Colorbond Steel Fencing Installer Price: Cleaning and Elimination
If you are replacing an exhausted fencing with fresh Colorbond, the fine print often conceals in three places: installer rates, site prep, and the untidy end video game of cleanup and elimination. The fencing panels and messages get all the focus, yet the budget plan lives or passes away on accessibility, soil problems, concrete, and what it sets you back to eliminate the old fence and leftover spoil. I have priced quote, developed, and fixed sufficient Colorbond limits to know the longest discussions occur after the very first site stroll, when we locate tree origins, hidden concrete, or rusted star pickets running the size of the boundary.
This guide sets out exactly how pricing really works in the area, with realistic arrays for Colorbond fencing cost per metre, installer day rates, and truth cost of cleaning and elimination. The aim is easy: help you check out a quote with self-confidence and avoid billing surprises.

What installers suggest by "per metre" pricing
Most residential tasks are priced per metre, measured along the straight run of fencing. That figure can consist of articles established in concrete, rails, infill sheets, caps, one colour each side, and basic footing depth. Many installers consist of idea fees for offcuts and general particles. Fewer consist of elimination of the old fencing, which is where the space between headline Colorbond fence price and the final expense appears.
Here is the pattern I see in city Australia for a regular limit installment with uncomplicated accessibility and no rock:
- Standard Colorbond steel fencing price per meter, installed 1.5 to 1.8 metres high: 110 to 180 AUD including GST, products and labour.
- Taller runs 2.1 metres or with latticework or plinth: 160 to 260 AUD per metre.
- Gates, custom-made colours outside the common scheme, and non typical rails can press you above 260 AUD per metre.
Materials differ by profile and covering. The Colorbond steel fence price per meter for supply just commonly rests between 70 and 130 AUD relying on elevation, sheet account, and whether you are purchasing retail or trade. Installment fills the void. Labor includes anywhere from 40 to 100 AUD per metre for normal dirt, with the lower end more likely on long, simple runs.
These are not hard regulations. A 10 metre inner city substitute put behind a terrace without side access can price per metre greater than a 40 metre rural backyard. A group will certainly lose time shuttling panels and concrete by hand through a hallway. On the other hand, a clean 50 metre limit with a driveway right alongside the line can land listed below the mid range, since arrangement and traveling are amortised throughout even more metres.
Where cleaning and removal improves the quote
Cleanup and elimination appears in 3 containers: removing the old fencing, hauling it away, and handling spoil from brand-new message holes. What it costs rest on what the old fence is made of, whether concrete footings exist, and just how very easy it is to access a trailer or skip.
Old lumber paling removal is generally the least unpleasant. Panels come down quickly, rails pry off, and blog posts can typically be reduced flush and the grounds left if they do not conflict with brand-new message positioning. If the brand-new article wishes to rest right where the old footing lives, that footing needs to come out. On a recent 22 metre timber replacement in the eastern suburbs, we allowed 3 quarters of a day to demonstration, sort lumber from nails, and load out. Removal and disposal landed at about 30 AUD per metre because accessibility was suitable and there was no concrete at depth.
Chain mesh and light steel elimination is comparable in work however less complicated to dispose of. Steel has scrap worth, though the scrap from a small fencing rarely offsets labour. I generally still price it at 20 to 35 AUD per metre, factoring time to reduce and pack wire and posts. Much heavier steel posts set in big concrete light bulbs bump that up.
Brick or block elimination transforms the whole image. You are into demolition, stonework cutting, dirt control, and hefty concrete disposal. Expect a number of hundred dollars per metre on tiny runs once you factor labour, saw blades, skip bin hire, and tip charges by weight. If the brick wall is shared, border possession and permission paperwork can take longer than the work itself.
Asbestos cement, commonly seen in old fibro fencings or as sheets between metal blog posts, is one of the most specialized instance. In Australia you require a certified asbestos removalist. Prices swings widely with gain access to and sheet condition, yet 100 to 250 AUD per metre simply for licensed elimination and disposal prevails, prior to you install anything new. Plan for organizing lead time too, since you will certainly be working with two contractors.
