I am regularly asked about pole prices – everything from prices per size to freight costs and installation, etc. The object of this video and chart is to briefly explain the basic pole prices relative to length, the most commonly discussed characteristic of the pole.
Poles come in numerous sizes, species, grades, and treatment levels. Each of those factors affects price. The biggest factor affecting the delivered price of a pole (treated or untreated) is size – mostly length – and that can be broken into two main reasons.
- Supply: Trees take a long time to grow and BIG trees are getting scarce.
- Freight: Permits and special equipment are probably required for long lengths.
In fact, if you order an 80′ long pole today it is likely the tree you will receive is still in the forest today. Crazy, huh?
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PklumnmBGaA]
The chart does not appear clearly in the video. Here it is (below) so you can get a better look.
Don’t use this chart to bid your next project or anything. I simply wanted to make the point that around the 50′ length mark, the pole prices curve turns sharply north. Also notice that the incremental pole prices on the left get larger as well. Yes, it is certainly possible that you might pay $5,000 (delivered) for a 90′ pole. Don’t even ask about poles beyond 100′.
You should always design based on the needs of the structure (as opposed to what materials are cheapest) but “value engineering” is always important to keep budgets in check and projects affordable. With that, if you are building a structure that requires poles longer than about 50 feet, you might consider brainstorming ideas to design the structure so it can use shorter, less expensive, poles.
Basic Take Away about Pole Prices (in a rhyme): Under 20 feet, poles are cheap, beyond fifty, prices are ‘iffy. 🙂