheap per foot; a yard cut into many short sections with lots of corners costs more even at the same total length. Count your posts, not just your feet.

Gates are not just more fence

The most common underbid in fencing is treating a gate like another section of run. A gate is concentrated labor and hardware: heavier posts set deeper and braced, hinges, a latch, and careful hanging so it swings true and doesn't sag in a year. Price gates as their own line item: a single walk gate often adds $150–$400, and a double drive gate more depending on width, material, and hardware. Cantilever and automated gates are a different, higher tier entirely. Spelling gates out separately also helps the customer understand why three gates cost real money.

Terrain, soil, and tearing out the old fence

What's under and around the fence line can swing a bid by thousands:

• Soil and digging. Soft, clear soil is fast. Rock, hardpan, heavy clay, or tree roots can turn post holes into the longest part of the job, and an auger that hits rock all day is a real cost. Walk the line and probe before you commit to a number.
• Slope and grade. A sloped yard means stepping or racking the fence, which adds layout time and material.
• Obstacles and access. Tight side yards, no equipment access, overhead lines, and existing landscaping all slow the crew.
• Old-fence removal. Tearing out the existing fence, pulling concrete-set posts (the slow part), and hauling it off is a separate line item, commonly a few dollars per linear foot. Never fold demo into the install price as if the old fence disappears for free.
• Locates and permits. Calling for utility locates before you dig is non-negotiable, and some areas require a permit or have setback/height rules; factor the time, and don't skip the locate.

Building a fence bid that holds up

A clean fence estimate measures and prices each piece, not just the perimeter:

• Measure the run in linear feet and count corners, ends, and gate openings.
• Apply the material/height rate, then add per-post labor for corners and ends.
• Add each gate as its own line with its hardware.
• Price terrain and removal based on what you saw on the walk: soil, slope, access, and the old fence.
• Put it all in writing: material, height, style, post depth, gate count, and what happens to the old fence. A specific quote prevents the "I thought that was included" conversation on install day.

Fencing is a measure-quote-schedule-build-collect business, and the contractor who turns the quote around fast usually wins the job. Claver handles that side: line-item estimates, scheduling the crew, invoicing (including deposits and progress draws), and getting paid by card or Stripe, so you can spend the day on the post line instead of the paperwork.