Home › Security Cages › Cost Guide
Security Cage Cost Guide
Wire mesh security cages typically run $25–$55 per linear foot, with complete projects from about $3,000 for a small tool crib to $50,000+ for a large warehouse enclosure. Here is what actually drives the number, so you can budget before you get a quote.
$25–$55
Per linear foot, typical
15–25%
Installation as % of material
1–3 Days
Typical install duration
8–12 ft
Common panel heights
Shop Pre-Configured Wire Mesh Cage Kits Online
Standard-size welded wire cage kits, priced online, for smaller storage needs. Every kit still needs to be anchored to sound concrete — for tall, braced or engineered enclosures, request a quote with your building location and floor details.
Prices are the current online prices. See all security cage kits · Need a custom size? Request a security cage quote.
How Much Do Security Cages Cost?
For a standard woven wire mesh enclosure, budget $25 to $55 per linear foot of panel, installed. That range is wide because a cage is an assembly, not a product: the mesh style, panel height, door count, hardware, ceiling treatment, and site conditions each move the number. Total project cost typically lands between $3,000 for a small tool crib and $50,000 or more for a large multi-room warehouse enclosure.
A real reference point: standard pre-configured kits are priced online — for example the Vestil Hinged Door No Ceiling Cage 3 Sided 8X8 at $3,060.99 and the Vestil Sliding Dr No Ceiling Cage 3 Side 10X10 at $4,314.19, up to $6,076.45 for the largest kit with a ceiling (current online prices, before freight and installation). Custom partitions are priced from a layout.
The per-foot figure is useful for a first pass, but it stops being accurate as soon as your project has an unusual feature — a floor-to-ceiling requirement, electronic access control, a forklift door, or a partition that has to work around building columns and sprinkler heads. This guide walks through each cost driver so you can build a realistic budget and recognize whether a quote you receive is reasonable.
Linear feet, not square feet
Cages are priced by the perimeter you enclose, not the area inside. A long, narrow 200 sq ft cage costs meaningfully more than a square 200 sq ft cage because it needs more panel. If you are choosing between layouts, the squarer one is cheaper.
Cost by Cage Size
Size is the first-order driver. These are installed cost ranges for standard 8-foot woven wire construction with typical door hardware.
Small — Under 200 SF$3,000–$8,000 installed. Tool cribs, server closets, evidence rooms, and controlled-item storage. Usually one hinged door, standard 8-foot panels, and often about a day of installation labor.
Medium — 200 to 1,000 SF$8,000–$25,000 installed. DEA cages, tenant storage banks, and inventory cages. Often includes a sliding or double door for pallet access and may need ceiling panels.
Large — 1,000+ SF$20,000–$60,000+ installed. Full warehouse partitions, data center cages, and multi-room enclosures. Engineering, seismic bracing, and coordination with sprinklers and lighting come into play.Wire Mesh Gauge and Style
Mesh specification is where buyers most often either overspend or under-protect. Heavier gauge welded wire genuinely resists attack better, and it costs more per panel. The question is whether your threat justifies it.
Standard 10-gauge woven wire is the right answer for most general-purpose separation and deterrence — keeping honest people honest, controlling access to a tool crib, and creating an auditable boundary. Heavy 6- or 8-gauge welded wire is appropriate where a determined attacker with hand tools is a realistic threat, or where a regulation effectively requires it, as with DEA controlled-substance storage. Sheet-metal-backed panels add visual privacy and cost more per panel while reducing airflow and sprinkler coverage.
| Mesh Type | Relative Cost | Security Level | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-gauge woven wire | Baseline | Standard deterrence | General separation, tool cribs, tenant storage |
| 8-gauge welded wire | +15–25% | Elevated | High-value inventory, parts cages, evidence |
| 6-gauge welded wire | +25–40% | High | DEA storage, weapons, controlled items |
| Sheet-metal backed | +30–50% | Visual privacy | Cash rooms, records, sensitive operations |
| Expanded metal | +20–35% | High, low visibility | Anti-reach applications, secure corridors |
Panel Height
Height is a straightforward multiplier on panel cost, but the jump from a capped cage to a floor-to-ceiling cage is a step change rather than an increment.
Eight-foot panels are the standard and the least expensive. Ten-foot panels typically add 15–20%. A ceiling panel or wire top adds material but is usually necessary — an open-top 8-foot cage next to a pallet rack is climbable, and auditors know it. True floor-to-ceiling construction requires custom-height panels, deck attachment detailing, and coordination with sprinklers, lighting, ductwork, and conduit, which is why it sits at the top of the cost range.
- 8-foot panels — standard height, lowest cost
- 10-foot panels — typically 15–20% more than 8-foot
- Wire ceiling panels — required wherever the top is reachable
- Floor-to-ceiling — custom panels plus MEP coordination
- Partial-height — lowest cost, deterrence only, rarely compliant
Doors and Access Points
Doors are the most expensive square footage in any cage. They are also where budgets quietly inflate, because every additional access point adds hardware, a frame, and often an access control device. Fewer, better-placed doors is almost always the cheaper and more secure design.
| Access Type | Typical Cost Each | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hinged single door | $500–$1,200 | Lowest cost; needs swing clearance inside or out |
| Sliding door | $800–$2,000 | No swing clearance required; good in tight aisles |
| Double sliding door (forklift) | $1,500–$3,500 | Sized for pallet and lift truck access |
| Electronic access control | $1,000–$3,000 | Per door, including reader, strike, and power |
| Service window / pass-through | $300–$800 | Keeps traffic out of the cage entirely |
| Roll-up gate | $1,200–$3,000 | Where floor space forbids a swing or slide |
Access control and audit trail
If you need to know who entered and when — for DEA compliance, chain of custody, or inventory shrink investigations — budget for electronic access control from the start. Retrofitting a reader, strike, power, and network drop onto an installed cage door costs more than specifying it up front, and it usually means running exposed conduit across a finished panel.
