How much does a raised bed cost? Estimated cost by size and wood

Quick answer: a 4 x 8 ft raised bed two 2x6 boards high (11 in) costs about $496 in cedar, $338 in pressure-treated pine or $328 in untreated pine, including soil, hardware cloth and a drip line. The frame alone is about $240, $83 or $72, and the soil is about $120 whichever wood you pick. Every row below opens that exact bed in our planner, where you can change the size and enter your own store prices.

Have a different size? The free raised bed cost calculator in our planner prices any size, L-shaped beds and several beds at once, with a cut list and a shopping list.

Raised bed cost by size and wood

All rows use the planner's default build: boards two 2x6 high, 8 ft boards, 4x4 posts in the corners, a classic 60/30/10 soil mix with 10%% extra for settling (bags or bulk, whichever costs less), 1/2 in hardware cloth on the bottom and a drip line. Bed sizes are outside measurements.

Estimated cost of one raised bed two 2x6 boards high (11 in), by size and wood
Bed size (outside)	Wood	Frame: lumber, posts and screws	Soil	Hardware cloth and drip	Estimated total
2 x 4 ft	Cedar	about $180	about $42	about $128	about $350
2 x 4 ft	Pressure-treated pine	about $63	about $42	about $128	about $233
2 x 4 ft	Untreated pine	about $56	about $42	about $128	about $226
3 x 6 ft	Cedar	about $240	about $70	about $131	about $441
3 x 6 ft	Pressure-treated pine	about $83	about $70	about $131	about $284
3 x 6 ft	Untreated pine	about $72	about $70	about $131	about $273
4 x 4 ft	Cedar	about $180	about $70	about $131	about $381
4 x 4 ft	Pressure-treated pine	about $63	about $70	about $131	about $264
4 x 4 ft	Untreated pine	about $56	about $70	about $131	about $257
4 x 8 ft	Cedar	about $240	about $120	about $136	about $496
4 x 8 ft	Pressure-treated pine	about $83	about $120	about $136	about $338
4 x 8 ft	Untreated pine	about $72	about $120	about $136	about $328
4 x 12 ft	Cedar	about $312	about $142	about $140	about $595
4 x 12 ft	Pressure-treated pine	about $115	about $142	about $140	about $398
4 x 12 ft	Untreated pine	about $100	about $142	about $140	about $383

Cost of a 4 x 8 ft bed by height

Taller walls need more boards, more soil and longer posts, so cost climbs quickly with height.

Estimated total for a 4 x 8 ft bed by wall height and wood
Wall height	Cedar	Pressure-treated pine	Untreated pine
One 2x6 high (5 1/2 in)	about $348	about $252	about $246
Two 2x6 high (11 in)	about $496	about $338	about $328
Three 2x6 high (16 1/2 in)	about $690	about $436	about $420

Where the money goes

Soil can cost as much as the frame. For a 4 x 8 ft bed in pressure-treated pine, the frame is about $83 and the soil about $120.
Wood choice is the biggest swing. Cedar boards cost about three times as much as treated pine at typical big-box prices, so a cedar frame for a 4 x 8 ft bed is about $240 versus about $83.
Hardware cloth is a fixed cost. One 4 x 25 ft roll (about $100) covers the bottom of most single beds up to 4 x 12 ft, so it adds the most, as a share, to small beds. Skip it if you have no burrowing pests.
Bulk soil wins on bigger beds. With a delivery fee, bags are usually cheaper for small beds and bulk is usually cheaper somewhere around 1 to 2 cubic yards. Filling several beds from one delivery saves the most.
Board length matters a little. Some sizes waste less with 10 or 12 ft boards. The planner compares all three lengths for your plan; see our lumber chart.

Which wood?

Cedar and redwood resist rot on their own and often last 10 years or more, depending on climate. Pressure-treated pine sold for homes since 2004 uses copper-based preservatives, and University of Maryland Extension notes that research at Oregon State University found MCA-treated lumber raised soil copper by a minor amount and only within 1 in of the bed edge, with no increase in copper in the plants grown. Treated wood is not allowed in certified organic growing. Avoid old CCA lumber and railroad ties. Untreated pine is cheapest but may need replacing in 3 to 5 years.

Costs use the planner's default prices, checked against big-box store listings in October 2026: about $30 per 8 ft cedar 2x6, $10 treated and $8 untreated pine; about $48 per 8 ft cedar 4x4 post, $11 treated and $12 pine; $12 per box of about 50 screws; $100 per roll of hardware cloth; about $45 per cubic yard of bulk soil plus a $75 delivery fee; and about $7 per 1.5 cu ft bag of topsoil or compost. Longer boards are priced by length. Prices vary by region and season and change often, so treat these as estimates and enter your store's prices in the planner.

Ready to price your own bed? Open the 4 x 8 ft plan in the planner and edit any price to match your store. See also our soil chart, lumber chart and 4x8 raised bed plans.

Questions

How much does a 4x8 raised bed cost?

At our default prices, a 4 x 8 ft bed two 2x6 boards high comes to about $496 in cedar, $338 in pressure-treated pine or $328 in untreated pine. That includes the frame, about $120 of soil, a roll of hardware cloth and a drip line. The frame alone is about $240 in cedar, $83 treated or $72 untreated pine.

How much does it cost to fill a raised bed with soil?

For a 4 x 8 ft bed 11 in tall, the planner estimates about 26.2 cu ft (0.97 cu yd) of soil, with 10% extra for settling. That is about $120 for bulk delivery at about $45 per cubic yard plus a $75 delivery fee, which is a little cheaper than bags for this size. Smaller beds are usually cheaper with bags: a 4 x 4 ft bed is about $70 in bags.

What is the cheapest way to build a raised bed?

Untreated pine boards cost the least up front but may need replacing in 3 to 5 years. Pressure-treated pine costs a little more and lasts longer. You can also skip the hardware cloth (about $100 a roll) if you have no gophers or voles, and skip the drip line if you will water by hand.

Is cedar worth the extra cost?

Cedar resists rot on its own and often lasts 10 years or more, depending on climate. For a 4 x 8 ft bed, the cedar frame costs about $157 more than pressure-treated pine at our default prices. Many gardeners pick cedar for food beds and looks; others choose treated pine to save money.

These numbers come straight from our planner, which we test on more than 30,000 bed designs. They are estimates for planning. Prices change and lumber is not always true to size, so measure twice and check prices at your store. Spot a problem? Report it.