Deck Cost Per Square Foot Calculator
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Cost per square foot is the number every quote gets compared against, and the number most often quoted without saying what it includes. A price that covers only decking boards and a price that covers footings, framing, railing, stairs and labour can differ by a factor of four for the same deck. This works out a per-square-foot figure from your own inputs and shows exactly which line items are inside it, so you can line it up against a contractor's bid on equal terms.
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What you'll need
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SVLING 340Pcs Multi-Purpose Wood Deck Screw Kit,#8#9 Bugle Head for Interior and Exterior Use,Star Drive Torx Golden Coated with T15/T25 Bit
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Black and Decker Deck Codes and Standards 2nd Edition: How to Design, Build, Inspect, and Maintain a Safer Deck
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ShunHong Outdoor Solid Composite Decking Boards Color Samples Pack | Polymer Composite Decking for All Weather Use,Poolside,Backyard,Patio(3 Pcs, 0.5ft Color Samples)
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Check price on AmazonPrices and savings as of Oct 25, 2026, 4:32 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Shopping for someone? See our backyard gift guide for deck builders & DIYers.
Compare your figure with deck cost per square foot by region.
PVC boards by line and linear foot are in the PVC deck cost calculator.
Comparing a quote with these rates? The deck quote checker.
Cost per square foot, explained honestly
"Cost per square foot" is the metric contractors use to quote fast and homeowners use to compare. In 2026, installed cost per square foot ranges from about $22 for pressure-treated pine up to $65+ for tropical hardwoods like ipe. The catch: two "$45 per sqft composite" quotes can differ by $3,000 on the same deck because one includes railings, stairs, and permits and the other doesn't. Always ask what's inside the per-square-foot number.
What's baked into the number above
The prices in this calculator assume a complete installed deck: framing (joists, beams, posts, ledger), the decking material listed, standard hardware, code-minimum wood railings, one 3-foot-wide stair run for elevated decks, permits, and labor. It does not include site prep (tree removal, grading), premium railings (aluminum, glass, cable), hot tub reinforcement, or lighting.
Material cost per square foot at a glance
- Pressure-treated pine: $22/sqft — the entry point. Excellent value for framing and budget builds; requires staining every 2–3 years.
- Cedar: $32/sqft — natural rot resistance and a beautiful straight-grain look, but softens over 15–20 years.
- Redwood: $38/sqft — West Coast favorite; supply-constrained east of the Rockies.
- Composite (Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon): $48/sqft — the mainstream mid-market choice for the last decade. 25+ year fade warranties.
- PVC / cellular: $58/sqft — lighter than composite, better in constant moisture and heat, premium finish.
- Tropical hardwood (ipe, cumaru): $65/sqft — 40+ year lifespan, museum-grade look, hardest to install.
Deck cost by size and material
Multiply the deck's square footage by the installed rate for the material. These totals use the same rates as the calculator above (pressure-treated $22, cedar $32, composite $48, PVC $58 and ipe $65 per square foot) for a standard deck with code-minimum railing and one stair run. Each size links to its own page, which gives the low-to-high range, the full material list and the framing:
| Deck size | Sq ft | Pressure-treated | Cedar | Composite | PVC | Ipe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8×10 ft | 80 | $1,760 | $2,560 | $3,840 | $4,640 | $5,200 |
| 8×12 ft | 96 | $2,112 | $3,072 | $4,608 | $5,568 | $6,240 |
| 10×10 ft | 100 | $2,200 | $3,200 | $4,800 | $5,800 | $6,500 |
| 10×12 ft | 120 | $2,640 | $3,840 | $5,760 | $6,960 | $7,800 |
| 12×12 ft | 144 | $3,168 | $4,608 | $6,912 | $8,352 | $9,360 |
| 10×16 ft | 160 | $3,520 | $5,120 | $7,680 | $9,280 | $10,400 |
| 12×16 ft | 192 | $4,224 | $6,144 | $9,216 | $11,136 | $12,480 |
| 14×14 ft | 196 | $4,312 | $6,272 | $9,408 | $11,368 | $12,740 |
| 10×20 ft | 200 | $4,400 | $6,400 | $9,600 | $11,600 | $13,000 |
| 12×20 ft | 240 | $5,280 | $7,680 | $11,520 | $13,920 | $15,600 |
| 16×16 ft | 256 | $5,632 | $8,192 | $12,288 | $14,848 | $16,640 |
| 16×20 ft | 320 | $7,040 | $10,240 | $15,360 | $18,560 | $20,800 |
| 20×20 ft | 400 | $8,800 | $12,800 | $19,200 | $23,200 | $26,000 |
A multi-level, curved or built-in design adds 20–40% on top, which the deck cost calculator applies with its complexity setting. Regional labor moves every row: the deck cost by state table shows how far.
