There are a lot of places in Brisbane to buy a fence, and no two of them mean quite the same thing by fencing supplier. Some supply panels and nothing else. Some quote a finished fence and subcontract the install. Some hold stock, some make to order, and the difference shows up as weeks rather than days. None of that is dishonest, but it does mean two quotes for the same run of fence can be built on completely different assumptions. This is how to find out which assumptions you are looking at before you commit.
The quick answer
Decide supply only or installed before you ask anyone to quote. It is the single biggest reason two quotes come back far apart.
A quote for panels is not a quote for a fence. Posts, caps, brackets, concrete, gates and hardware are where the gap usually sits.
Ask whether the stock is held or made to order. Made to order is normal for colour and size, but it changes your timeline.
If anyone is installing for you, check who carries the licence for the work and what the threshold is. It is not the same for every job.
Decide supply only or installed before you ask anyone
This is the fork in the road, and answering it first will save you most of the confusion later. A supply only quote covers materials delivered to you. An installed quote covers materials plus labour, site access, removal of the old fence if there is one, and the risk of whatever the ground turns out to be hiding.
Those two numbers are not comparable, and the gap between them is bigger than most people expect, because labour on a fence is genuinely hard work. What fence installation labour costs sets out the realistic range so you can see how much of a quote is materials and how much is the work.
If you are weighing up doing it yourself, be honest about the ground and the access. A flat suburban block with clear access is a genuine DIY job. A steep site, a rock shelf or a run you can only reach through the house is a different proposition. Our weekend plan for a DIY fence install sets out what it actually takes, and how to install aluminium fence panels covers the method.
A quote for panels is not a quote for a fence
The most common reason a cheap quote stops being cheap is that it priced the visible part and left the rest to be added later. When you put two quotes side by side, check each one for every line below, not just the panels.
| Line item | Why it gets left out | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Posts | Quoted per panel, with posts added separately or assumed as yours | How many posts, what size, and are they included |
| Post caps and brackets | Small items, easy to omit, annoying to discover on install day | Is the fixing hardware in this price |
| Concrete | Sometimes supplied, often not | Am I buying concrete or are you |
| Gates | Priced as a separate product, sometimes forgotten entirely | Is the gate, its posts and its hardware in this number |
| Gate hardware | Hinges, latches and drop bolts add up | Which hardware is included and what grade |
| Delivery | Free over a threshold, charged under it | What does delivery cost to my postcode |
| Old fence removal | Only relevant on a replacement, and often assumed to be yours | Who is taking the old fence away |
Our breakdown of what aluminium fencing costs in Brisbane runs through the components so you can see what a complete number should include. If budget is the main constraint, the cheapest fencing options in Brisbane compares the materials honestly, including where we are not the cheap answer.
Held stock or made to order, and what that does to your timeline
Aluminium fencing in Australia is largely made to order, because the combination of height, width and colour is specific to the job. That is normal, and it is usually the right answer, but it has a consequence: the fence does not exist yet when you pay for it.
What you want to know is the realistic lead time, in weeks, for your combination. A supplier who holds common sizes in the common colours can turn a standard job around quickly. The same supplier may need several weeks for an unusual height or a colour outside the standard range. Neither is a problem if you know before you book a tradesperson or promise a neighbour a date.
Ask the awkward version of the question
Not “how long will it take”, which invites an optimistic answer, but “what is the longest this has taken recently, and what caused it”. The second question gets you the real range.
Sizes are worth checking at the same time, because a standard panel size will always be quicker and cheaper than a custom one. The standard aluminium fence panel sizes and heights covers what is normal, and our fence panel range shows what we make.
Licensing, and who is actually responsible
In Queensland, building work over a value threshold generally needs a licensed contractor, and fencing is not automatically exempt. The threshold, and whether it applies to your job, depends on the value of the work and what is being built. A supply only purchase is a materials sale. An installed fence is building work.
The practical point for you as a buyer is to know which of those you are signing up for, and if it is the second, to ask who holds the licence for the work and to check that licence yourself. The QBCC maintains a public register and it takes a minute to search.
Our guide to fence building licences in Queensland covers the thresholds and the exemptions in more detail, including the cases where no licence is required at all.
This cuts both ways
If you are doing the work yourself on your own home, different rules apply again. The licensing question is about who you are paying to build, not about whether you are allowed to build your own fence.
Colour, coating and matching something that already exists
If part of the boundary is staying, matching it is harder than it sounds. Powder coat colours drift between batches and fade over years of Queensland sun, so a new panel in the same nominal colour will rarely be an exact match against a ten year old run. A good supplier will tell you that rather than let you find out on install day.
Ask what the coating specification is, not just the colour name. The coating is the part doing the work, and there is a real difference between grades. What separates a good powder coat from a cheap one covers what to ask about, and the standard aluminium fence colours covers what is commonly available.
Get the measurement right first, because it makes quotes comparable
Most of the variation between quotes disappears once everyone is pricing the same run. If you give three suppliers three different descriptions of your boundary, you will get three numbers that cannot be compared, and the cheapest will usually be the one that assumed the least.
Measure the run, note the fall across it, count the gates and photograph the corners. How to measure for aluminium fencing walks through it. Ten minutes here is worth more than an hour of comparing quotes afterwards.
If the fence sits on a shared boundary, the cost may not be entirely yours, and there is a process for that in Queensland. The notice to contribute explains how it works before you commit to paying for the whole thing.
Eight questions worth asking every supplier
Is this quote supply only or installed, and what exactly does installed include?
Does the price include posts, caps, brackets, fixings and concrete?
Are the gates, gate posts and gate hardware in this number or separate?
Is this stock you hold or is it made to order, and what is the realistic lead time?
What is the powder coat specification, and what warranty comes with it?
What does delivery cost to my postcode, and is there a threshold for free delivery?
If you are installing, who holds the licence for the work and what is the number?
What happens if a panel arrives damaged or the colour is wrong?
You are not being difficult by asking these. A supplier who answers them clearly is telling you something useful about how the rest of the job will go.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to buy fencing supplies and install it myself?
Usually yes on the invoice, because labour is a real cost. Whether it is cheaper overall depends on your site and your time. A flat block with clear access is a genuine DIY job. A sloping site with difficult access is where DIY savings tend to disappear.
Why are two quotes for the same fence so far apart?
Almost always because they are not quoting the same thing. The usual culprits are posts, gate hardware, concrete and old fence removal. Ask both suppliers to itemise and the gap normally explains itself.
How long does made to order aluminium fencing take?
It varies with the height, colour and the time of year. The useful question is not the average but the longest recent lead time and what caused it, because that is the number that will affect your plans.
Do I need a licensed contractor to build a fence in Queensland?
It depends on the value of the work and what is being built. Some fencing work sits under the threshold and some does not. If you are paying someone to install, ask who holds the licence and check it on the QBCC register yourself.
Can I buy just the panels and source posts elsewhere?
You can, and some people do. The thing to watch is that post spacing, bracket type and panel width need to agree with each other. Mixing systems is where jobs go wrong, so check the dimensions before you split the order.
General guidance for domestic fencing in South East Queensland. Licensing thresholds, council requirements and dividing fence obligations change with the job and the site. Confirm the specifics for your own project.
Working out what your fence line needs? Tell us the run and the height and we will quote it, supply-only or installed.
- Brisbane-based supplier
- Aluminium fencing & gates
- Supply or installed