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How Much Does Composite Decking Cost in 2026? (Complete Guide for US, UK, Australia & Canada)

By Sam Redfield · thebuildcost.com ·

If you're pricing a composite deck in 2026, you've probably noticed something frustrating: every calculator gives you a different number, and none of them ask where you actually live. A "cost per square foot" quote pulled from a US site is useless if you're in Manchester or Brisbane. A UK cost guide won't tell you that Trex boards cost 63% more in Canada than they do across the border.

This guide fixes that. We've verified 2026 installed costs directly from Home Depot, Wickes, Bunnings, and Turkstra Lumber, then cross-checked them against HomeStars, Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, and Brite Decking. Every price below is in the region's own currency and unit — no sneaky conversions, no US prices dressed up as universal.

Whether you're planning a small 10×10 patio deck in Ohio or a 40 m² wraparound in Melbourne, you'll get real numbers and the reasoning behind them.

What's inside:

  • Real 2026 prices by deck size — 32 cost scenarios across 4 regions
  • Trex, TimberTech, Ekodeck, and Composite Prime board prices, verified this month
  • The honest downsides most sellers won't mention (heat, fading, scratching)
  • When composite actually beats wood on total cost — and when it doesn't
  • Regional permit rules that catch DIYers by surprise
  • Free calculators for the exact cost of your deck

Let's start with the numbers.

Quick Answer — 2026 Composite Decking Cost by Region

Composite decking installed costs vary significantly by region in 2026:

  • 🇺🇸 United States: $35–$85 per square foot installed (small decks) to $26–$65/sq ft (larger builds). A 16×20 deck runs $9,600–$24,000.
  • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: £90–£280 per square metre installed. A 12m² deck costs £1,200–£3,800.
  • 🇦🇺 Australia: AUD $250–$650 per square metre installed (Bunnings-tier Ekodeck). Premium Trex installations reach $650–$900/m². A 26m² deck: $6,800–$16,500.
  • 🇨🇦 Canada: CAD $45–$110 per square foot installed. A 16×20 deck: $14,000–$37,000 — roughly 1.5× the US price due to import costs and higher labour.

Ranges reflect installed cost (materials + labour) across economy, mid, and premium tiers. Prices verified September 2026 from Home Depot, Wickes, Bunnings, and Turkstra Lumber.

Get your exact estimate: US · UK · AU · CA calculators

What Is Composite Decking? (Skip if You Already Know)

Composite decking is a manufactured board made from recycled wood fibres and plastic, moulded to look like timber but engineered to outlast it. If you've priced traditional wood decking recently and winced, composite is likely why the industry keeps trying to sell you a "20-year alternative."

Materials & construction

A composite board is roughly 50–60% wood fibres (usually sawdust and wood flour from recycled sources) bonded with 40–50% plastic — either high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene, often recycled from milk jugs and shopping bags. The two are melted, mixed, and extruded into board shapes.

Most modern composite boards are capped — a hard plastic shell wraps the outer surface on three or four sides. That cap is what protects against staining, fading, and moisture absorption. Older uncapped boards (still sold as budget options) fade faster and stain easily, which is why the industry moved toward capping around 2010.

Board dimensions vary by region: US and Canadian boards are 1" × 6" sold in 12, 16, or 20 ft lengths. UK boards run 25 × 140 mm at 3.66 m or 4.88 m. Australia standardises on 137 × 23 mm at 5.4 m. This matters more than it sounds — a US "16 ft board" and a UK "4.88 m board" are the same physical product from Trex, just packaged for different markets.

Composite vs PVC vs traditional wood — quick comparison

Three materials compete for your deck budget in 2026, and they behave differently over time:

  • Traditional wood (pressure-treated pine, cedar, hardwood): cheapest upfront, requires annual staining or sealing, lifespan 10–15 years for softwoods, 20–25 for hardwoods. Splinters, warps, and rots without maintenance.
  • Composite (Trex, TimberTech Composite, Ekodeck, Composite Prime): 2–3× the upfront cost of pressure-treated pine, effectively zero maintenance beyond soap-and-water cleaning, 25–30 year warranties standard. Absorbs and radiates heat — a real issue in direct sun.
  • PVC / capped polymer (TimberTech AZEK, MoistureShield Vision): highest upfront cost, closest look to real wood, doesn't absorb moisture at all, best for pool decks and humid climates. Lightest, but expands and contracts most with temperature.

