Siding is one of those jobs where the material choice alone can move a bid by $15,000 — on the same house. A vinyl re-side and a fiber cement re-side have almost nothing in common price-wise, but clients often think they're close because "it's just cladding." That gap is your job to explain, and your quote is where the conversation starts.

The other issue: siding pricing involves more separate cost buckets than most trades. Tear-off, house wrap, trim, soffit, fascia, paint coordination on fiber cement — if even one of those gets buried or forgotten, you eat it out of margin. This guide breaks all of it down.

How siding contractors price jobs

Most siding contractors price in one of two ways: per square (100 sq ft), or as a lump sum built from unit costs. The per-square model works well for estimating because that's how materials order — a 12-square job needs 12 squares of product, plus waste. But the quote the client sees should probably show a line-item breakdown or a per-square-foot installed rate, since that's how most people think.

Some contractors price purely by linear foot for trim-heavy jobs with lots of dormers, bay windows, or irregular shapes. That requires a more detailed takeoff, but it's more defensible when the scope is complicated.

The most common mistake: quoting a siding job as a single per-square-foot handshake rate without line items. That works fine until you forget to include tear-off, or the house wrap is deteriorated and needs replacing, or the client wants Hardie trim boards around every window. Separate line items protect you — and they make change orders straightforward if the scope shifts.

Per-square-foot benchmarks by material type

Installed pricing varies significantly by material. These ranges reflect the full installed cost — materials plus labor — for field siding only, with no tear-off or trim included:

Material Materials ($/sqft) Labor ($/sqft) Installed total
Vinyl $1.00–$3.00 $2.00–$4.00 $4–$8
LP SmartSide (engineered wood) $2.00–$4.50 $2.50–$5.00 $5–$9
James Hardie (fiber cement) $2.50–$6.50 $3.50–$6.50 $6–$15
Cedar / natural wood $4.00–$10.00 $4.00–$8.00 $8–$18

A few things jump out. First, fiber cement labor is slower — Hardie board is heavy, roughly twice the weight of vinyl, and requires a fiber cement blade, more careful cutting, and usually two workers on the wall. A vinyl crew doing 400 sqft per day might put up 200–250 sqft of Hardie on the same schedule.

Second, LP SmartSide sits in an interesting position. It installs faster than Hardie but handles moisture better than wood, which is why it's gained market share in the South and in climates with freeze-thaw cycles. The material premium over vinyl is usually worth it for clients who want a wood look without the maintenance.

Coastal markets — the Northeast, Pacific coast, South Florida — tend to run 20–35% above these benchmarks, driven by local labor rates and code requirements.

The line items that don't fit in the table

The installed totals above cover field siding only. Here's what every re-side quote also needs to address.

Tear-off and disposal

Removing old siding runs $0.70–$2.00/sqft, depending on the number of layers and accessibility. A single layer of vinyl on a ranch-style home is $0.70–$1.00. Two layers of aluminum on a two-story with a steep pitch is $1.50–$2.00, plus any lift or scaffolding rental. Line this out separately — if you hit an unexpected layer buried under the first, you need a named line item to anchor the change order conversation. Bunching it into the install rate makes that impossible.

Weather barrier and house wrap

If the substrate is exposed during tear-off, new house wrap is standard practice. Figure $0.15–$0.40/sqft for material and labor. On a full re-side, that usually runs $300–$700. Some contractors skip it when the existing wrap is sound — that's a judgment call — but note it explicitly in your scope either way.

Trim, corners, and accessories

This is where budgets blow. Vinyl trim (J-channel, outside corners, drip cap, soffit channel) adds 10–15% to material cost on a typical house. Hardie trim boards — especially around windows and at corners — can add $1,500–$4,000. If the client wants matching fascia and soffit replaced, that's its own line: soffit and fascia runs $1.00–$3.50/sqft installed.

Paint for fiber cement

Fiber cement comes factory primed. It still needs a topcoat — most manufacturer specs call for two coats of exterior latex. If you're subbing it out, get a firm painter price before the quote goes out. Painting 1,800 sqft of Hardie typically runs $2,000–$4,500, depending on profile and access. Vinyl doesn't need paint. LP SmartSide also comes primed and needs a topcoat, though it holds paint better than wood over time.

Permits and disposal

Most municipalities require a permit for exterior cladding replacement — figure $200–$600. A standard-size house generates 3,000–5,000 lbs of old siding; a roll-off dumpster runs $450–$700 in most markets.

Tear-off: the most underpriced line item

Tear-off is the one line item siding contractors consistently underprice, because they think of it as a quick demo step. It isn't always.

The safe formula: identify all existing cladding layers, price accessible areas at $0.70/layer/sqft and elevated areas at $1.25+/layer/sqft, then add scaffolding or lift rental for any gable peaks or dormers above safe extension-ladder reach. A two-story house with an attic gable may need a 40-foot lift — that's $600–$1,200/day depending on your market.

