How Much Does Ranch Fence Cost Per Foot in Texas?
The state extension service’s 2026 custom rate survey prices a four to six wire fence on steel posts. The average works out to about $3.53 per foot with materials included. The most common rate in that survey works out to about $1.89 per foot. National cost guides put barbed wire fence at $1 to $6 per foot installed.
These are market numbers, not our price list. Take a thousand feet of five strand barbed wire on steel posts. At the survey’s common and average rates that lands around $1,900 to $3,500. Our ranch fencing page shows how we build pipe post and wire fence around Katy, Texas.
What does the Texas survey say ranch fence costs?
Every year the state extension service asks fence builders and landowners what they paid. The 2026 survey covers work done through the fall of 2025. It reports fence building per mile, with materials included. Divide by 5,280 feet to get the per foot figure.
| Fence type (materials included) | Survey average per mile | About per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 wire, steel posts | $18,633 | $3.53 |
| 4 to 6 wire, wood posts | $20,108 | $3.81 |
| Net wire | $21,150 | $4.01 |
| Deer proof, 8 foot, steel posts | $34,864 | $6.60 |
The steel post range runs wide. The lowest report was $3,750 a mile, about $0.71 a foot. The highest was $44,880 a mile, about $8.50 a foot. The most common answer was $10,000 a mile, about $1.89 a foot. Builders in the eastern part of the state reported about $4.50 a foot. Builders in the south reported about $2.95.
The survey does not say which of its regions covers Fort Bend County. Use the state average as the starting point and let the quote settle it.
What do national cost guides say?
National cost guides price wire fence by the foot, installed. One guide updated in early 2025 lists barbed wire at $1.25 to $3.50 per foot. It lists woven wire at $1.50 to $5.90 and smooth wire at $1.20 to $2.50. Across all wire fence it gives $1 to $8 per foot. By the acre, it lists $836 to $6,688.
A second guide, updated in May 2026, puts a cattle barbed wire fence at $1 to $6 per foot. It describes that fence as 50 to 54 inches tall with three to five strands. It prices the wire itself at $0.04 to $0.15 per foot per strand.
| Part of the fence | Published range |
|---|---|
| Barbed wire, installed | $1.25 to $3.50 per foot |
| Woven or net wire, installed | $1.50 to $5.90 per foot |
| T-post, line post only | $7.50 to $13.50 each |
| Wood post | $10 to $40 each |
| Steel pipe post | $20 to $50 each |
Pipe posts cost the most per post. They also stand up to termites and wet clay better than wood. The building code table for Sealy, west of Katy, rates termite pressure as heavy.
What moves the price of a ranch fence?
The posts and how deep they go. The federal conservation service’s fence standard for Texas asks for posts buried at least three feet. Sandy or wet ground needs more. Pipe costs more than wood or T-posts. A driven pipe post goes in faster than a dug and tamped one.
Corners, ends and gates. The standard calls for a corner assembly wherever the fence turns 20 degrees or more. Each corner, end and gate is a braced assembly, usually an H-brace, with its own posts and brace wire. A square pasture needs four. A fence that follows a creek can need a dozen.
The wire. Five strands cost more than four. Net wire costs more than barbed wire. Where deer cross, the standard suggests spacing the top two wires 10 inches apart, or a smooth top wire.
The ground. A creek crossing needs a water gap built to let water and debris pass. Low ground that stays wet slows the work. Rolling ground adds posts.
The line itself. Brush in the fence line has to come out first. The same survey puts bulldozer clearing under 160 horsepower at $144 an hour on average. It puts grubbing about 40 small trees an acre at $168 an acre. Our fence line clearing page covers how a mulching head opens a clean lane along the line.
The length of the run. Long straight runs cost less per foot than short broken ones. The braced ends and corners are the same work on a 300 foot fence and a 3,000 foot fence.
Does the fence line need to be cleared first?
Usually, yes. Brush pulls wire down and hides breaks. The federal fence standard asks for woody growth to be kept out of the fence. On the coastal prairie, Chinese tallow and yaupon fill an old fence line in a few seasons. The extension service names fence lines among the places tallow takes hold. A mulched lane on each side gives the fence crew room to work. It also leaves the landowner room to check the wire later. If the whole tract needs work, see what small acreage land clearing costs in Texas.
What about the old fence?
Tearing out old wire and posts is its own line on the quote. Rusted wire tangles in brush and takes time to pull. Old steel pipe posts can sometimes stay in service if they are straight and sound. Ask before the work starts so the quote covers removal.
Do you need to call 811 for a fence?
Texas law requires a locate request before machine digging deeper than 16 inches on most property. Driven pipe posts and augered holes go past that depth. Farm and ranch work on private land has an exception in the law. The state agency that enforces the law still recommends the call on every dig. Utility lines are marked after a two working day notice. Private water lines to a barn or trough are not marked. Point those out before the first post goes in.
What to ask before you sign
Ask what posts are quoted and how deep they will be set. Ask how many brace assemblies the line needs and where the gates go. Ask what wire and how many strands, and which side of the posts it goes on. Ask whether the line clearing and old fence removal are in the price. Then get the quote in writing.
Getting a ranch fence quote around Katy
We build and rebuild agricultural fence on farms, ranches and pastures around Katy and the west side of Houston. That means pipe posts, H-braces and stretched wire, or pipe driven for an owner who strings his own wire. We look at the line and put the quote in writing. If the pasture needs clearing before the fence goes in, start with land clearing in Katy, Texas. Call or text (979) 824-2296 with the length of the line and what you run on it.