For most homeowners in 2026, composite hits the sweet spot: warranty-backed longevity without wood's maintenance treadmill or PVC's price tag. The catch is that "composite" spans a $22 economy board and a $180 premium board in the same aisle — which is what the next section is about.

Composite Decking Cost Breakdown (What You're Really Paying For)

The single biggest reason composite deck quotes vary so widely is that "installed cost" bundles three separate things — materials, labour, and everything the salesman didn't mention. Understanding how each piece scales helps you spot which quote is honest and which one is padded.

Materials cost

Materials cover the boards themselves plus the hardware most homeowners forget to budget for. The boards are the visible headline: a 16 ft Trex Enhance Basics costs $31.98 at Home Depot US in September 2026, £52 at Wickes UK (as a 4.88 m board), and CAD $52 at Turkstra Lumber Ontario. That US-to-CA gap of 63% isn't a currency conversion — Canadian dealers attribute it to import tariff classification and freight, not the counter-tariffs that took effect 8 September 2026 (which cover softwood framing, not composite boards).

Beyond boards, you're paying for hidden fasteners (roughly $0.35–$0.55 per clip, and a 200 sq ft deck needs 600–700 of them), starter clips for the perimeter, and substructure — the treated pine or hardwood joists nobody photographs. Substructure alone runs $4–$16 per sq ft in the US, £15–£30 per m² in the UK, and AUD $30–$45 per m² in Australia. If your existing framing is sound and you're just replacing boards, this drops close to zero. If you're building from scratch, this is where the "materials" number nearly doubles.

Board tier matters too. On a 200 sq ft US deck, choosing Trex Enhance Basics (economy) vs Trex Transcend (premium) shifts materials from about $1,600 to $5,600 — same deck, same labour, wildly different bill.

How much of a deck's cost is labour?

More than most people expect, and more than we can pin to a single number.

In Canada, HomeStars puts labour at 40 to 60 per cent of most deck quotes. In the US, HomeGuide gives materials at $16 to $32 per square foot and labour at $24 to $48, which works out at roughly 60 per cent labour.

For the UK and Australia we won't give you a percentage, and it's worth saying why. Checkatrade quotes a landscaper day rate of £260 to £340 and a per-square-metre price that already includes installation, so there is nothing to divide. Airtasker's Australian figures don't reconcile with each other: it lists New South Wales labour at $200 to $210 per square metre, then prices a 50 m² deck at $5,300 to $7,200 in total — less than its own labour rate would come to on its own.

Two things make a single figure misleading even where one exists.

The share depends on what you build with. HomeStars' installed prices run from $35 per square foot for pressure-treated lumber to $150 for exotic hardwood, and the labour to lay them is not four times different. The more you spend on boards, the smaller labour's share looks, without anyone working less.

And the source most willing to state a share is a board manufacturer. Trex puts labour and project management at nearly two-thirds — a figure that makes its own boards look like a minor line on the invoice. It may well be right. It is not disinterested.

What's safe to say: labour is a bigger share than most people budget for, somewhere around half on the figures we can check. If a quote tells you labour is a quarter of the job, ask what it leaves out.

Sources, read 14 October 2026: HomeStars (Canada) · HomeGuide (US) · Checkatrade (UK) · Airtasker (Australia) · Trex

What drives labour cost up:

  • Pattern complexity: straight boards run 10% waste; diagonal cuts push to 15%; herringbone hits 20%; picture-frame borders add another 12% on top.
  • Elevation: ground-level decks are cheap. Anything above 600 mm needs guardrails, which is both a materials cost and a labour cost.
  • Substructure work: replacing rotten joists mid-project is the single biggest quote-buster. A good contractor inspects before quoting; a bad one adds a "surprise" invoice at day two.
  • Site access: carrying boards through a house or up a slope adds hours. Contractors usually don't list this — they just quote higher.

