Cost Guides · Exterior Siding
Siding Installation Cost in 2026: Materials, Labor, and Builder Data
Siding installation cost from the national builder survey that prices the exterior wall finish, the Census material trends, and the wage and industry data behind the bid.
In a hurry? Turn a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds.
What does siding installation cost right now?
Siding installation cost has no single published number. No federal agency tracks a per-square-foot installed price, so the closest benchmark comes from builders themselves. NAHB’s 2024 Construction Cost Survey samples 41 home builders. It reports the exterior wall finish (siding, brick, stucco, or stone, materials and labor together) at $24,450 on average. That is 5.7 percent of the $428,215 average construction cost on a 2,647 sq ft new home. It covers new construction, not a re-siding bid. Tear-off and trim work change the labor picture on an existing house. Treat the figure as a builder-reported anchor, not a quote.
Which material are homeowners actually choosing?
Material choice moves the estimate more than almost anything else. Vinyl held the top spot for new single-family houses started in 2025, at 27.7 percent. That is its second straight year on top. Stucco followed at 24.1 percent and fiber cement at 22.6 percent, per NAHB’s reporting of Census data. Brick took 16.8 percent and wood 5.9 percent, and every other material came in under 2 percent.
| Material | 2025 national share | What moves its price |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | 27.7 percent | Panel gauge and trim style; usually the fastest install |
| Stucco | 24.1 percent | Coats applied and crew specialization |
| Fiber cement | 22.6 percent | Plank profile and cutting labor |
| Wood siding | 5.9 percent | Species and the repaint cycle it commits you to |
| Engineered wood | Not reported separately | Warranty terms versus solid wood |
| Metal panel siding | Under 2 percent | Gauge and specialized fastening labor |
Why labor, not just material, drives siding installation cost
Labor is harder to pin down because siding crews are not their own federal job category. Carpenters, a practical wage benchmark for siding crews, earned a $60,580 median annual wage as of May 2025 (BLS). That is a wage paid, not a rate billed; burden and margin ride on top, per our contractor hourly labor rates by trade page.
Turn a siding tear-off photo into an itemized estimate, free →
The siding contracting industry, by the numbers
IBISWorld sizes the Roofing and Siding Contractors industry at $110.6 billion in revenue in 2026. That spans roughly 144,000 businesses, a 3.6 percent compound annual growth rate from 2021 to 2026, and a 6.7 percent profit margin. The industry contracted 1.3 percent in 2026, its second straight year of decline. Residential self-pay spending pulled back, real leverage for a homeowner comparing bids.
How to estimate your siding installation cost
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Measure the wall area, not the floor plan
Multiply exterior perimeter by wall height, then subtract door and window openings. Floor-plan footage undercounts a two-story house.
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Decide tear-off versus install over existing siding
A tear-off adds disposal and prep labor a new-construction figure like NAHB’s does not carry. Ask each bidder which method they priced.
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Get material, labor, and disposal as separate line items
A bundled number hides which part of the job is expensive. Separate lines let you compare the piece that differs.
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Price the trim and accessories on their own line
Corner posts, J-channel, soffit, and fascia are often quoted apart from the field panels, and they add up fast.
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Ask for the material brand and warranty terms in writing
A materials swap moves a bid more than a labor-rate gap. Match brand and warranty length before comparing price.
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Confirm the permit requirement with your building department
Many jurisdictions require a permit for a full re-siding job, and the fee is not part of any builder-reported line.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator for siding installation cost
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Material, labor, and fee lines are editable. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
Keep reading
- Roof Replacement Cost: the other exterior finish line item.
- Contractor Hourly Labor Rates by Trade: wages versus rates billed.
Sources
- NAHB, Cost of Constructing a Home-2024, published 2025-01-20, captured 2026-09-20.
- NAHB, Which Exterior Material Is Used Most in Single-Family Homes?, published 2026-07-21, citing Census Survey of Construction, captured 2026-09-30.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Carpenters, May 2025 wage data, captured 2026-09-20.
- IBISWorld, Roofing & Siding Contractors in the US, 2026 industry report, captured 2026-09-20.
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store, 4.8 rating, verified 2026-09-20.
- Photo: Yellowstone National Park (NPS), public domain.
Frequently asked questions about siding installation cost
Siding installation cost basics
How much does siding installation cost in 2026?
There is no single published per-square-foot price. NAHB’s 2024 builder survey puts the exterior wall finish at $24,450 on average, 5.7 percent of construction cost. Get your own material, labor, and disposal quotes for a re-siding job.
Why do quotes vary so much between contractors?
Material brand, tear-off scope, and warranty terms all move independently. Two crews at the same labor rate can land far apart once material and disposal are added.
The materials
Which siding material is most popular right now?
Vinyl led new single-family houses started in 2025, at 27.7 percent. That is its second straight year on top, ahead of stucco (24.1 percent) and fiber cement (22.6 percent), per NAHB’s reporting of Census data.
Is there a published cost per square foot by material?
No. No allowed federal, trade-association, or industry-research source publishes an installed cost per square foot by siding material. Any number quoted that way is one contractor’s estimate, not a published statistic.
Estimating siding installation cost
Can I measure a siding job with my phone camera instead of a tape?
Tape or wheel the exterior walls and enter the dimensions. SimplyWise Cost Estimator then turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. On a Pro iPhone, the room scan captures measurements with LiDAR.
Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator price a siding job by material and labor?
It builds material, labor, and fee line items, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit. Enter your material pricing and crew’s labor rate, then send a branded quote the client signs to approve. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial.
Turn a siding bid into a quote that holds margin.
Snap a photo and get an itemized estimate with editable lines. Free to try, then $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr after a 7-day trial.