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Trex, TimberTech and other composite decks per square foot
Trex, TimberTech and Fiberon all sit in the composite row: about $48 per square foot installed in this calculator, so a 12×16 Trex deck comes to roughly $9,216 and a 16×20 to about $15,360. Each brand sells several board lines, and the premium capped lines cost more per board than the entry lines, so a high-end composite quote can land near the PVC row. The framing under every composite deck is still pressure-treated lumber, so only the decking and railing change with the material. Compare the two over 20 years with thecomposite vs wood calculator.
How to figure the square footage of a deck
Multiply length by width for a rectangle: a 12 ft by 16 ft deck is 192 square feet. Split an L-shaped or notched deck into rectangles and add them, and count a landing as part of the deck but stairs separately, since stairs are priced per step rather than per square foot. Thedeck square footage calculator handles odd shapes, and thedeck materials calculator turns the area into a board, joist and screw list if you are pricing wood yourself.
Why regional labor rates change the answer
Labor is 30–40% of the per-square-foot number, and it varies dramatically by market. A Nashville crew averages $55/hr; the same crew in San Francisco or Boston is closer to $110/hr. That alone can shift a composite deck from $45 to $58 per sqft. When comparing this calculator's output to a local quote, expect the range to skew high in the Northeast and West Coast and low in the South and Midwest.
Using cost per square foot correctly
Use the per-square-foot metric to sanity-check contractor quotes and rule out outliers — not to make final decisions. Two decks of the same size can differ 20% on total price based on height, complexity, and railings alone. For a total project cost estimate that accounts for those, run the numbers through our full deck cost calculator.
Get the Smart Decking Calculator app for Android
Estimate decks on the go, save projects, and share them with contractors.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the average cost per square foot to build a deck?
- Installed, most residential decks land between $30 and $60 per square foot. Pressure-treated pine sits at the bottom of that band, cedar in the middle, composite around $45 to $60, and PVC or tropical hardwood above it. Materials alone are usually 40 to 50 percent of the total; the rest is labour, footings, hardware and the permit.
- Why do deck quotes vary so much per square foot?
- Because the phrase covers different things. Some quotes are decking material only, some are materials and framing, and some are the finished job including stairs, railing and site work. Height matters too: an elevated deck needs taller posts, deeper footings and staging, so the same boards over the same footprint cost more. Always ask what is inside the number before comparing two.
- Does a bigger deck cost less per square foot?
- Usually, yes. Fixed costs — mobilisation, the permit, the ledger, the stairs — spread over more area, and long joist runs waste less lumber. The saving is real but modest, in the region of 10 to 15 percent going from a small deck to a large one. It reverses once the deck gets big enough to need a second beam line or a multi-level layout.
- Is labour or material the bigger share of deck cost?
- On pressure-treated pine, labour is usually the larger half, often 55 to 60 percent. On composite and PVC the material share climbs and labour drops below half, because the boards cost several times more while the work of installing them is nearly identical. That is why upgrading material costs less overall than the sticker difference suggests.
- How much does a Trex deck cost per square foot?
- About $48 per square foot installed, the composite rate this calculator uses for Trex, TimberTech and Fiberon. That is roughly $9,216 for a 12×16 deck and $15,360 for a 16×20. Premium capped board lines cost more per board than entry lines, so a top-tier composite quote can approach the $58 PVC rate.
- How much does a 12×16 deck cost?
- A 12×16 deck is 192 square feet, so at installed rates it is about $4,224 in pressure-treated pine, $6,144 in cedar, $9,216 in composite, $11,136 in PVC and $12,480 in ipe. Add 20 to 40 percent for multiple levels, curves or built-ins.
- How much does an 8x10 deck cost?
- An 8×10 deck is 80 square feet, so at installed rates it is about $1,760 in pressure-treated pine, $2,560 in cedar, $3,840 in composite and $4,640 in PVC. Small decks run a little above the per-square-foot rate because the stairs, ledger and permit are fixed costs spread over fewer feet.
- How much does a 10x20 deck cost?
- A 10×20 deck is 200 square feet: about $4,400 in pressure-treated pine, $6,400 in cedar, $9,600 in composite and $11,600 in PVC, installed with code-minimum railing and one stair run. The 10x20 deck page has the full material list and the low-to-high range.
- How much does a 14x14 deck cost?
- A 14×14 deck is 196 square feet: about $4,312 in pressure-treated pine, $6,272 in cedar, $9,408 in composite and $11,368 in PVC. The 14x14 deck page works out the joist size each lumber species needs for that 14 ft span, plus the material list.
- How much does a 16x16 deck cost?
- A 16×16 deck is 256 square feet: about $5,632 in pressure-treated pine, $8,192 in cedar, $12,288 in composite and $14,848 in PVC. These are national averages; the 16x16 deck page gives the low-to-high range and the full material list.
- How do I figure the square footage of a deck?
- Multiply length by width — 12 ft by 16 ft is 192 square feet. For an L-shape, split it into rectangles and add them. Stairs are priced per step, so leave them out of the square footage and add them separately.