Extra costs people forget

The "extras" line is where DIY budgets die. Rank-ordered by frequency-of-forgetting:

  1. Railings and balustrades — mandatory anywhere the drop exceeds 600 mm (Ontario Building Code section 9.8.8) or roughly 30 inches in most US jurisdictions. Composite railings run $30–$60 per linear foot in the US, £80–£150 per linear metre in the UK. On a 16×20 deck, that's easily $2,000+ nobody mentioned.
  2. Footings and posts — concrete footings, sonotubes, and post anchors for a freestanding deck run $300–$800 total in the US, higher for engineered ground.
  3. Permits — vary wildly by region. US decks over 30 inches or 200 sq ft typically need a permit ($225–$500). UK decking needs planning permission if it's more than 30 cm above the ground, covers more than 50% of the garden together with other extensions and outbuildings, or sits forward of the house's principal elevation. AU councils commonly require approval above 1 m. CA/Ontario permits run CAD $200–$600 depending on municipality.
  4. Demolition — removing an old deck costs $4–$8 per sq ft in the US, mostly labour. Elevated or attached-to-house adds another 15–30%.
  5. Skirting, stairs, lighting, and finish trim — each adds $500–$3,000 depending on scope.

If a contractor's quote doesn't itemise these five categories, ask for them separately. A "$12,000 installed" number that hides $3,000 of railings you'll be billed for on day three isn't a quote — it's a hook.

2026 Prices by Deck Size — The Ultimate Cost Table

This is the table nobody else builds. Every composite decking guide we found in September 2026 covered exactly one region — a Trex US calculator, a Wickes UK price guide, a Bunnings Australia cost page. None of them let you compare a 12×16 deck across four markets in a single glance.

The ranges below reflect installed cost (materials + labour) for a straight-run pattern, standard elevation, no premium extras like glass balustrades or built-in lighting. Every cell is derived from the per-unit rates in our source report — verified 26 September 2026 against Home Depot, Wickes, Bunnings, Turkstra Lumber, HomeStars, Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, and Brite Decking.

The full matrix

Deck Size🇺🇸 US ($)🇬🇧 UK (£)🇦🇺 AU (AUD)🇨🇦 CA (CAD)
10×10 (100 sq ft / ~9 m²)$3,500 – $8,500£900 – £2,700$2,700 – $6,500$5,000 – $14,000
12×12 (144 sq ft / ~13 m²)$4,800 – $11,500£1,200 – £3,800$3,700 – $8,800$7,000 – $18,000
12×16 (192 sq ft / ~18 m²)$6,000 – $15,000£1,600 – £5,000$4,900 – $11,700$9,000 – $22,000
14×20* (280 sq ft / ~26 m²)$8,500 – $21,000£2,300 – £7,000$6,800 – $16,500$12,500 – $33,000
16×20 (320 sq ft / ~30 m²)$9,600 – $24,000£2,600 – £8,000$7,800 – $19,000$14,000 – $37,000
20×20 (400 sq ft / ~37 m²)$11,500 – $29,000£3,100 – £9,400$9,400 – $23,000$17,000 – $48,000
500 sq ft (~46 m²)$14,000 – $35,000£3,800 – £11,500$11,500 – $28,000$21,000 – $58,000
1000 sq ft (~93 m²)$26,000 – $65,000£7,300 – £21,900$22,000 – $54,000$40,000 – $105,000

* The 14×20 size is interpolated in all four regions — no retail source publishes this exact deck as a benchmark. Use the neighbouring 12×16 and 16×20 figures to sanity-check.

