The short answer
Fencing labour in the UK typically runs at around £150 to £250 per fitter per day, or roughly £300 to £500 a day for a two-person team. Charged by the panel, fitting labour alone is often £25 to £60 per panel on a straightforward run, though a one-off panel carries a higher rate because of the minimum call-out. The labour figure climbs when posts are concreted in and must be dug out, when ground is hard or sloping, when access is awkward, or when old footings need breaking out. On most jobs the labour and groundwork together account for a large share of the total — frequently more than the panels themselves.
Separating labour from materials is the single most useful thing you can do when reading a fencing quote. Knowing typical day rates and what slows fitters down helps you judge whether a price is fair.
Fencing labour cost
- Per fitter, per day~£150–£250
- Two-person team, per day~£300–£500
- Fitting labour per panel~£25–£60
- Panels fitted per day (run)~6–10
- Minimum call-outOften ~half a day
How fencers charge for labour
Fencing labour is usually priced one of two ways, and it helps to know which you are looking at:
- Day rate: a fixed amount per fitter per day. A two-person team is common for handling and levelling panels and posts.
- Per panel or per metre: an all-in rate that bundles a share of the labour into each panel or each metre of fence.
- Fixed job price: a single quoted figure for the whole run, which is the easiest to budget against once you have confirmed what it includes.
However it is presented, the labour reflects time on site. A clean run with sound concrete posts goes quickly; a run that needs old footings broken out goes slowly, and the price reflects that.
What makes a panel take longer to fit
Two panels can take very different amounts of time depending on the conditions. The main time drivers:
- New posts vs existing posts: slotting a panel into a sound concrete post is quick; digging and concreting a new post is slow.
- Removing old footings: breaking out a concreted-in timber post is heavy, time-consuming work.
- Ground conditions: clay, stony ground, tree roots or a high water table all make digging harder.
- Slopes and stepping: a sloping boundary means stepping or raking panels, which takes more setting-out.
- Access: carrying panels, posts and spoil through a house or down a narrow side return adds real time.
- Curing time: postcrete sets fast, but a windy day or heavy panels may need bracing while it cures.
| Scenario | Relative labour | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Panel into sound concrete post | Lowest | No groundwork, quick swap |
| Panel + new concreted post | Higher | Dig, set, brace, cure |
| Remove old concreted post first | Highest per post | Breaking out the footing is hard |
| Sloping or stepped run | Higher | Extra setting-out per bay |
Indicative comparison for guidance only; actual time depends on site conditions and team size.
Where you can lower the labour bill
There are legitimate ways to reduce labour cost without cutting corners on the fence itself:
- Do the strip-out yourself: removing the old panels and clearing the line is unskilled work; leaving the fitters to do the skilled setting saves a chunk of time.
- Clear access: moving plants, bins and obstructions before the team arrives means they are not working around clutter.
- Keep posts where possible: if existing concrete posts are sound, reusing them avoids the most labour-heavy part of the job.
- Batch the work: replacing several panels in one visit is far more efficient than calling someone back repeatedly.
- Handle disposal yourself: if you have a way to dispose of the old timber, you may save a skip or grab charge.
What you should not do to save labour is skip proper post depth, rush curing or fit panels to failing posts — those shortcuts cost more later when the fence leans or fails.
Why a single panel costs more in labour per panel
One of the most common surprises is that replacing a single panel costs far more per panel than doing a whole run, and the reason is almost entirely labour:
- Minimum call-out: a fitter still has to travel to site, unload, set up and clear away for one panel just as they would for ten, and that fixed time is spread over a single unit.
- Travel and parking: the journey each way is the same whether the job is large or small, so it weighs much more heavily on a one-panel visit.
- Setup and pack-down: mixing postcrete, getting tools out and tidying the site are one-off tasks that a bigger job absorbs more efficiently.
- No economy of repetition: on a long run the second and third panels go in faster than the first; a single panel never reaches that rhythm.
This is why bundling several tired panels into one visit, rather than calling someone back each time one fails, brings the per-panel labour right down — the same fixed costs are shared across more work.
Reading a labour quote fairly
To judge whether a labour figure is reasonable, look at what it covers rather than the headline number alone:
- Is groundwork included? Digging holes, breaking out old footings and concreting new posts are the heaviest labour items and should be stated.
- Is disposal in or out? Removing and tipping the old fence is labour and a tip charge; check which side of the line it falls.
- How many fitters and how long? A day rate is easy to sanity-check against the number of panels in the run.
- Is VAT shown? A VAT-registered contractor adds it; many sole traders are below the threshold.
The most transparent quotes separate materials, labour and waste so you can see where the money goes. A labour figure that quietly assumes you will remove the old fence, or that omits the groundwork for new posts, is not comparable with one that includes everything — so always confirm the scope before comparing totals.
Frequently asked questions
How many fence panels can a fitter put up in a day?
On a straightforward run with sound posts, two fitters can often fit roughly six to ten panels a day. That drops sharply if every post has to be dug and concreted, or if old concreted footings need breaking out first, since the groundwork is the slow part. Sloping or awkward-access boundaries also reduce the daily count.
Is it lower-cost to pay a day rate or a per-panel price?
It depends on the job. A per-panel or fixed-job price gives you certainty and is easiest to compare. A day rate can work out lower-cost on a clean, fast run but riskier if hidden groundwork drags the time out. For a large or unpredictable job, a fixed quote that itemises labour, materials and waste is usually the safer basis.
Can I reduce the labour cost by helping?
Yes, within sensible limits. Stripping out the old fence, clearing access and arranging your own waste disposal are unskilled tasks that save fitter time. Leave the skilled work — setting posts plumb, getting levels right and concreting footings — to the fitters, because mistakes there are what cause a fence to lean or fail prematurely.
Sources & further reading
- Checkatrade — fencing cost guide
- MyJobQuote — cost of fitting a fence
- HouseholdQuotes — fence installation cost
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific garden. They are guidance, not a quotation.