How Much Does Hardie Board Siding Cost? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $5,000 - $37,500
Hardie board siding installation costs $17,500 on average, but can costs vary depending on your home size and other features.
The cost of Hardie board siding ranges between $5 and $15 per square foot, with the average homeowner spending $10 per square foot for materials and labor. On the low end, that’s $5,000 for 1,000 square feet of exterior walls; on the high end, you’re looking at $37,500 for 2,500 square feet of walls. A typical home with 1,750 square feet of walls will cost $17,500 for a complete Hardie board siding installation.
Hardie Board siding costs will depend on the size of your home, local labor rates, the style and color of Hardie board siding you choose, and the various trim you need to complete the project.
- Average
- $17,500
- Low end
- $5,000
- high end
- $56,250
What Is Hardie Board Siding?
Hardie board siding is a brand-name fiber cement siding by James Hardie, developed in the 1980s. This brand of siding is an industry leader; the material itself is made of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers and is made to look like various types of wood siding—only it is more durable, lasts longer, and requires less maintenance.
You can get Hardie board siding in a wide range of colors and styles. The material shares a lot of similarities with cement siding, but there are some key differences to consider. To learn more, check out our guide to Hardie board vs. cement board.
Hardie Board Siding Cost Factors
The cost of Hardie board siding generally ranges from $5 to $15 per square foot, but several factors can impact how much you pay in the end.
Size of the House
The biggest factor impacting the cost of Hardie board siding is the size of your house. Naturally, the larger your home, the more exterior walls you’ll need to cover with Hardie board. That drives up both material and labor costs.
| Exterior Wall Square Footage | Hardie Board Siding Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| 1,250 | $6,250–$18,750 |
| 1,500 | $7,500–$22,500 |
| 1,750 | $8,750–$26,250 |
| 2,000 | $10,000–$30,000 |
| 2,250 | $11,250–$33,750 |
| 2,500 | $12,500–$37,500 |
Keep in mind that having a larger home in terms of interior square footage does not always directly correlate with the cost of siding. Homes built partially underground, for instance, require less siding; row houses that aren’t on an end only need siding for two of four sides. That’s why it’s important to estimate Hardie board siding costs with actual exterior wall dimensions, not the square footage of your home.
If you have a garage or shed and want to match the siding, don’t forget to calculate the square footage of the walls in your calculation.
Location, Accessibility, and Time of Year
Where you live, how easily accessible your home is, and when you replace your siding all impact how much you’ll spend to install Hardie board siding:
Location: Areas with a higher cost of living—such as urban and coastal areas—will have higher labor costs. Get quotes from multiple fiber cement siding companies near you to better understand typical labor rates for your location.
Accessibility: Height and style of home, and its surroundings, can also impact Hardie board siding costs. If you live in a multistory home or have a home surrounded by large shrubs or trees, replacing the siding can require a lot more effort (and tools such as scaffolding and ladders). Expect this to drive up labor costs compared to an easily accessible ranch-style home.
Time of year: Spring and fall are siding contractors’ busier times of year in most parts of the country, based on the weather. Hiring during their busy season could mean higher rates. Some siding contractors won’t operate in winter, depending on your climate; summer is often a good candidate for more competitive rates.
Color
When ordering Hardie board siding, you can choose between pre-primed and factory-painted with ColorPlus Technology.
Pre-primed Hardie board: This is the more affordable option when purchasing James Hardie siding. The siding comes primed for painting, and you can decide on a paint color once the siding is installed. While this does lower the cost of Hardie board siding, you’ll have to budget for the cost to paint your house exterior, another $3,150 on average.
Prefinished Hardie board: You can also order prefinished, factory-painted Hardie board siding in a variety of elegant colors. According to James Hardie, its ColorPlus Technology bakes the paint color on in a factory environment, meaning it will last longer than the typical paint job. This is a premium product that can increase your material cost per square foot by $1 to $2.
Style
Hardie Boards come in a wide range of styles. You can choose from curated collections—for instance, the Magnolia Home | James Hardie collection is curated by Joanna Gaines—or choose from a long list of styles that make sense for your home, neighborhood, and region.
The style you choose will affect your costs. You can speak with a James Hardie representative to get a better idea of how the following styles will impact your price:
Plank lap siding (for example, clapboard siding)
Shingle siding
Panel vertical siding (for example, board and batten siding)
Log siding
Scallop siding
Trim
As part of your Hardie board siding order, you can add special trims to accentuate doors windows, friezes, columns, and corners. James Hardie even recommends getting a different color to complement the primary color of your siding. The more specialty trim materials you add to your order, the more you’ll pay.
Additional Costs to Consider
In addition to the material and labor costs to install Hardie board siding, you may encounter a few additional expenses along the way.
Old Siding Removal
If you’re not installing siding on a newly built home, you’ll first need to remove the existing siding. This costs between $0.25 and $0.75 per square foot. Ask the siding contractor if the rate to remove your existing siding also includes the removal of the old materials; otherwise, you may need to budget for the cost of junk removal—anywhere from $150 to $350.
Weather Barrier
When you install James Hardie siding, you can upgrade the project to include the Hardie Weather Barrier, including Pro-Flashing, Flex Fashing, and Seam Tape. These add to both your material and labor costs, but it can better protect your home against temperature fluctuations and water damage.
Permits
Siding projects generally require a building permit. Check your municipality’s requirements, and ask your siding contractor if they handle the permit process as part of the work. That’s just one of several questions to ask before hiring a contractor.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Installing any type of fiber cement siding, including James Hardie, is more challenging than vinyl or wood siding, as it’s more difficult to cut. For that reason alone, we recommend hiring a local siding contractor to handle the installation. Plus, James Hardie products generally come with fantastic warranties, but improper installation—by a non-certified installer—is a surefire way to void the warranty.
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 extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on 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 costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The average cost to install Hardie board siding on 2,000 square feet of exterior walls is $20,000, though prices can range from $10,000 to $30,000. Keep in mind: This is for 2,000 square feet of exterior walls. A 2,000-square-foot home likely doesn’t translate to 2,000 square feet of exterior wall space. You’ll need the exterior wall measurements for an accurate Hardie board siding cost estimate.
Hardie siding is expensive, but it’s a high-quality product that lasts for decades. Though it’s more expensive than some other types of siding, such as vinyl, aluminum, and engineered wood, it’s right in line with the cost of fiber cement siding—and it’s actually more affordable than the cost of stone siding.
No, Hardie board is not cheaper than vinyl siding. Vinyl siding costs $3 to $12 per square foot, on average, with cost skewing toward the lower end of that range. Hardie board siding costs $5 to $15 per square foot, on average, but costs can increase depending on the style, color, and trim.