How to read this table

The range within each cell isn't uncertainty — it's the honest gap between an economy build (Trex Enhance Basics on a boards-only replacement over sound framing) and a premium build (TimberTech AZEK Vintage with new joists, railings, and stairs). Where in the range your quote should land depends on three things:

  1. Board tier: economy sits at the bottom, mid-tier around the middle, premium at the ceiling.
  2. Substructure: replacing rotten joists or building from bare ground shifts you toward the top of the range.
  3. Region within your country: Toronto and Vancouver land near the CA ceiling; rural Ontario sits near the floor. London and Sydney do the same to their national averages.

Small decks (10×10 to 12×12)

The most-searched sizes for DIY-focused homeowners. A 10×10 is where the fixed setup costs — permits, delivery, contractor mobilisation — spread across the smallest area, so per-square-foot rates run highest here. Expect $35–$85/sq ft in the US and CAD $50–$140/sq ft in Canada at this scale. In practice: a US 10×10 build often costs about 40% of a 20×20 build despite covering just 25% of the area.

Medium decks (12×16 to 16×20)

The sweet spot for value. Setup costs are spread over more area but you haven't triggered the extra structural engineering that larger decks demand. A 12×16 US deck at $6,000–$15,000 is where composite starts winning on cost-per-year against pressure-treated wood (see the 20-year comparison below).

Large decks (20×20+ and 1000+ sq ft)

Per-unit rates drop, but total dollars climb fast, and this is where regional labour costs dominate everything else. A 1000 sq ft deck in rural Ohio might come in at $26,000. The same deck in Toronto or Vancouver can hit CAD $80,000+ — not because materials cost differently, but because trades charge $50/sq ft in labour vs $12/sq ft.

Also worth knowing about Australia: the AU installed-cost spread ($250–$900/m²) isn't a single continuous market. Bunnings-tier Ekodeck installations by handyman/carpenter land at AUD $250–$390/m². Trex or premium installer-supplied builds run AUD $650–$900/m². These aren't two estimates of the same job — they're two different markets. Match your quote to the tier you're actually building.

Sanity check: the 1.5× rule

Look at any row above and compare the US and CA columns: Canadian totals run consistently 1.4–1.6× the US number. This is real, not a currency conversion artifact. Trex boards cost about 63% more in Canada (verified at Turkstra Lumber), and Canadian labour averages $25–$50/sq ft against $10–$25 in the US. If you're a Canadian reader whose quote came in below 1.4× the equivalent US price, either your contractor is underquoting or something is being left out — worth asking for a detailed breakdown before you sign.

Composite vs Wood Decking — Real Cost Comparison Over 20 Years

"Composite is more expensive." Every wood-decking article says it, and it's true for exactly one year — day one. What almost none of them show is what that same deck actually costs you across its full lifespan, once you add in the annual stain, the board replacements after year seven, and the labour of doing either.

We ran the math on a 300 sq ft deck (a common US 12×25 or UK 28 m² build) using 2026 prices, national-average maintenance costs, and realistic lifespan assumptions. The result surprises most people.

Upfront cost difference

At installation, wood wins comfortably:

  • Pressure-treated pine (US): $15–$25 per sq ft installed. A 300 sq ft deck: $4,500–$7,500.
  • Cedar (US/CA): $25–$35 per sq ft installed. Same deck: $7,500–$10,500.
  • Hardwood (Ipe, Merbau) (AU/UK common): $30–$45 per sq ft ($325–$485/m²). Same deck: $9,000–$13,500.
  • Composite (mid-tier Trex Enhance Naturals): $30–$45 per sq ft installed. Same deck: $9,000–$13,500.

Pressure-treated pine comes in at roughly half the cost of composite at day one. Cedar and hardwood land close to composite. If upfront cost is the only lens, pressure-treated wins.

But upfront isn't the number that matters. It's total cost of ownership over the deck's life that determines whether you overpaid.

See our full honest cedar vs composite comparison for 20-year math and brand-by-brand analysis.

