French door cost
Estimate an interior or exterior French door from your quoted price plus labor and a contingency buffer, against the labeled installed band.
A French door at $2,500.00 plus labor is about $3,410.00 (labeled band $1,500.00–$4,500.00 installed). French doors cost more than a slider of the same width; exterior French doors often want a proper header and threshold — the structural part is a pro item.
Calculator inputs
French doors are hinged glazed doors, hung singly or as an in-swing or out-swing pair, and they carry a premium over a slider of the same width: two moving leaves, an astragal and multi-point hardware to seal the meeting stile, and — on an exterior pair — careful flashing and threshold work. This tool takes your quoted price and labor and returns a planning total with a contingency buffer.
Count a double (paired) French door as a single unit and enter the pair price. The band below is for the door and a standard install; any structural work to the opening is separate.
Formula
Door and labor, buffered by a contingency:
total = (count × price/unit + labor) × (1 + contingency%)
All figures are yours. If your quote splits out the astragal, multi-point lock or a screen system, roll those into the unit price.
Worked example
One French door unit at $2,500, labor $600, at a 10% contingency:
(1 × 2,500 + 600) × 1.10 = 3,100 × 1.10 = $3,410
A wider exterior pair with sidelights at $3,800 and $900 labor returns (3,800 + 900) × 1.10 = $5,170.
Header, threshold and swing — the pro items
The header and threshold are a pro item. An exterior French pair spans a wide opening and often wants a properly sized header and a sill-pan-flashed threshold to shed water. On a load-bearing wall, sizing that header is a structural engineer’s job — it is not calculated here, and it is not part of the door price.
- Swing clearance. A hinged pair needs floor space to open; where that is tight, a slider (no swing) may fit better — compare the patio / sliding door cost.
- In-swing vs out-swing. Out-swing sheds water better but needs exterior clearance and different hardware; in-swing is the interior default.
- Weather sealing. The astragal and multi-point lock at the meeting stile are what keep a pair weathertight — a real cost, not an upsell.
Reference table
Installed price ranges are labeled planning bands (material plus labor) — a sanity check on your quote, never a substitute for it. You enter the real price; these only tell you whether a number looks unusually low or high.
| Door type | Typical installed / door | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Entry — steel | $500.00–$1,500.00 | Value / security default |
| Entry — fiberglass | $800.00–$2,500.00 | Dent- and weather-resistant |
| Patio / sliding glass | $1,000.00–$3,500.00 | Horizontal glider |
| French | $1,500.00–$4,500.00 | Hinged single or double |
| Storm | $150.00–$600.00 | Secondary outer door |
Bands are LABELED typicals — confirm with itemized quotes from licensed, insured installers; they vary by size, glass package, hardware, sidelights, disposal and local labor.