A pass-through window is the most underused cost saver in cage design. If most transactions are a person handing out a part, a window means fewer people inside the cage, fewer doors, less access control hardware, and a cleaner audit trail.
Common Applications and Real-World Pricing
These installed cost ranges reflect projects of typical size and complexity. They assume a reasonably clear, level concrete floor and normal working hours.
| Application | Typical Size | Estimated Installed Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tool crib | 100–300 SF | $4,000–$12,000 |
| Server cage / data center | 100–500 SF | $5,000–$20,000 |
| DEA drug storage cage | 50–200 SF | $4,000–$15,000 |
| Tenant storage (per unit) | 25–75 SF | $800–$2,500 per unit |
| Warehouse partition | 500–5,000 SF | $15,000–$60,000 |
| Evidence room | 200–800 SF | $8,000–$30,000 |
| Pallet rack enclosure | Per bay | $1,200–$3,500 per bay |
| Machine guarding enclosure | 50–400 SF | $3,000–$14,000 |
Why DEA cages cost more per foot
Controlled-substance storage requires heavier gauge welded mesh, a secure ceiling, hardened door hardware, and an access audit trail — on a very small footprint. The fixed costs get spread across few linear feet, so the per-foot number looks high even though the total is modest.
Installation Costs
Professional installation typically adds 15–25% to material cost. That covers layout, anchoring panels to the slab, leveling and plumbing the runs, hanging and adjusting doors, and installing hardware. Most security cage projects install in one to three days.
Installation can climb above that range for predictable reasons: after-hours or weekend work to avoid disrupting operations, a floor that needs leveling or has post-tension cable requiring scanning before anchoring, panels that have to be carried up stairs or into a mezzanine, and layouts that weave around columns, drains, and low ductwork. None of these are surprises if the site is walked before the quote — which is exactly why we walk it.
- Layout and marking from approved drawings
- Mechanical anchoring to the concrete slab
- Leveling and plumbing of all panel runs
- Door hanging, adjustment, and hardware installation
- Punch walk and adjustment before turnover
How to Reduce Security Cage Cost Without Losing Security
There is a lot of room to save on a cage project, and almost none of it involves buying lighter mesh than your threat requires. The savings are in geometry, standardization, and scope discipline.
Use building walls as cage walls wherever possible — a cage tucked into a corner needs two sides instead of four. Keep the footprint square rather than long and narrow. Standardize on stock panel widths and heights instead of custom sizes. Reduce door count and add a pass-through window instead. Combine multiple small cages into one project so freight, mobilization, and installation setup are shared. And specify the mesh to the actual threat, not to the worst case you can imagine.
- Place cages in corners to borrow two existing walls
- Prefer square footprints over long, narrow ones
- Standardize on stock panel widths and 8-foot heights
- Minimize doors; add a pass-through window instead
- Bundle multiple cages into one mobilization
- Match mesh gauge to the real threat, not the worst imaginable one
- Schedule during normal hours if operations allow
- Price reuse of a cage you already own against new — read used vs new security cages before buying used
Explore Security Cage Solutions
Security Cages & PartitionsThe full line of wire mesh enclosures, partitions, and secure storage systems.
Tool Cribs & Parts CagesControlled tool and parts storage with pass-through windows and access control.
Server & Data Center CagesColocation and equipment cages with floor-to-ceiling options and audit trails.
Machine GuardingOSHA-compliant wire mesh guarding for robotic cells and moving equipment.Security Cage Cost FAQs
What is the cheapest way to build a security cage?
Do I need a ceiling on my security cage?
How much does installation add?
Is a permit required for a security cage?
Will a cage affect my sprinkler coverage?
How long does a security cage take to install?
Can I add to a cage later?
How do I get an exact number for my project?
When Does a Security Cage Pay for Itself?
A cage is easiest to justify when you put your own numbers next to its price. Rather than rely on industry averages, estimate the payback from what your facility actually loses or risks:
| Payback driver | How to estimate it | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Loss prevention | Annual shrink on the items you would cage × the share you expect a locked, visible area to stop | Your cycle counts and inventory adjustments |
| Compliance | Cost of a finding, delayed license or failed audit for controlled substances, evidence or regulated goods | Your regulator, auditor or compliance team |
| Insurance | Any premium change or deductible condition tied to secured storage | Your insurance carrier or broker |
| Labor and counts | Hours saved on counts, searches and issuing items from one controlled point | Your own time studies |
What to have ready for an accurate quote
- Length, width and height of each enclosure, and which sides use existing walls
- Number, width and type of doors (hinged, sliding, Dutch), and what has to pass through them
- Whether you need a mesh ceiling (common for controlled substances, evidence and high-value goods)
- Lock type: padlock, keyed, keypad, card reader or biometric
- Floor type: slab on grade, elevated deck, raised floor or coated concrete
- Sprinklers, lights, columns and anything else the cage must work around
- Any regulator, landlord or fire code requirements you already know about
Our security cage sizing guide explains how to measure, and you can sketch a layout in the free security cage configurator. For component details see doors, panels and posts and locks and access control.
Get an Exact Security Cage Quote
Every cage is custom sized. Send us your dimensions and what you are protecting, and we will return a detailed quote with layout drawings — no obligation.