Maintenance cost (where composite wins)

Wood needs work. Composite doesn't. Here's what "needs work" actually costs on a 300 sq ft deck:

  • Pressure-treated pine: stain or seal every 2 years. DIY: $80–$120 in materials plus a weekend. Professional: $600–$900 per treatment. Over 20 years: 10 treatments = $6,000–$9,000 pro, $800–$1,200 DIY-plus-your-time.
  • Cedar: stain or oil every 2–3 years. DIY: $100–$150 per treatment. Pro: $700–$1,000. Over 20 years: 7–8 treatments = $4,900–$8,000 pro.
  • Hardwood (Ipe, Merbau): oil annually if you want the colour to stay rich; can be left to weather grey. Oiling costs $150–$250 per year DIY, $800–$1,200 pro. Over 20 years: $3,000–$5,000 DIY, $16,000+ pro.
  • Composite: soap and water twice a year. Materials: ~$20/year. Zero staining, sealing, or oiling. Over 20 years: $400 total.

Then there's replacement. Pressure-treated pine typically needs partial board replacement starting around year 8 — split, warped, or rotted boards. Budget $300–$800 per year in replacement boards from year 8 onwards. Cedar decks hit this stage at year 10–12. Hardwood at year 15+. Composite carries a 25–30 year warranty against structural failure, staining, and fading — most owners never replace a board.

20-year total cost comparison (300 sq ft deck)

MaterialUpfront20-year maintenance20-year replacementTotal 20-year cost
Pressure-treated pine$6,000$1,000 (DIY) or $7,500 (pro)$3,600$10,600 DIY / $17,100 pro
Cedar$9,000$1,000 (DIY) or $6,000 (pro)$2,000$12,000 DIY / $17,000 pro
Hardwood (Ipe/Merbau)$11,000$3,000 (DIY) or $16,000 (pro)$500$14,500 DIY / $27,500 pro
Composite (mid-tier)$11,000$400$0$11,400

Figures rounded, US pricing. Ranges widen for high-labour markets (Toronto, London, Sydney).

The pattern is clear enough that it changes the argument:

  • If you'll DIY every maintenance job for 20 years, pressure-treated pine is genuinely the cheapest option ($10,600). Composite comes second ($11,400).
  • If you'll hire out any maintenance, composite wins by a mile — $11,400 vs $17,000+ for wood.
  • Hardwood is almost never the cheapest choice unless you love oiling decks. It's chosen for looks, not for cost.

Two things worth knowing before you use this table to argue with your spouse:

Composite wins bigger as labour costs rise. In Toronto, Vancouver, London, or Sydney — anywhere trade labour runs $50+ per hour — the "pro" columns above understate composite's advantage. A Toronto homeowner staining a deck every two years for 20 years might spend CAD $9,000–$12,000 on stain jobs alone. That's more than the upfront gap between wood and composite.

Wood has a resale story composite doesn't. Real estate agents in the US and UK consistently report that hardwood decks add slightly more to home value than composite ones — the "warmth" and "authenticity" factor. In Australia, a Merbau deck signals quality in a way Ekodeck doesn't yet. This isn't quantifiable, but it's real.

For most homeowners buying a deck in 2026 who intend to keep the house 10+ years and don't enjoy an annual weekend of staining, composite is the cheaper deck. For DIY hobbyists in low-labour markets who like woodworking, pressure-treated pine remains defensible on cost.

The Honest Downsides of Composite Decking (What Sellers Won't Tell You)

Composite decking is genuinely a good product for most homeowners. It's also not the miracle material the industry markets. Every board has trade-offs, and if you're spending $10,000+ on a deck, you deserve to know them before you sign the contract, not after year three when you're wondering why your dark grey deck is unusable in July.

Here are the five real complaints we heard consistently across US, UK, AU, and CA owner reviews in 2026.

1. Heat retention is real — and worse than wood

Dark composite boards in direct summer sun get hot enough to burn bare feet. This isn't marketing exaggeration. Independent testing by consumer groups in 2024–2026 measured dark composite surfaces at 60–75°C (140–165°F) on 30°C (85°F) days — around 15–20°C hotter than wood in the same conditions. Trex introduced their "SunComfortable" heat-mitigating colours (Pebble Beach, Golden Hour) in January 2026 specifically to address this, but even those run hotter than natural wood.