Spoil is the sleeper price that customers neglect, because it is essentially a hole in the ground. Every 600 millimetre deep post hole creates a container of soil. Mixed with damp concrete washout and clay, that spoil ends up being heavy. If you have a yard or fill area onsite, we can spread and level it. If not, it needs to go to the pointer or into a skip. On a 30 metre kept up posts every 2.4 metres, you are considering a dozen or more openings and possibly a cubic metre or two of spoil. Budget plan 200 to 600 AUD for spoil removal on little to mid sized work, even more if accessibility is limited and everything steps by container brigade.
Understanding installer rates behind the metre price
Behind the Colorbond fencing price per meter is a crew, a ute, tools, gas, insurance policy, and a calendar they keep full all year. Most expert installers will function from a per metre routine yet fact pulls in day prices and minimums. Expect to see:
- Day prices for two person staffs in significant cities usually sit in between 700 and 1,200 AUD consisting of GST, not counting products. A third labourer includes 250 to 450 AUD per day.
- Minimum work fees relate to extremely short runs, sometimes a flat 600 to 1,000 AUD for anything under 10 to 15 metres. This secures against half day callouts that still melt travel and setup time.
- Site certain adders for rock boring, core boring right into concrete slabs, or hand excavating through origin bound ground. I have actually had post openings in lava where a single hole took 40 mins with a rock breaker and water. That task ran a per opening additional charge instead of inflating the whole per metre price.
- Access surcharges where no automobile can come close to within 20 metres of the fencing line. Anticipate to spend for time, and time rises fast when everything experiences a garage and down a side passage.
If you are contrasting Colorbond fence installer price offers, look past the headline number to see whether clean up and removal are bundled or different. A sharper per metre number could silently omit removal and ruin, leaving you to prepare an avoid. That can be fine if you want to manage the bin and utilize it for various other family waste, but you ought to make that option knowingly.

What affects Colorbond steel fence cost beyond elevation and length
Height and size create the first draft of the cost. Dirt, wind zone, profile, and outlining edit it greatly. Below are the drivers I advise customers to consider:
- Height and account. A 1.5 metre Good Neighbour style with common blog posts and caps costs less than a 2.1 metre panel with latticework or slats on top. Taller fencings require much deeper openings and even more concrete, not just taller sheets.
- Wind exposure. Coastal or high wind areas sometimes call for closer blog post centres or larger messages. That includes material and labour.
- Retaining or sloping ground. Stepped or raked panels reduce the crew and can need even more cuts. If you require a plinth at ground degree to shut a gap under the fencing, allow extra, especially for steel or concrete plinths, which add substantial weight and handling.
- Gates and equipment. A basic pedestrian gateway might include 350 to 700 AUD with blog posts and latch. Dual driveway entrances go greater and occasionally need bracing or ground quits. Good hinges and locks deserve it if the gate sees everyday use.
- Colour and finish. Typical colours are often in supply and priced much better. Unique order colours or powder layered hardware can include lead time and cost.
- Underground solutions. Dial Prior To You Dig is step one, but despite strategies you can locate unidentified watering lines or old electric conduits. Hand excavating around services takes time.
These information are why one neighbor can pay 140 AUD per metre and the various other pays 220 AUD wherefore looks similar from the road. The ground under the fencing and the course to arrive choose the last bill.
Typical cleaning and removal rates by fencing type
There is no single Colorbond steel fence installer cost for elimination and cleanup because removal depends upon the old fencing, not the new one. That stated, these are reasonable ball parks I have seen across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, assuming country accessibility and tiny to medium work:
- Old lumber paling, blog posts mostly rotten or easy to reduce. Elimination and disposal 25 to 45 AUD per metre. Add 15 to 35 AUD per article for full ground removal if required.
- Chain mesh or light steel. Elimination and disposal 20 to 35 AUD per metre. Heavy articles or concrete light bulbs can include 20 to 50 AUD per post.
- Brick or block. Demolition and disposal 180 to 450 AUD per metre on brief runs, more for engineered walls. Costs hinge on avoid size, container accessibility, and cutting.
- Asbestos cement. Accredited elimination 100 to 250 AUD per metre plus callout minimums. This is different from the fencing installer unless the installer holds a removal licence and consists of it.
Spoil and site clean-up after setup often price as a round figure. For a tidy website, no bin, and space to phase materials, I will certainly permit 200 to 400 AUD to gather offcuts, move, rinse concrete slurry, and remove spoil. Tight sites with staircases or lengthy brings go higher.
