Custom Metal Fabrication Pricing

Custom metal fabrication does not have a price list, and any shop that gives you one is selling something other than custom work. What we can do is show you what projects like yours actually cost in Metro Vancouver, explain what moves the number up or down, and tell you exactly what we need in order to price your job properly.

Where most projects land

$2,500 to $40,000+

Across the work we are asked to price, most residential and light-commercial metalwork sits somewhere in this band. A short handrail or a small repair sits at the bottom. A feature staircase or an automated estate gate sits at the top. The guides below narrow that down by product.

Why There Is No Single Price

Two gates that look almost identical in a photograph can be thousands of dollars apart. The difference is rarely the design. It is the width, the weight, the wall or footing they mount to, the finish schedule, whether the site is flat and reachable, and whether anything has to be removed first.

Fabricated metalwork is also priced against fixed costs that do not scale down. A site measure, a shop setup, a coating run and a delivery cost roughly the same whether the piece is six feet long or sixteen. That is why very small one-off jobs carry a higher cost per foot than larger runs, and why most shops in this market apply a minimum project charge.

Size and quantity

Length, height, weight and how many identical pieces the setup is spread across.

Complexity

Curves, patterns, changes of direction, matched details and anything that has to be fitted to an existing structure.

Finish and site

Paint, powder coat, galvanizing or stainless, plus access, ground conditions and what has to be removed.

Pricing Guides by Product

Each guide gives a researched Metro Vancouver budget range, three to five worked examples, and a plain explanation of what pushes a project above or below the range.

Gate Pricing

Typical range $3,000 to $28,000

Pedestrian gates, single and double driveway gates, sliding gates and what automation adds.

See budget guide

Railing Pricing

Typical range $150 to $400 per foot

Interior and exterior guardrails, glass-and-metal systems and short handrail runs.

See budget guide

Fencing Pricing

Typical range $110 to $220 per foot

Ornamental steel fencing by the linear foot, plus what slope and rock do to a quote.

See budget guide

Staircase Pricing

Typical range $12,000 to $70,000

Straight steel stairs, mono stringer, floating and architectural feature staircases.

See budget guide

Welding Rates

Market rate $85 to $175 per hour

Shop and mobile welding rates, minimum call-out charges and typical small repair costs.

See budget guide

Pergola Pricing

Typical range $8,000 to $30,000

Aluminium systems, louvered roofs and why fabricated steel is priced differently.

See budget guide

Privacy Screen Pricing

Typical range $85 to $110 per sq ft

Laser-cut steel screen panels supplied, and what installation adds on site.

See budget guide

How TrussMetal Quotes

We price from the actual scope, not from a rate card. In practice that means a conversation, then a set of dimensions, then a written quote against a defined specification. Where the job needs a site visit we do a free in-house consultation first, because measuring the opening is usually faster and more accurate than three rounds of email.

  • You send photos, rough dimensions and what you have in mind
  • We come back with questions and, where useful, a budget indication so nobody wastes time
  • If the budget works, we confirm dimensions on site or from your drawings
  • You get a written quote against a defined specification, with the finish and hardware named
Custom is not always the right answer. If your priority is the lowest possible price and a catalogue product will do the job, a standard off-the-shelf gate, railing or screen will beat custom fabrication on cost every time. Custom fabrication is worth paying for when the opening is an awkward size, when the design has to match something, when the finish has to survive a coastal exposure, or when nothing on the shelf fits.

Get an Exact Price for Your Project

Send us a few details, photos or a drawing and we will price the actual scope instead of guessing from a generic range.

Request a Quote
How to read these numbers. The ranges on this page are researched Metro Vancouver market guidance, triangulated from published prices by Canadian fabricators, local trade companies and Canadian cost guides. They are not a TrussMetal quotation and they are not our price list. Custom fabrication is priced from the actual dimensions, material, finish, site conditions and installation scope of your project. Your written TrussMetal quote is the price that applies to your job.

Pricing guide updated: August 2026. Figures are planning ranges in Canadian dollars, before tax.