The short answer
Fence posts in the UK typically cost around £15 to £30 each for pressure-treated timber and £25 to £45 each for concrete supply-only, with metal and decorative posts ranging higher. Fitted, a single post set in postcrete usually comes to £40 to £90 once you add the concrete, labour and removal of the old post. The post itself is often the smaller part of the cost — digging the hole, breaking out an old concreted footing and setting the new post plumb is where most of the labour goes. Concrete posts cost more up front but resist rot and outlast timber, so they often work out lower-cost over the life of the fence.
Posts are the backbone of any fence, and their cost depends as much on material and how they are set as on the post itself. Understanding both halves makes a quote much clearer.
Fence post cost
- Treated timber post (supply)~£15–£30
- Concrete post (supply)~£25–£45
- Metal post (supply)~£20–£50+
- Postcrete (per bag)~£6–£10
- Post set in concrete (fitted)~£40–£90
Post cost by material
The three common UK fence post materials sit at different price points and last very different lengths of time:
- Pressure-treated softwood: the most common and lowest-cost timber post. Treatment slows rot, but the base still sits in damp ground and eventually fails.
- Concrete: heavier and pricier to buy, but it does not rot, so it tends to outlast the panels it carries. Slotted concrete posts also let you drop new panels in without removing the post.
- Metal (galvanised steel or composite-clad): used for specific systems and decorative fences; resistant to rot but a higher up-front cost.
For most garden fences the real choice is timber versus concrete, and it is as much about lifespan as price.
| Post type | Supply-only (each) | Lifespan tendency |
|---|---|---|
| Treated softwood timber | ~£15–£30 | Good, but base rots over time |
| Concrete (plain or slotted) | ~£25–£45 | Very long — does not rot |
| Galvanised steel / metal | ~£20–£50+ | Long, rot-free |
| Hardwood / decorative | ~£40–£80+ | Long, premium cost |
Indicative supply-only figures for guidance only. Prices vary with post height, section size and supplier.
Why fitting a post costs more than buying one
The supply price is only part of the story. Setting a post properly is labour-intensive:
- Digging the hole: a post needs a footing typically around 600mm deep, deeper for tall or exposed fences. That is a real dig, especially in clay or stony ground.
- Removing the old post: if the old post was set in concrete, breaking out that footing is some of the hardest work on the job.
- Postcrete: fast-setting post mix at roughly £6 to £10 a bag, often one or two bags per post.
- Setting plumb: the post has to be held vertical and braced while the concrete cures, which takes time and care.
Because of all this, a fitted post commonly lands in the £40 to £90 range even though the post itself may be under £45. On a full fence run the per-post labour is more efficient than a single replacement.
Timber versus concrete over the long run
Concrete posts cost more to buy, but the long-run picture often favours them:
- Rot resistance: concrete posts do not rot at the base, which is the usual failure point for timber. A timber post may need replacing before the panels do.
- Easy panel swaps: slotted concrete posts let you drop a new panel straight in without disturbing the post or its footing.
- Storm resilience: a solidly concreted post resists wind better than a timber post that has started to soften at ground level.
- Appearance: some prefer the look of timber posts, and concrete posts can be paired with timber panels and concrete gravel boards for a long-lasting hybrid.
The practical conclusion for many UK gardens is concrete posts with timber panels and concrete gravel boards: a higher up-front cost that lowers future replacement labour, because the posts and base stay put while only the panels are renewed over the years.
Repair spurs and other post options
A full new post is not the only way to deal with a failing one, and the alternatives carry their own costs:
- Concrete repair spurs: a short concrete post bolted alongside a rotten timber post and set into its own footing, typically £15 to £30 for the spur plus labour. It saves removing a panel and is a quick fix when one post has gone but the rest of the fence is sound.
- Metal post supports: drive-in or bolt-down steel spikes hold a timber post without a full concrete footing, lower-cost on soft ground but less suited to tall or exposed fences.
- Steel posts: galvanised steel posts resist rot and are used in some panel systems and security fencing, sitting above timber but usually below the all-in cost of a concreted timber repair.
- Recycled or composite posts: rot-free like concrete but a premium price, and less common for standard garden runs.
For a single failed post mid-run, a repair spur is often the most cost-effective option because it avoids dismantling the fence; for a full replacement, costing the posts properly as a new set is the right approach.
How many posts you actually need
Budgeting for posts means counting them correctly — a common source of under-estimating:
- One more post than panels: a run of 10 panels needs 11 posts, because each panel sits between two posts and the end ones are shared.
- Gravel boards too: if you are adding concrete gravel boards, that is a per-bay cost on top of the posts.
- End and corner posts: corners and gate posts may need heavier or longer posts, which cost more.
- Spare for breakages: on a big job, allowing for an extra post or two avoids a return trip.
So a fair post budget multiplies the post unit price by the panel count plus one, then adds postcrete and the labour to set each one. On a whole-garden replacement, posts and their groundwork can easily rival the cost of the panels themselves, which is why a quote that itemises posts separately is the most transparent.
Frequently asked questions
Are concrete fence posts worth the extra cost?
For most UK gardens, yes. They cost more to buy and are heavier to handle, but they do not rot at the base — the usual reason timber posts fail — so they typically outlast several sets of panels. Slotted concrete posts also make future panel swaps quick, which lowers long-run labour cost even though the up-front price is higher.
How deep should a fence post go, and does depth affect cost?
A rough guide is to bury about a quarter to a third of the post, often around 600mm for a standard fence and deeper for tall or exposed runs. Deeper holes and harder ground mean more digging time and more postcrete, so depth does add to the fitted cost, but a shallow post is far more likely to lean or fail in wind.
Can I reuse old fence posts when replacing panels?
If the posts are concrete and still sound, yes — slotting new panels into good posts is the lower-cost option because it avoids groundwork. Timber posts that are soft, leaning or rotten at the base should be replaced at the same time; fitting new panels to failing posts is a false economy that often fails in the next storm.
Sources & further reading
- Checkatrade — fence post cost guide
- MyJobQuote — cost of fence posts
- HouseholdQuotes — fencing cost guide
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific garden. They are guidance, not a quotation.