What to do: if your deck faces south (or north, in Australia) and gets 6+ hours of direct summer sun, choose light colours (grey, tan, driftwood) over dark ones (espresso, black, dark charcoal). The colour choice matters more than the brand.

2. Fading happens — the warranty language is careful

Manufacturers advertise "25-year fade and stain warranties" but read the fine print. Trex's warranty, for example, allows a Delta E colour shift of up to 5 units over 25 years — a shift visible to the naked eye. Real-world owner reports on Reddit's r/decks and UK/AU home forums consistently mention noticeable fading by year 5–7, more pronounced on bold colours (deep reds, dark browns, blues).

The fade isn't a defect — it's within warranty spec. But the sales pitch of "looks like day one for decades" isn't accurate. Expect a subtle greying over the first decade.

3. Scratching from furniture, dogs, and grit

Capped composite resists scratches better than uncapped, but "resists" isn't "immune." Dragging patio furniture, dogs' claws over the same path, and grit ground into the surface by shoes all leave marks over time. Unlike wood, composite scratches cannot be sanded out — the cap layer is only 1–2 mm thick, and sanding through it exposes the softer core beneath.

What to do: use furniture glides, sweep grit regularly, and accept that a heavily-used composite deck will show wear by year 5–8. It won't look worn out, but a close inspection will show it.

4. Higher upfront cost is a real barrier — even if TCO wins

We showed in the previous section that composite often wins on 20-year total cost. That's true. But most homeowners aren't spreading the payment over 20 years — they're writing a cheque, taking a HELOC, or financing through a contractor at 8–12% interest. The additional $3,000–$8,000 upfront over pressure-treated pine is real cash out today.

If cash flow is tight and you'll DIY future maintenance yourself, wood remains a defensible choice. Composite is the smart choice when the labour cost of maintenance is real to you.

5. It's not truly maintenance-free

The industry loves "maintenance-free." What they mean is "no staining or sealing." What still needs doing:

  • Cleaning twice a year with soap and water to prevent mould, mildew, and pollen build-up (especially in humid climates: Southeast US, UK, coastal AU/CA).
  • Removing tannin stains from leaves left sitting — oak and maple leaves in autumn will stain composite if left for weeks.
  • Ice/snow management in Canada and northern US/UK — sharp metal shovels can scratch the cap; use plastic shovels and calcium chloride ice melt (not rock salt, which damages some brands).
  • Board replacement — very rare, but possible if a board is physically damaged (impact from a falling branch, dropped grill). Boards from newer product runs may not match older weathered boards in colour.

"Low maintenance" is accurate. "Maintenance-free" is marketing.

None of these downsides make composite a bad product — they make it a real product. If you go in knowing the deck will fade a bit, get hot on July afternoons, and show light wear by year eight, you'll be happy with the purchase. If you expect it to look like the showroom for 25 years without a mop, you'll be disappointed by year three.

Regional Considerations — What Changes by Country

Composite decking is a global product with local realities. Here's what shifts region-by-region in 2026.

🇺🇸 United States — Trex dominance, wide labour spread

The US market is Trex's home turf. Trex Enhance Basics, Enhance Naturals, and Transcend cover roughly 65% of composite deck sales, with TimberTech (owned by AZEK) taking most of the premium market. You'll find them at Home Depot, Lowe's, and independent lumberyards nationwide.

Prices vary by state more than by season. Materials pricing is fairly consistent nationwide — Home Depot's Trex Enhance Basics 16 ft is around $31.98 whether you're in Ohio or California. Labour, however, ranges from $8–$12/sq ft in rural areas to $25–$40/sq ft in San Francisco, New York, and coastal cities.

Permits: most US municipalities require permits for decks over 30 inches above grade or larger than 200 sq ft. Portland, Oregon caps at 4 ft; Philadelphia at 2 ft. Check your city's building department page — assume you need a permit unless you've confirmed you don't.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom — Trex, Composite Prime, and native brands

UK composite decking splits between imported Trex (sold at Wickes) and native brands like Composite Prime, Ecodek, and NeoTimber. Board lengths are 3.66 m (12 ft equivalent) and 4.88 m (16 ft equivalent) — the same physical boards Trex sells in the US, packaged for the UK market. Native UK boards (Vista at B&Q, GoodHome at B&Q) come in 2.2–3.6 m lengths.

