Ductwork Installation Cost (2026)
Updated October 2026
Prices checked 2026-10-25 — sources cited below.
A duct trunk branching into runs — the scope a whole-home install quote covers. Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Installing new ductwork costs $10–$25/lf per linear foot installed — materials and labor included, per Angi's 2026 data — so a whole-home job lands at $2,000–$12,000, averaging $4,000. Other publishers sit differently: $20–$60/lf/lf where full metal systems dominate, $3–$19/lf/lf on partial-replacement scope. The price tracks material, accessibility, insulation spec, and whether old ducts must come out first (adding roughly $1,242 on average).
What drives the cost
- Material. Flexible insulated $20–$35/ft · fiberboard $30–$45/ft · sheet metal + wrap $35–$55/ft · spiral metal $30–$50/ft (AllTemp). Sheet metal material alone is $7–$13/lf before install; flexible ducting material is just $1–$2/lf (Thumbtack).
- Accessibility. Open attics, basements and crawlspaces keep labor at the low end; tight spaces, finished ceilings and multi-storey retrofits push toward the high end of every band.
- Home size and duct length. More conditioned square footage means longer runs and bigger trunks — see the home-size table below.
- Insulation and sealing spec. R-8 wrap vs R-6 adds +$0.50–$2.00/ft in material; mastic or foil-tape sealing adds +$1–$4/ft (AllTemp).
- Old-duct removal. Taking out existing ductwork averages $1,242 (Thumbtack).
- Permits. $50–$300 typical (Angi 2026 data); under $100 to $500+ in some jurisdictions (AllTemp).
Duct run length and install difficulty
Insulated duct board wrapped in foil — fiberboard bands run $30–$45 per linear foot. Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Linear feet scale with the home: AllTemp plans roughly 80–120 lf for a 1,000 sq ft home up to 200–300 lf for 2,500 sq ft. At their $20–$60/lf installed band, those lengths are what produce the four-to-one spread between a small home and a large one. Crews bill around $110–$160 per hour in many markets, so an attic full of tight bends shows up in the quote as hours, not materials.
Material choices in practice
Galvanized sheet-metal trunk with diffusers — sheet metal + wrap runs $35–$55 per linear foot. Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Parallel insulated runs — insulation upgrades (R-8 vs R-6) add $0.50–$2.00 per foot. Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Flex wins on speed and price in open framing; duct board carries built-in insulation and quiet; sheet metal is the durable choice and needs fabrication, sealing and wrap, which is why it sits at the top of every installed band. Spiral metal is the exposed-soffit option. Most whole-home jobs mix trunk and branch materials — quotes that price everything as premium metal land at the top of the range.
Staged prefab vs on-site fabrication
Prefabricated duct sections staged before install — fabrication pushes metal systems to the top of the band. Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Prefabricated sections cut on-site hours; fully fabricated metal systems cost more but seal and flow better. That trade-off is a big part of why AllTemp's $20–$60/lf band and Angi's $10–$25/lf band disagree — different system mixes, not a contradiction.
FAQs
How much does ductwork installation cost?
New ductwork installation runs $10–$25/lf per linear foot installed — including materials and labor — per Angi's 2026 data, with whole-home projects at $2,000–$12,000 and a national average around $4,000. Other publishers quote $20–$60/lf per linear foot (full-system emphasis) or $3–$19/lf (partial-replacement scope).
How much does ductwork cost by material?
Installed per linear foot: flexible insulated $20–$35, fiberboard/duct board $30–$45, rectangular sheet metal with external wrap $35–$55, and spiral metal $30–$50 (AllTemp). Sheet metal material alone is $7–$13 per linear foot before install; flexible ducting material is just $1–$2 per linear foot (Thumbtack).
What does a whole-home ductwork install cost by home size?
Angi's 2026 data puts 1,000–1,500 sq ft homes at $2,000–$3,000; 1,500–2,500 sq ft at $3,000–$5,000; 2,500–4,000 sq ft at $5,000–$7,500; and 4,000+ sq ft at $7,500–$12,000+. AllTemp's per-foot planning examples run higher: a 2,000 sq ft home (160–240 linear feet) plans out at $3,200–$14,400 at $20–$60/ft.
Why is Thumbtack's ductwork average so much lower?
Thumbtack's national average of $393–$1,421 (most people pay around $735) covers marketplace air-duct replacement projects, which are often partial — one run or a section, not a whole home. Its extremes run $164 to $3,449. Whole-home installs quote thousands more. Don't blend the two scopes.
What adders come with new ductwork?
