How Much Does a Driveway Gate Cost in 2026? Real Numbers by Material and Type
Installed price ranges for steel, aluminum, wrought iron, wood and composite driveway gates, what actually moves the number, and where ordering direct and installing yourself saves the most.
Richard Ryan
Founder of GateFrames. Helping homeowners choose the right driveway gate for their property.
Methodology note: cost guidance uses material, operator, and labor inputs with city-level adjustments. Always verify permits, utility clearances, and site constraints locally before installation.
Reviewed by Rick Ryan on · How we make our guides
What moves the price
- Material
- Gate type: swing, sliding, cantilever or bi-fold
- Width and height
- Automation and opener type
- Who installs it
- Permit cost
| Build | Size and motion | Price today |
|---|---|---|
| Arch top · Puppy pickets | 12'6" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black | $3,504 |
| Arch top · Vertical ironwood | 13'6" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black | $4,680 |
| Arch + finials · Vertical ironwood | 15'4" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black | $5,432 |
Prices come from our configurator and update with it. Freight is quoted at checkout.
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A driveway gate is one of the few home upgrades where the quote can land anywhere from $1,500 to $28,000 for what a homeowner would describe as "the same thing." That spread is not noise. It comes from five decisions you make before anyone cuts metal: material, gate type, width, automation, and who installs it.
This guide gives you the real installed ranges we use when customers ask us to sanity-check a contractor quote, then walks through each decision so you can predict your own number before you request one.
Installed price ranges by material and gate type
These ranges cover a finished, working gate on a typical residential opening (12 to 16 feet), including posts and basic hardware, before automation. The three tiers roughly track "simple design, contractor-grade hardware" up to "custom design, premium hardware, complex site."
| Material | Swing | Sliding | Cantilever | Bi-fold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel | $2,500 – $15,000 | $3,200 – $19,000 | $3,800 – $22,000 | $2,800 – $16,500 |
| Wrought iron | $3,000 – $20,000 | $3,800 – $24,000 | $4,500 – $28,000 | $3,400 – $22,000 |
| Aluminum | $2,000 – $12,000 | $2,600 – $15,000 | $3,000 – $17,000 | $2,200 – $13,000 |
| Wood | $1,500 – $10,000 | $2,000 – $12,500 | $2,400 – $14,000 | $1,800 – $11,000 |
| Composite | $1,800 – $11,000 | $2,400 – $14,000 | $2,800 – $16,000 | $2,000 – $12,000 |
Most homeowners land in the middle tier: a steel swing gate at $4,500 to $8,000 installed, or a steel slider at $5,800 to $10,500. If a quote is far outside those bands, ask what is driving it. The answer is almost always one of the five factors below.
Factor 1: material sets the floor
Material is the biggest single lever, and it is also the one people get backwards. They price the cheapest option and end up paying more over ten years.
Steel
The value pick for most driveways. Heavy enough to hold steady in wind, hard to cut, and with a modern powder coat it needs a touch-up every three to five years. Expect 30 to 50 years of service.
Wrought iron
Costs the most and looks the part on a historic or formal home. It needs repainting every two to three years, especially in humidity, but a well-kept iron gate can outlive the house.
Aluminum
A third the weight of steel and does not rust, which makes it the coastal and DIY favorite. The trade-off is strength: it bends easier and can sag on openings over 20 feet.
Wood
The lowest entry price and the highest upkeep. Plan on sealing or staining every one to two years and a 15 to 25 year life.
Composite
Looks like wood without the rot or termites. Clean it once a year and it is done.
Price a gate for your driveway
Live pricing for a gate sized to the inch, with no custom-size premium. Made in our San Jose, California workshop and shipped nationwide for DIY or pro install.
Factor 2: swing vs. sliding vs. cantilever
Gate type changes the hardware, the site work and the opener, which is why the same 14-foot opening can price two ways.
- Swing gates are the least expensive to build and automate. They need 10 to 12 feet of clear space to swing and a flat or gently sloped driveway.
- Sliding gates cost roughly 25 to 30 percent more than a swing gate of the same width. They need a run-off area beside the fence equal to the gate width, plus a ground track and a stronger opener.