Also check homes built before 1980 for asbestos cement siding. It was common in that era. If it's present, you're looking at abatement — a separate cost structure, different licensing, and a completely different timeline. Walk the job before quoting and note any suspect material in writing.

Material markup on siding

Siding materials carry a contractor markup, just like any other trade. The typical range is 20–35% applied to your trade pricing. Specialty products — wide-plank Hardie, cedar shingles, premium composites — sometimes go to 30–40% because supply is tighter and the margin tolerance is there.

Your markup has to account for carrying costs, delivery fees, waste (siding generates at least 10% waste on a simple house, closer to 18–22% on a house with lots of cuts), and pricing variability. On that last point: vinyl and fiber cement prices have moved sharply in some markets over the past two years with raw material and tariff pressure. As covered in the material markup guide, consider adding a price escalation clause to quotes that will be open for more than 30 days — especially on large Hardie jobs where materials represent $8,000+ of the total.

A full price build: 1,800 sq ft re-side, two ways

Here's what a complete siding quote looks like on a real job: a 1,800 sq ft re-side on a two-story colonial, priced in vinyl and in fiber cement.

Vinyl re-side:

  • Field siding, 1,800 sqft × $2.25/sqft material: $4,050
  • Labor, 1,800 sqft × $3.25/sqft: $5,850
  • Tear-off, 1,800 sqft × $0.90/sqft: $1,620
  • House wrap replacement: $450
  • Trim and accessories (corners, J-channel, soffit channel): $900
  • Permit and disposal: $700
  • Direct cost subtotal: $13,570
  • Overhead at 28%: $3,800
  • Profit at 15%: $2,605
  • Quote total: ~$19,975 → rounded to $20,200

Fiber cement (Hardie) re-side, same house:

  • Field siding, 1,800 sqft × $4.50/sqft material: $8,100
  • Labor, 1,800 sqft × $5.00/sqft (slower install): $9,000
  • Tear-off: $1,620
  • House wrap: $450
  • Hardie trim boards at windows and corners: $2,200
  • Paint — two topcoats, subcontracted: $2,400
  • Permit and disposal: $700
  • Direct cost subtotal: $24,470
  • Overhead at 28%: $6,852
  • Profit at 15%: $4,699
  • Quote total: ~$36,021 → rounded to $36,500

That's a $16,000 swing on the same structure — which is exactly why you need to ask about material choice before giving anyone a number. A client who calls back angry about sticker shock usually got a ballpark from a neighbor who did vinyl, then heard your Hardie price cold.

Common questions on siding pricing

How much should a siding contractor charge per square foot?

For vinyl, $4–$8 installed per square foot is the standard residential range in 2026. Fiber cement (Hardie) runs $6–$15/sqft installed. LP SmartSide falls between them at $5–$9/sqft. Those ranges exclude tear-off, which adds $0.70–$2.00/sqft depending on layers and access.

Should tear-off be a separate line item in the quote?

Yes. Bundling it into the install rate makes it invisible, and if you hit an extra siding layer or unexpected substrate damage you've got nowhere to go. A named line item makes the change order conversation easy — "we found a second layer of aluminum behind the vinyl, here's the additional cost." Without it, you're absorbing it or arguing without documentation.

Is it better to price siding per square or per square foot?

Use per square (100 sqft) internally for your takeoff, since that's how materials order. Present the client a per-square-foot rate or a line-item total — whichever reads faster. Never give a verbal per-square-foot rate without specifying whether tear-off is included. That ambiguity causes disputes after the job starts.

How much waste should I factor into a siding estimate?

At least 10% on a simple gable home. Add 5% per complex feature — bay windows, dormers, attached garages with separate slope profiles. A house with lots of angles and cuts can run 18–22% waste. Order to that number. Most suppliers will take back unopened panels within 30 days, but it's not guaranteed, so don't cut it too close.

Does fiber cement need to be painted after installation?

Yes. It comes factory primed but requires a topcoat — typically two coats of exterior latex per the manufacturer spec. Get a firm painter price before your quote goes out; don't estimate it. Painting 1,800 sqft of Hardie runs $2,000–$4,500 depending on profile and trim detail. Either build that number in or explicitly exclude it and hand off the painter contact.

The bottom line

Siding quotes go sideways when everything gets rolled into one per-square-foot rate and the math is assumed to hold. It usually doesn't on two-story houses, multi-layer tear-offs, or Hardie jobs with trim and paint. Break it into line items — field siding, tear-off, house wrap, trim, paint coordination, permit, disposal — and your quotes will hold up under scrutiny, your change orders will have somewhere to land, and clients won't be surprised by a number they didn't expect.

If you're building out siding quotes by hand for every lead, PRISM can turn that into a two-minute task. Paste a client message or job description, set your material type and margins, and a formatted quote comes out ready to send.