Tip fees differ city to city and by product. Lumber waste is generally charged by quantity, concrete by weight. If you are priced quote a flat removal fee, that installer is taking danger in your place. If you see a line thing that says idea charges at price plus a handling cost, you lug that danger. Neither is wrong. Pick the framework you are extra comfy with.
The genuine difference between per metre and per task pricing
Per metre fits simple boundaries. Colorbond pricing guide Per task makes sense when removal, entrances, stepped panels, or intricate gain access to dictate the routine more than the length. A crossbreed is common. I might price the primary run per metre and then note the gate, 2 go back to the house, old fencing elimination, and spoil as discrete products. This keeps you from using the per metre number to a gate opening or a one metre return with 4 cuts, and it shows exactly what clean-up and removal add to the Colorbond fence price.
I once priced two side fencings at a duplex. Each side was 21 metres, both in the same account and colour, yet one side had an ivy covered hardwood fence with half the articles concreted deep. The opposite was a reduced cord fencing that dropped when you considered it. The set up Colorbond steel fence price per meter was identical for both, however removal on the ivy side doubled. We meant it out as different line products. The neighbour with the wire fence was shocked at the other's number until she saw the blog post hole images and the concrete mushrooms that needed to come out.
Regional distinctions worth noting
Material prices are relatively constant throughout major cities, with little swings on delivery costs and stock accessibility. Labour changes extra with demand. In a hot market with a lot of new builds, the Colorbond fence installer price has a tendency to sit at the top of the varieties, and minimum costs are purely applied. In regional communities, per metre rates can be a little reduced, however travel time and accommodation can counter that if your website is much from the yard.
Perth and Adelaide frequently land a little leaner on work than Sydney. Brisbane varies with damp period organizing and dirt kind, particularly in clay heavy residential areas where openings collapse unless concreted quickly. If your ground is sandy, holes could need formwork or instant setting to stop sloughing. The installer's experience with neighborhood ground problems matters as much as the brand on the panels.
An ordinary English failure of an example quote
Take a 28 metre border, 1.8 metre Colorbond Good Neighbour, one pedestrian entrance, straightforward yard gain access to, old wood paling to eliminate, moderate slope needing 3 steps.
- Supply and mount at 150 AUD per metre consists of messages, rails, sheets, caps, concrete, work for straight runs. That covers 4,200 AUD.
- Gate supply and set up, with articles, lock, and drop bolt at 520 AUD.
- Old lumber fence elimination and disposal at 30 AUD per metre, 840 AUD.
- Spoil removal and site cleanup round figure, 320 AUD.
- GST included. Complete around 5,880 AUD.
Now, change one variable. If article holes struck hidden concrete from an old maintaining wall surface and need core boring, that may include 60 to 100 AUD per hole for the handful that land on the wall surface. If a lots openings are affected, the task climbs up by 1,000 AUD or even more. This is why transparent provisional amounts on rock or concrete are great practice. They secure both events and prevent underbidding circumstances where the installer has no margin to spend the added time you really need.
Colorbond fencing price per meter compared to alternatives
Clients in some cases ask whether light weight aluminum slat or wood would be more affordable once elimination is factored in. Wood paling can look more affordable on raw material yet needs a lot more upkeep and usually does not such as wind. Powder covered light weight aluminum slats fad higher than Colorbond on products and similar or higher on work, specifically with custom-made spacings or frames. Stonework sits on top for both labour and disposal if you ever replace it.
Colorbond continues to win on total price of possession: practical Colorbond steel fence cost to set up, very little maintenance, and long life-span in non hostile settings. In seaside areas, proper fasteners and focus to reduce edges at the coast side aid. I constantly chat via the specific website exposure rather than marketing a blanket insurance claim of indestructibility.
How to read a quote for quality on cleanup and removal
A quote that gains depend on divides mount and removal in such a way that you can investigate. It specifies whether the Colorbond fence price consists of posts and concrete, whether cuts and stepping are consisted of, how entrances are handled, and what takes place to the old fencing and the heap of dust. It additionally states access assumptions and provisionary sums for rock or unknowns.
If you just have energy to ask a couple of concerns, make them the best ones.
- What specifically is included in cleanup and removal, and what is excluded?
- How are old blog posts and concrete footings dealt with if they encounter new post locations?
- How will certainly spoil be managed, on website or off site, and what are the disposal fees?
- What gain access to is assumed in the cost, and what takes place if gain access to is tighter on the day?
