How Much to Charge for Farm Fence Per Foot
Farm fence is quoted per foot by fence type — barbed wire is the cheapest per foot, woven wire and high-tensile step up, and board fence is the most expensive. Corners, H-braces, and gates are priced individually as fixed items, and clearing and rock are surcharges agreed before work starts.
Per foot, by fence type
| Fence type | Relative per-foot cost |
|---|---|
| Barbed wire | Lowest |
| High-tensile / electric | Low–moderate |
| Woven / field fence | Moderate |
| No-climb / horse fence | Higher |
| Board / rail fence | Highest |
Post spacing, wire count, and post material move you within each band.
Priced individually, not per foot
- Corner and H-brace assemblies — each
- Gates — by width, hung
- Clearing / brush removal — per foot or hourly
- Old fence removal and disposal
- Mobilization — remote pastures
The rock clause
Put it on every quote: ground that needs rock drilling gets billed at a stated rate, agreed before work continues. Finding rock out there is just normal — finding it after you’ve already given a firm number is what gets expensive.
Repairs are hourly
A hundred feet of repair has all the setup of a full job with none of the distance to spread it over, so it doesn’t really work as a per-foot number. Bill repairs hourly with materials at cost plus markup — see the farm fence estimate template.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't corners be in the per-foot rate?
Because an H-brace assembly costs the same whether the fence run is 200 feet or 2,000. Rolling them into a per-foot number overprices short runs and quietly loses money on long ones.
How much does terrain change the price?
Substantially. Rock, slope, wet ground, and brush can double the labor on a run, which is why a rock clause and a clearing line belong on the quote rather than being discovered afterward.
Should I charge separately for removing old fence?
Yes. Pulling old wire and posts is dirty, slow work with disposal cost attached, and it belongs on its own line rather than inside the new-fence price.
How big a deposit should I take?
Enough to cover posts, wire, and gates in full. That's a serious materials outlay before you've earned anything, and a deposit at acceptance means you're not financing the job.