How Much Does a Barbed Wire Fence Cost? [2024 Data]

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.

Fence Size

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. 

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.

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 the cost of 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.

Landscaping

For some types of property, you can't simply install a barbed wire fence on the existing land. for example,  land with a significant grade, uneven ground that will not support posts, water features that need to be filled or drained—like a swamp or flooded area—and any trees or stumps that need removing will all increase the cost of a barbed wire installation. Landscaping starts at $50 to $100 an hour and can increase up to $200 or $300 an hour when special equipment is required. 

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. 

Labor

If you hire a local fence company, you’ll pay for their labor and expertise at about $40 to $110 per hour. The large variance in price range is due to different types of contractors having access to various equipment that you may or may not need for your project. It's difficult to determine exactly what you need without experience, so even though you might pay what feels like a lot for skilled labor, you're paying for years of knowledge and familiarity with equipment.  

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 Much Does a Barbed Wire Fence Cost by Type?

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.  

Livestock Barbed Wire

Livestock barbed wire is most commonly seen if you're outside of a city. This wire holds cattle and other livestock and is also installed to prevent wandering animals from entering a property. Note that barbed wire is not used for horses because they frequently rub against it, causing injury. 

Livestock barbed wire is also a relatively inexpensive way to mark your property line, and while it's easy to jump over or dig underneath, it's still an effective deterrent to those who may wander onto your land. This type of barbed wire costs $50 to $110 per roll, or between $0.07 and $0.09 per linear foot.   

Security Barbed Wire

Security wire fencing normally goes on top of a chain link or livestock barbed wire fence. Because its primary use is to deter trespassers, there are many more barbs spaced much closer than with livestock wire. The metal is of higher density, so that it's not simple to cut. This type of wire is more expensive than livestock wire, and a roll will cost between $95 and $180. This equates to $0.09 to $0.14 per linear foot.   

Razor Barbed Wire

Razor security wire comes in strands of 50 to 60 feet per roll, with each roll costing $30 to $45. Razor wire is different than the other two above because razor wire is designed to inflict damage, which is why it's commonly seen in prisons and in protecting secure facilities. Razor wire is seldom seen in a residential context unless it's absolutely required.

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.

What Type of Barbed Wire Fence Can I Get on My Budget?

Your budget will come down to the amount of fencing. To set your budget, decide on how many strands you need and how much work you want to do yourself.

Here are different budgets for a 1,320 linear foot barbed wire fence:

$1,000 to $1,499

For a tight budget, you can still end up with a well-put-together barbed wire fence. You’ll likely only have three strands of wire around the posts, and you’ll need to opt for lower-cost beams.

$1,500 to $2,499

If you’re looking for a sturdier barbed wire fence, a budget of $1,500 to $2,499 will let you have more strands. Or, you can instead opt for thicker, wooden posts that tend to hold up better against Mother Nature and animals.

$2,500 to $3,499

A budget of $2,500 to $3,499 means you don’t have to pick between more strands or wooden posts; you’ll likely be able to afford both.

$3,500 to $4,999

With a budget of $3,500 to $4,999, you’ll be able to splurge on a higher class of galvanized coating. The higher the class, the longer your new fence will last.

$5,000 and Above

Once your budget hits $5,000 or above, you can opt for the strongest coating, posts, and gauge possible.

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 doing the installation yourself. A normal barbed wire fence installation for a three-strand, 1,320-foot fence will take around 39 to 50 hours, bringing the total labor cost to between $2,925 and $3,750. But because barbed wire fencing has some seriously sharp edges and requires quite a bit of elbow grease, 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.

Matt Marandola contributed to this piece.

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. 

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