How Much Does a Barbed Wire Fence Cost? [2025 Data]
A barbed wire fence costs $3,980 to install, depending on fence size and the number of barbs. Most spend between $1,611 and $6,422.
Barbed wire costs $0.05–$0.15 per linear foot.
This fence material is sold by the roll, bringing the cost to $60–$220 per roll.
Livestock barbed wire is less expensive than security or razor wire fences.
Four-prong barbed wire costs 10%–20% more than two-prong but is more effective.
Barbed wire fences require permits, which cost $50–$900.
A barbed wire fence costs $3,980 on average to install, with most homeowners spending between $1,611 and $6,422. Length is the most significant factor when determining cost, but barbed wire type, labor rates, and landscaping can all alter your final project price. If you have a big piece of property—say an acre or more—you can expect to pay up to $14,000.
Barbed Wire Fence by Linear Foot
One of the biggest factors influencing fence installation costs when installing a barbed wire fence is how long it is. On average, a barbed wire fence’s cost per linear foot ranges from $0.05 to $0.15 per linear foot (for materials excluding labor). Each roll of barbed wire is 1,320 feet long, so you’re looking at spending between $60 to $220 per roll.
| Barbed Wire Fence Length | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 100 | $300–$600 |
| 150 | $400–$900 |
| 200 | $600–$1,200 |
| 300 | $900–$1,800 |
| 500 | $1,500–$3,000 |
| 800 | $2,400–$4,000 |
| 1,200 | $3,600–$7,200 |
| 1,700 | $5,100–$10,200 |
| 2,500 | $7,500–$15,000 |
| 3,000 | $9,000–$18,000 |
Barbed Wire Fence Cost by Acre
Many people will add barbed wire around their entire property, so for round numbers like one acre, five acres, or even 200 acres, it becomes easier to price the job because you won't need to measure your property line as accurately.
| Acres | Barbed Wire Cost |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | $875–$1,750 |
| 0.5 | $1,750–$3,550 |
| 1 | $3,550–$7,100 |
| 5 | $17,750–$35,500 |
How Much Does a Barbed Wire Fence Cost by Type?
| Type of Barbed Wire | Cost per Linear Foot | Cost per Roll |
|---|---|---|
| Livestock wire | $0.07–$0.09 | $50–$110 |
| Security wire | $0.09–$0.14 | $95–$180 |
| Razor wire | $1–$4 | $30–$45 |
There are three types of barbed wire fences. The first is livestock barbed wire fencing. You’ve probably seen this type as you drive past pastures and farms—it’s one of the most popular types of farm fencing. The second type is security barbed wire which goes on top of fencing or chain link, and the third is razor wire. Let’s take a look at the types of wire fences you can choose for your yard.
Fencing Contractor Costs
If you hire a local fence company, you’ll pay for their labor and expertise at about $40 to $110 per hour. The large price variance is due to the different types of contractors needed for various equipment depending on your project. Knowing who to hire to build a fence on your property can be challenging if you’ve never installed a fence before, so here are the most common contractors you’ll need to install a barbed wire fence and their associated costs.
Land Surveyor Costs
Hiring a land surveyor pro to survey land costs between $800 and $5,500 depending on the size and condition of your land. It’s a good idea to hire a local land surveyor to inspect the layout of your land and determine the best perimeters for your fence if you’ve never installed one and have a large amount of land.
Your pro can also pinpoint the best tree removal and other obstacle removal services for preparing your land for installing the barbed wire fence. Below are some of the types of surveys a surveyor may conduct:
Fence land survey: $1,000 to $3,200
Boundary surveys: $1,200 to $5,500
Topographic survey: $2,000 to $6,500
Landscaper Costs
Landscaping costs range from $1,200 to $6,100 based on the project's scope. This amounts to around $4.50 to $12 per square foot, but professional landscapers typically charge between $50 and $100 per hour for labor. Depending on how you want your outdoor space to look, you may also want to hire a landscape designer or architect. A landscaper for your fence project can help tear down unnecessary parts of your property and rebuild it to suit your goals.