Wickes' Trex Enhance Basics runs £36 per 3.66 m board (as of September 2026), with a Pack-of-20 discount at £35.75 per board. Enhance Naturals is £59 flat across all six colours in the UK — unusual, because US Enhance Naturals ranges $37–$50 depending on colour. Same product line, two pricing models.

Planning permission: decking is permitted development, with no planning permission needed, if it's no more than 30 cm above the ground and, combined with other extensions and outbuildings, covers no more than 50% of the garden. There's a third condition too: none of the decking can sit forward of the wall forming the house's principal elevation. If any of the three fails, you need planning permission. Tighter limits apply in National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites; decking within a listed building's curtilage is never permitted development; and the rules cover houses, not flats. Check Planning Portal and your local planning authority before starting.

🇦🇺 Australia — Two markets, not one

Australia has the most confusing pricing landscape. At Bunnings and other DIY chains, Ekodeck dominates: Essentials at AUD $79 per 5.4 m board (economy), Designer Series at $98 (mid), Summit Series at $142 (premium). ModWood is the main competitor at similar prices. Total installed cost via a Bunnings-tier build is AUD $250–$390 per m² (Brite Decking 2026 data).

Trex is available in Australia but only through specialty importers (Trex Sydney, Clickdeck, Outback Fencing) — no Bunnings distribution. Installer-supplied Trex builds run AUD $650–$900 per m². These aren't two estimates of the same job. They're two different markets: DIY-plus-Bunnings vs premium installer-supplied.

Council approval: retaining wall regulations don't apply here, but decks over 1 m above ground typically need council approval. Queensland requires engineered design (RPEQ Form 15) for structural work. Check your state and council rules — they vary significantly.

🇨🇦 Canada — The tariff-inflated market

Canadian composite decking is more expensive than any other market we tracked. Trex Enhance Basics 16 ft costs CAD $52 at Turkstra Lumber Ontario (a Trex dealer) — versus USD $31.98 for the same board at Home Depot US. That's a 63% premium.

This is not a currency conversion. It's import tariff classification, freight, and dealer margin. Canada's September 2026 counter-tariffs cover softwood framing (which sits under your deck) at 25%, but composite boards themselves are not directly tariffed. The 63% premium existed before the tariffs and will persist regardless.

What this means for you: a Canadian composite deck reliably runs 1.4–1.6× the equivalent US price. Labour amplifies this: Toronto and Vancouver contractors quote $40–$70/sq ft against $10–$25 in the US. A 16×20 US deck at $9,600–$24,000 becomes CAD $14,000–$37,000 in Canada.

Permits: Ontario Building Code (OBC) section 9.8.8 requires a guardrail whenever the deck drop exceeds 600 mm — non-negotiable. OBC also requires engineered design for decks with certain height/area combinations. Check with your municipality; provincial rules vary but municipal enforcement decides what you actually need on paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a 12×12 composite deck cost?

For a 12×12 composite deck (144 sq ft), expect $4,800–$11,500 installed in the US, £1,200–£3,800 in the UK, AUD $3,700–$8,800 in Australia, and CAD $7,000–$18,000 in Canada. The range depends on board tier (economy Trex Enhance Basics vs premium Transcend), substructure work required, and your regional labour rate. A DIY build using pressure-treated framing you install yourself can drop the US number to about $3,000.

How much does a 20×20 composite deck cost?

A 20×20 composite deck (400 sq ft) runs $11,500–$29,000 installed in the US, £3,100–£9,400 in the UK, AUD $9,400–$23,000 in Australia, and CAD $17,000–$48,000 in Canada. Per-square-foot rates are lower than a 10×10 deck because fixed setup costs (permits, delivery, mobilisation) spread over more area. Elevation matters — a 20×20 raised deck with railings and stairs runs 20–30% higher than a ground-level version.