- Are GST, distribution, and any kind of council or dial before you dig expenses included?
Those 5 provide you 90 percent of the price image. They additionally tell you just how the installer believes. A professional will address simply, and if a number is a hunch, will certainly classify it a provisionary sum as opposed to wish it away.
Budgeting tips that avoid surprises
If you wish to secure down the Colorbond fencing installer cost, invest in a comprehensive website check out. I such as to satisfy on website, walk the complete line, prod the old messages, and dig one or two test openings with a bar if rock is thought. If you can not be there personally, a video go through assists. Program accessibility points, staircases, and where a trailer can park. A 10 min telephone call saves hours on set up day.
Align assumptions with neighbours early. On shared limits, clarify that pays for what, that desires gateways or lattice, and whether both sides settle on colour and elevation. Shared tasks thwarted by neighbor disputes hurt for everybody. Put the arrangement in composing, even if it is an email chain.
Be mindful about record low Colorbond fencing price per meter ads. Some teams can operate lean and still do clean work, however there are limits. Slim concrete at posts, superficial holes, or entering inadequate weather creates fencings that relocate. No one wants to pay twice.
If you come close to elimination yourself to conserve cash, do it with care. Getting rid of a timber fence before the brand-new fencing goes in leaves you subjected and can produce seriousness that injures decision production. If you do a partial trial, leave messages in up until the day of install so the line and boundary remain obvious.

When per hour billing makes sense
Most home owners like per metre rates since it is predictable. There are situations where per hour invoicing is the sincere selection. Repair work on an older Colorbond line, combined material elimination, or tornado damage clean-up can entail unknowns. A fair per hour price with a cap offers flexibility while safeguarding your ceiling. Typical prices run 70 to 120 AUD per hour for an experienced installer and 40 to 60 AUD for work, plus materials and disposal. Settle on reporting checkpoints so you can reset if problems change.
How shade, profile, and add nudge the numbers
Colorbond's scheme is broad, and most installers lug the common colours. Non basic colours or stopped shades take time to resource and can delay the task. Accounts with higher rib toughness sometimes lug a little costs, though the labour to set up is comparable. Decorative leading panels, like latticework, change both appearance and wind load. They set you back even more to purchase and deal with. Plinths at the bottom close spaces in sloping lawns and maintain pets in, however they include weight and time. A steel plinth for a 10 metre run could add a number of hundred bucks in materials and another couple of hours of work. Small choices accumulate. Choose what matters most, and cut the aesthetic additionals initially if the budget plan strains.
A fast price snapshot to support expectations
- Colorbond fencing price per meter mounted, regular suv task: 110 to 180 AUD at 1.5 to 1.8 metres high.
- Taller or thorough fences with lattice or plinth: 160 to 260 AUD per metre.
- Old hardwood fence elimination: 25 to 45 AUD per metre, plus 15 to 35 AUD per blog post if footings should be extracted.
- Asbestos sheet removal by accredited contractor: 100 to 250 AUD per metre.
- Spoil removal and website cleanup: 200 to 600 AUD lump sum for tiny to medium jobs.
Use these as rule of thumbs, not assures. The website tells the truth when we dig.
Bringing it together
Colorbond stays a strong selection since it balances price, rate, and long life. The headline Colorbond steel fence price often looks comparable throughout quotes. The distinctions conceal in clean-up and removal, gain access to, and the method professionals manage risk. Ask directly concerning elimination range, spoil, grounds, gain access to presumptions, and GST. Review for provisional sums. Prefer a quote that shows both the Colorbond fence installer price and the separate costs connected to cleaning and removal.
On site, the best staffs keep points clean as they go. Offcuts are stacked, openings are backfilled flush, driveways are cleaned before concrete haze sets, and the neighbor's roses are still standing. That degree of care costs a little bit even more and conserves you headaches later.
If you wish to maximize the spend, intend the task with the installer. Walk the line, confirm the limit, talk via the gate swing, select the colour from a real example, and settle on where the trailer camp. A good strategy shrinks the variables that blow up the Colorbond steel fencing cost and leaves you with a directly, solid limit that will certainly not request focus every summer.
And when the last panel enters, do not fail to remember to overlook the line from both sides in the last light of day. You can see as soon as possible if blog posts hold true and caps are also. That 5 minute habit is the most affordable quality assurance you will ever before buy.