- Cantilever gates float above the ground, so they work on any slope, gravel and uneven ground. That freedom costs another 15 to 20 percent over a slider and needs about 1.5 times the gate width beside the fence for the counterbalance.
- Bi-fold gates fold into about a quarter of the opening, which is why they show up on tight urban lots. They price close to a swing gate but need a hydraulic or arm opener.
The swing vs. sliding guide walks through the site checks that decide this for you.
Factor 3: width and height
Width is the quiet multiplier. A 12-foot gate is one panel; an 18-foot gate is usually two panels, more steel, more posts and a bigger opener. Above 20 feet, aluminum starts to sag and steel becomes the practical choice.
Two things to know about sizing:
- Measure the opening, not the old gate. Post-to-post, at the height you want the gate to hang, plus a note on where the driveway slopes.
- Custom size should not cost extra. Many suppliers charge a "custom" premium for anything off their stock list. Our gates are sized to the inch at the same price, so you can build for your actual opening instead of shimming a stock size.
If you are wondering how wide to go for a truck, an RV or a trailer, the driveway gate width guide has the numbers.
Factor 4: automation
Automation is a separate line item, and it is where most "the quote doubled" stories come from.
| Opener type | Typical installed cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | $0 beyond the gate hardware | Latch and lock |
| Plug-in automatic | $800 – $2,500 | Remote, keypad, vehicle sensor; optional $150 – $400 battery backup |
| Solar | $1,200 – $3,000 | Panel, battery, opener; runs 2 to 4 days without sun |
| Smart | $1,500 – $4,000 | App control, video intercom, plate recognition, delivery scheduling |
Factor 5: who installs it
Labor is 30 to 50 percent of a contractor quote. It covers setting posts in concrete, hanging the gate, aligning hinges or track, and wiring the opener.
Full contractor install
The right call for a cantilever on a slope, a gate over 20 feet, or anything that needs trenching for power.
DIY install
Realistic for a swing or slide gate that was engineered for it. Our steel gates are built for a two-person install with no crane: set two posts, hang the gate on the included hardware, adjust. A weekend and a rented post-hole auger. The DIY installation guide is the full walk-through.
For a typical 14-foot steel swing gate, doing the install yourself usually turns a $6,000 to $8,000 contractor quote into the cost of the gate plus a few hundred dollars in posts and concrete.
A worked example
Suppose you have a 14-foot flat opening, want a modern black steel swing gate, and would like a keypad and remotes.
- Middle-tier steel swing gate, installed by a contractor: $4,500 – $8,000
- Plug-in automatic opener with remotes and keypad: +$800 – $2,500
- Contractor total: $5,300 – $10,500
The same project ordered direct and installed over a weekend: the gate priced live in the configurator for your exact width, posts and concrete around $300, and the same opener kit. Most customers land well under the low end of the contractor range.
What to ask before you sign a quote
- Is the gate priced for my exact opening, or a stock size I will have to fit?
- What is the coating: paint, or a powder coat with a warranty?
- Is the opener rated for this gate's weight and width, and does it meet the UL 325 safety standard?
- What does the permit cost, and who pulls it?
- What is the fabrication lead time? Steel commonly runs two to five weeks (ours take about 14 days to build); wrought iron four to ten.
Get those five answers and two quotes will finally be comparable. When you are ready to see a real number for your own driveway, price a gate for your exact width below. The price updates as you change the width, style and options, so you can see what each decision costs before you commit.
Price a gate for your driveway
Live pricing for a gate sized to the inch, with no custom-size premium. Made in our San Jose, California workshop and shipped nationwide for DIY or pro install.
Ready-made builds for this guide
Built to order in San Jose
Arch top · Puppy pickets
12'6" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black
$3,504 Configure this gate
Built to order in San Jose
Arch top · Vertical ironwood
13'6" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black
$4,680 Configure this gate
Built to order in San Jose
Arch + finials · Vertical ironwood
15'4" × 6'0" · Dual swing · Black
$5,432 Configure this gate
Need a different width or height? Price a gate for your driveway: every gate is built to the inch at no extra charge.
Richard Ryan · Founder, GateFrames
Founder of GateFrames. Helping homeowners choose the right driveway gate for their property.
Published · Updated
Reviewed and fact-checked against our live catalog by a person before publishing. How we make our guides
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