How much is 500 sq ft of composite decking?

For 500 sq ft of installed composite decking, budget $14,000–$35,000 in the US, £3,800–£11,500 in the UK, AUD $11,500–$28,000 in Australia, and CAD $21,000–$58,000 in Canada. At this size, the per-square-foot rate typically drops to $28–$70 in the US as fixed costs amortise. Materials alone (boards, fasteners, no labour) run roughly $8–$18 per sq ft in the US market.

How much does a 14×20 composite deck cost?

A 14×20 composite deck (280 sq ft) costs $8,500–$21,000 installed in the US, £2,300–£7,000 in the UK, AUD $6,800–$16,500 in Australia, and CAD $12,500–$33,000 in Canada. Note: this specific size isn't a retail benchmark like 12×16 or 16×20, so our figures are interpolated from adjacent sizes. If you're deciding between 12×16 and 14×20, the extra 88 sq ft typically adds $2,500–$6,000 to a US build.

Is composite decking cheaper than wood?

Upfront: no. Over 20 years: usually yes, if you hire out maintenance. A 300 sq ft pressure-treated pine deck costs about $6,000 upfront vs $11,000 for composite. But wood needs staining every 2 years — around $700–$900 per treatment professionally, or a weekend of DIY. Over 20 years, professional maintenance on wood costs $6,000–$9,000, which flips the comparison. DIYers who genuinely enjoy staining can keep wood as the cheapest option. Everyone else is better off with composite.

What is the price of a 20 ft composite deck board?

A 20 ft composite deck board ranges from $37–$52 for Trex Enhance Basics (economy) to $139–$180 for Trex Transcend (premium) at US Home Depot in September 2026. Trex Enhance Naturals (mid-tier) sits around $52 for a 20 ft board. The 20 ft length carries a small premium per square foot over 12 or 16 ft because longer boards require more transport and warehousing. Canadian pricing runs 60–65% higher for the same length.

Are composite decks worth the money?

For most homeowners planning to stay 10+ years, yes. Composite carries a 25–30 year warranty against fading, staining, and structural failure. It avoids annual staining (5–10 hours of DIY work every 2 years, or $700+ professionally). It doesn't warp, splinter, or rot. The main "no" scenarios: if you love woodworking as a hobby, if you're selling within 3 years (upfront cost premium won't fully recover in home value), or if you're in a very hot climate and unwilling to buy heat-mitigating colours.

What are the downsides of composite decking?

The five real downsides (see full section above): heat retention in direct sun (dark boards reach 60–75°C on hot days), fading over 5–10 years within warranty spec, scratches that can't be sanded out, high upfront cost that ties up capital, and it's not truly maintenance-free — you still need to clean twice a year, manage tannin stains from leaves, and use plastic (not metal) snow shovels in cold climates.

Get Your Exact Cost Estimate — Free Calculators

Every price range in this article is a starting point. Your actual quote depends on your deck's exact dimensions, board tier, install pattern, and whether you're building on solid framing or from scratch. To get a specific number for your project, use our free calculators — no signup, no email required, and results appear instantly.

Each calculator uses the verified 2026 board and fastener prices from this article, factors your chosen install pattern's waste percentage, and shows you the estimated material cost plus recommended overage for touch-ups. You'll see boards needed, hidden fastener count, starter clips, and total materials — the same numbers a contractor uses to write a quote.

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Published . Last reviewed .

Written by Sam Redfield for thebuildcost.com. Seen a different board price at your local yard, or a product line that's changed? Email corrections@thebuildcost.com.


This guide's prices were last checked on 28 September 2026, using Home Depot, Wickes, Bunnings, Turkstra Lumber, HomeStars, Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, HomeAdvisor, and Brite Decking. Prices reflect list retail (not sale prices) and installed cost including labour. Verify current pricing with your local supplier before finalising your budget.

Estimates are for planning purposes only. Verify permits and building code requirements with your local authority. In Ontario, deck drops over 600 mm require a guardrail. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.