Landscaping companies near you may offer any of the following services, so keep these prices in mind as you budget:
Landscape design: $50 to $150 per hour
Landscape architecture: $70 to $100 per hour
Yard leveling: $1,000 to $3,300
Cost of a Barbed Wire Fence by Location
The cost of barbed wire fencing differs by location, with cost of living and yard size being the biggest factors. For example, New England homes typically have larger lots compared to other regions, so expect prices to reflect the increase in materials for building a fence. Similarly, homes in rural locations have a lower cost by size for larger properties but may require more materials to enclose those larger properties.
Meanwhile, cities with smaller and more compact homes, like ones in New York City, may have smaller starting costs due to smaller yard sizes—even if labor costs are higher due to the cost of living.
To give you an idea of how much wire fence costs vary by location, below is a breakdown of different barbed wire fence costs by cities across the U.S.
| City | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Austin, Texas | $2,800–$5,200 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $2,800–$6,200 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $2,600–$5,200 |
| Denver, Colorado | $2,400–$4,700 |
| Miami, Florida | $2,700–$5,500 |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | $2,500–$4,900 |
| Nashville, Tennessee | $2,700–$5,200 |
| New York City, New York | $2,600–$5,600 |
| Portland, Maine | $4,200–$8,300 |
| San Francisco, California | $2,700–$5,900 |
| Seattle, Washington | $2,800–$5,800 |
| St. Louis, Missouri | $3,400–$7,200 |
Additional Barbed Wire Fence Cost Factors
Fence installation costs vary by material, the number of people on the job, and how big the job is. The more square footage of barbed wire fencing you need, the more materials you’ll need, including wooden posts and clips. Barbed wire fences are simple and less than the cost of an electric fence. You also need to consider the strength of the wire you’re willing to splurge on.
Number of Strands
The more strands on the fence, the more wire you need. Most barbed wire fences have three to five strands per fence. The more strands you have, the less likely anything will get onto the property.
Number of Barbs
When you buy barbed wire, there are two choices—two or four barbs. Four barbs will cost more (around 10% to 20% more), but they are far more effective than wire with two barbs. This is because with four barbs, there's a lower chance of an animal or intruder hitting a flat spot in the wire where the barbs won’t contact their skin. A two-prong roll costs around $90, and a four-prong roll costs around $110.
Coating
Coating determines the fence’s lifespan. Commercial galvanized wire lasts between three months to one year before rusting. Paying extra for a class one or class three galvanized coating (where the higher the class, the more resistant it is to rusting) ensures that your fence lasts longer and saves you from having to pay for fence repairs down the road.
Thickness
The barbed wire’s gauge and tensile type influence the price, too. The lower the gauge, the higher the strength of the wire.
Number of Posts and Clips
The longer your fence, the more posts and clips you’ll need to support it. Wooden posts are heavier and you can use staples or clips to secure the fencing, but it’ll cost more. Steel posts are less expensive but aren’t as heavy and may require you to use more posts and clips to secure the fencing. Ideally, you’ll want to use a mixture of both.
Existing Fence Removal
The cost of fence removal is something you can’t overlook. There’s a possibility you can reuse old fence posts and save some money both during installation and removal, but that’s a best-case scenario. Fence removal costs between $300 and $750. Since barbed wire is often a large project over acreage, consider that fence removal averages between $3 and $7 per linear foot.
Permits
You will also need to obtain the proper fence-building permits as your local municipality requires. While some projects aren’t clear on whether or not you need them, barbed wire fencing requires them. The cost of permits will vary on location but expect to pay between $50 and $900 for a permit.
How to Calculate How Much Barbed Wire Fencing You’ll Need
To calculate how much square footage of barbed wire you’ll need for your fence, take the number of strands and multiply it by the linear feet your fence will cover. Then divide the feet you need by 1,320 (the number of feet per roll).