Removing existing ductwork averages $1,242 (Thumbtack). HVAC permit fees run $50–$300 (Angi 2026 data), with an upper band of under $100 to $500+ depending on the city (AllTemp). Minor duct repair, for context, runs $300–$1,000. Sealing with mastic or foil tape adds $1–$4 per foot; upgrading insulation from R-6 to R-8 adds $0.50–$2.00 per foot in material.
Is replacing ductwork the same as modifying it?
No. This page covers new duct runs and full installs. Small ductwork modifications — rerouting or extending existing runs — are recorded separately at $250–$2,000 on our HVAC replacement pages, and minor repair runs $300–$1,000.
At a glance: installed cost per linear foot
| Publisher | Per linear foot, installed | Whole-project reference |
|---|---|---|
| Angi 2026 data (via CoolingLoadGuide) | $10–$25/lf | $2,000–$12,000 |
| AllTemp Solutions (2026 guide) | $20–$60/lf | $1,400–$5,600 averages |
| Thumbtack (2026) | $3–$19/lf | partial replacement scope skews lower |
Bands cover different scopes (whole-home new installs vs full-system emphasis vs partial replacement) and are never averaged. The $12/lf figure we quote in the intro is the mid-point of the Angi band, not a publisher price.
Installed cost by material
| Material | Per linear foot, installed |
|---|---|
| Flexible insulated (branches/short runs) | $20–$35/ft |
| Fiberboard / duct board (straight sections) | $30–$45/ft |
| Sheet metal (rectangular) + external wrap | $35–$55/ft |
| Spiral metal (exposed/feature runs, small dia) | $30–$50/ft |
| Sheet metal material alone (material only, install extra) | $7–$13/lf |
| Flexible non-metallic ducting (material) (material only, install extra) | $1–$2/lf |
Installed bands from AllTemp (2026 guide); material-only rows from AllTemp and Thumbtack. Sealing adds +$1–$4/ft; R-8 vs R-6 insulation adds +$0.50–$2.00/ft in material.
Whole-home project totals by home size
| Home size | Project total (Angi 2026 data) |
|---|---|
| 1,000-1,500 sq ft | $2,000–$3,000 |
| 1,500-2,500 sq ft | $3,000–$5,000 |
| 2,500-4,000 sq ft | $5,000–$7,500 |
| 4,000+ sq ft | $7,500–$12,000+ |
Angi's 2026 planning range is $2,000–$12,000 with a $4,000 national average. AllTemp's separate per-foot planning examples:
| Home size (AllTemp lf planning) | Low @ $20/ft | Typical @ $40/ft | High @ $60/ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft (80-120 lf) | $1,600 | $4,000 | $7,200 |
| 1,500 sq ft (120-180 lf) | $2,400 | $6,000 | $10,800 |
| 2,000 sq ft (160-240 lf) | $3,200 | $8,000 | $14,400 |
| 2,500 sq ft (200-300 lf) | $4,000 | $10,000 | $18,000 |
The two home-size tables are different units (Angi published totals; AllTemp's are length × per-foot bands) and are never composed with each other.
Thumbtack marketplace averages & adders
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Air duct replacement, national average (most pay $735)Extremes $164 to $3,449 | $393–$1,421 |
| Ductwork installation average | $3–$19/lf |
| Non-insulated, 3"-12" diameter | $3–$10/lf |
| Insulated, 3"-12" diameter | $4–$19/lf |
| Remove existing ductwork (average)Thumbtack | $1,242 average |
| HVAC permit feesAngi 2026 via CoolingLoadGuide | $50–$300 |
| Permits & inspections (upper)AllTemp Solutions | under $100 to $500+ |
| Minor duct repair (context)Angi 2026 via CoolingLoadGuide | $300–$1,000 |
Thumbtack's averages reflect marketplace projects, often partial — a section or a single run, not a whole home. Its per-lf and whole-project figures sit apart from the installer guides above by scope.
Sources
- CoolingLoadGuide — Ductwork Replacement Cost in 2026 (reports Angi's 2026 ductwork-installation data)
- AllTemp Solutions — Air Duct Replacement Cost (2026 Guide)
- Thumbtack — 2026 Air Duct Replacement Cost
All sources fetched live October 25, 2026 (HTTP 200). Angi returned HTTP 403 on that pass; its 2026 ductwork-installation data is cited via CoolingLoadGuide's quoting of it and flagged in the dataset. Figures gathered 2026-10-25; see the dataset file for the full source log. Estimate only — get local written quotes.