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What do Australian guides say a deck costs per square metre?
No board maker we checked publishes an AUD price, so the figures below are estimates from two cost guides, supply and install. Neither says whether GST is included.
| Material | What’s The Damage (national, Oct 2026) | The Quote Yard (SA, Apr 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Treated pine | $180 to $350 | $180 to $280 |
| Merbau | $300 to $550 | $220 to $350 |
| Spotted gum or blackbutt | not listed | $260 to $400 |
| Composite, mid-range | $280 to $700 | $200 to $380 |
| Composite, premium | $450 to $900 | not listed |
| Pool deck (composite or hardwood) | not listed | $220 to $380 |
| Aluminium | $600 to $1,000 | not listed |
What’s The Damage gives typical values of $260 for treated pine, $420 for merbau, $550 for mid-range composite and $570 for premium composite. The aluminium figure comes from a lifespan table, so read it as indicative only.
What sits on top of the per-metre rate?
What’s The Damage lists these as extras:
- Elevated or high-set deck: $50 to $180 per m². The Quote Yard says $50 to $120 above 600 mm.
- Balustrade: $150 to $450 per lineal metre.
- Steps: $180 to $400 per step, or $1,000 to $4,500 for a flight.
- Old deck removal: $20 to $55 per m².
- Pergola: $5,000 to $15,000.
The Quote Yard says balustrades, stairs, posts and termite management are normally additional to its rate.
Which prices should you be careful with?
Airtasker’s deck installation page, updated in April 2025, shows totals from $3,600 to $11,500 by deck size. Its older composite page, updated in December 2023, gives $100 to $300 per m² with a median of $180 and boards at about $10 to $22 each. That is well below the other guides and the page is stale, so we don’t rely on it.
What does timber cost by the metre?
Canterbury Timbers in Sydney lists Merbau 90 by 19 mm decking at $7.15 per metre in random lengths, from its shop feed on 30 October 2026. We haven’t confirmed whether that includes GST. On a 90 mm board with a 5 mm gap, that is roughly $75 per m² of boards before the frame, fixings and labour.
How do you get a price for your own deck?
Get at least two quotes with the same scope: boards, frame, footings, fixings, trims, stairs and balustrade. Then enter them in the decking cost calculator, which keeps the per-m² total for each. Board sizes and joist spacing are in the boards table, and merbau vs composite compares the materials.
Verified prices, normalised
We have no verified AUD board prices yet. The manufacturers we checked sell through quotes or stockists, so we do not show a price rather than guess one. Use the cost calculator with your own quotes.
Per m² = price per linear metre ÷ (board width + 5 mm gap). Board-only: excludes frame, fixings, delivery and labour. Prices change; always confirm with the seller. Prices older than 90 days are marked stale.
No verified price for: Ekodeck Ekodeck Summit Series; ModWood ModWood Natural Grain Collection (Deck Board 88x23 and Wide Deck Board 137x23); ModWood ModWood Marina; NewTechWood Soho Decking (US166R grooved / US163R edge); NewTechWood Coastal Decking (US54C groove-edge); NewTechWood Terrace Decking (US49C groove-edge / US63C); ModWood ModWood Xtreme Guard; Ekodeck Ekodeck Designer Series; Futurewood CleverDeck Xtreme; Millboard Enhanced Grain 176mm; NewTechWood Avenue Decking (US92 deck board).
Questions
How much does composite decking cost per square metre in Australia?
What's The Damage, a cost guide marked as verified in October 2026, gives $280 to $700 per m² for mid-range composite and $450 to $900 for premium, supply and install. A South Australian directory published in April 2026 gives $200 to $380. Both are estimates, and neither says whether GST is included.
Is composite decking cheaper than timber?
On those two guides it is not cheaper at the typical end. Treated pine runs $180 to $350 per m² and merbau $220 to $550, so composite overlaps merbau at the low end and sits above it in the middle. Your quotes decide, and the cost calculator puts them side by side.
What does a deck cost extra?
The same guide lists an elevated-deck surcharge of $50 to $180 per m², balustrades at $150 to $450 per lineal metre, steps at $180 to $400 each, old deck removal at $20 to $55 per m² and a pergola at $5,000 to $15,000.