Say you'll need 2,000 feet of barbed wire for your land, and you want three strands total. You'll need 6,000 feet worth of barbed wire to complete the task. Divide 6,000 by 1,320. For this project, you would need five rolls (rounded up) of barbed wire fencing, which would cost between $300 and $550 for this project.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Install a Barbed Wire Fence
If cost is the most important factor, you can save a good amount of money by installing the fence yourself. A normal barbed wire fence installation for a three-strand, 1,320-linear-foot fence will take around 30 to 50 hours, bringing the total labor cost to between $1,200 and $5,500.
But because barbed wire fencing has some seriously sharp edges and requires quite a bit of elbow grease, we don’t recommend installing a barbed wire fence yourself—even if you know how to install barbed wire fences. It’s best to hire a local fence installer. They can do the job efficiently and spare you the pain of a run-in with any rogue barbs.
Repairing vs. Replacing a Barbed Wire Fence
If you’re on the fence about repairing versus replacing your fence, you have several ways to help you decide which is best. If your fence damage is isolated to one location—say a tree fell on it—then you probably don’t need to replace your entire fence and can get away with small repairs.
At the same time, barbed wire fences may be challenging to repair due to how taut the wires need to be to hold the tension. In many cases, it may be easier to replace the entire strand of wire. Likewise, a rusty barbed wire fence with many broken wires and posts should be replaced.
If you’d rather save money and just replace the parts that need replacing, ask your pro for a quote and see if the cost to repair your fence makes sense. Most fence repair costs fall around $600 on average, but it can range from $300 to $950 depending on the severity of damage and material type. Any repair that takes up more than 50% of a replacement cost typically isn’t worth the investment.
Does Adding a Barbed Wire Fence Add Value to My Home?
Barbed wire isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing fencing material, especially in densely populated areas—not to mention the risk the barbs can pose to kids and families. As such, adding a barbed fence may not change the value of your home at all, or it could even decrease the value. Consider removing a barbed wire fence from your property before trying to sell to maintain a higher value.
We’re going to be totally honest here: You should avoid barbed wire fencing in suburban areas. There are better fencing options that look nicer and take away any danger to yourself or others. Barbed wire fencing should be used in rural areas and only when safe for local people and animals.
Ways to Save Money On Barbed Wire Fence Installation
With any fencing project, saving money can make a huge difference in how much you spend to complete the project. Fortunately, there are several tips you can try to lower the cost of a barbed wire fence installation, including the following:
Use existing posts if they’re in good condition.
Use a combination of steel and wood posts to save on the higher cost of wooden posts.
Clear the land yourself to prepare for the installation.
Demolish your old fence yourself.
If you have experience installing barbed wire fences, DIY it.
Clean up debris yourself.
Decrease the perimeter of your fence to save on materials and time spent installing the fence.
Choose a thinner wire gauge to lower costs.
Livestock wire costs the least and can therefore help lower costs.
Opt for three or four strands of barbed wire instead of five.
Invest in a lower-class fence coating to save on upfront costs, or invest in a higher-class coating to save on long-term costs depending on your goals.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
A barbed wire fence will last an average of 15 to 20 years, but the life expectancy can range anywhere between five and 50 years. Thicker wires last longer, as do fences made with galvanized metal. If the barbed wire fence is in a climate with harsh winters and summers, it likely won’t last more than 10 to 15 years. Failing to keep up with maintenance and repairs will also shorten the lifespan of a barbed wire fence.
You’ll need a hand-operated winch tool to tighten the barbed wire. Tightening barbed wire creates a taut line of the wire, making it stronger and more secure. Don’t tighten too hard because overtightening can lead to breakage, and there’s nothing scarier than a metal whip flying at your face. The wire should be in a straight line with no slack, but not so tight that it vibrates when you touch it with your tools.
The bottom strand should sit between 12 to 15 inches from the ground. If you have a problem with small critters, you can aim for 8 inches. Three-strand fences should be 16 to 19 inches apart, four-strand fences should be 10 to 12 inches apart, and five-strand fences should be 8 and 10 inches apart.
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