How Much Does Hardie Board Siding Cost?

Let’s get the price right out of the way. The average Hardie board siding will cost roughly $8 to $14 per square foot. This means that a 1,200-square-foot exterior wall should cost you about $12,000 to have installed. The good part is that this siding might be the last you need to install in your home for a lifetime, which is why this is a great choice for most homeowners. But let’s get into a little more detail about this type of siding and the factors that will influence the cost.

One of the most popular names in this business is James Hardie, who is known mainly for their cement backer board. This product is called fiber cement, although it is mixed with organic materials like wood pulp, being the only siding material type made by Hardie.

Fiber cement is known for is versatile appearance, coming in all kinds of intense color schemes. It also has wood pulp in its composition, which makes the boards look more natural, with a woodgrain texture. Keep reading this article to know whether James Hardie siding is worth the price and whether this is the right choice for you.

How Much Does Hardie Siding Cost?

As said above, expect Hardie Board siding costs between $8 and 14 per square foot installed. This means that at this price you will get both the needed materials and professional installation. If you were to need Hardie Board siding for a 2,000 sq. ft. house, you will need $16,000 to $28,000.

This puts the James Hardie considerably higher in terms of price compared to a lot of the other types of siding, but this is considered a premium quality product in the engineered wood siding and fiber cement siding area.

The costs associated with siding installation can increase or decrease quite significantly depending on the job complexity, the square footage, accessibility, and location.

The price of the James Hardie materials will also vary quite a lot depending on your desired siding color and board exposure. You will also consider the cost of trimming the materials.

Hardie Plank Siding Cost Per Square Foot

When it comes to the materials alone, Hardie siding will cost somewhere between $4 and $5 per square foot.

This cost should include the siding boards, as well as the trimming, which is at least $1 to $2 per square foot of job size, stainless steel nails, house wrap (vapor barrier or underlayment), and any other materials you might need for the installation.

For unpainted, pre-primed Hardie Plank boards, expect to pay around $1.80 per square foot, while factory-painted siding will be around $2 per square foot.

A high-quality fiber cement siding that is sort of less expensive is Nichiha if you’re interested in an alternative.

The average house will need roughly 22.5 squares of siding boards, which would cost between $3,900 and $4,500.

Keep in mind that these are pre-tax prices, which means the final cost will be 0% to 10% higher depending on your state.

Although you will usually be faced with up to 10% waste factor on materials, when you subtract the area of the windows, you will get roughly the same square footage.

How Much Does a 4×8 Sheet of Hardie Board Cost?

You can find the HardiePanel HZ10 5/16 in. x 48 in. x 96 in. Fiber Cement Primed Sierra 8 Vertical Panel Siding at Home Depot for around $59.30 at the time this article is written.

But what other measurements are there for Hardie Board siding?

Below you will find the most common board sizes you can find for this product.

Board Size (width)	Board Exposure	Board Length	Pieces per 100 sq. ft.
8.25″	7″	12 feet	14 pcs.
7.25″	6″	12 feet	17 pcs.
6.25″	5″	12 feet	20 pcs.
5.25″	4″	12 feet	25 pcs.

Hardie Board Siding Cost vs. Vinyl vs. Wood vs. Fiber Cement

James Hardie materials are preferred over cheap siding alternatives by a lot of architects and homeowners.

This is one of the reasons why people looking to replace their old siding will be pointed toward Hardie siding and also why many upscale construction homes will go for Hardie siding right from the start.

You might also like our articles about the cost of CertainTeed Siding, Asbestos siding removal, or building a brick house.

The table below will give you a pretty good idea of the differences in terms of cost between Hardie Board siding and its main competitors, which are stucco, real cedar wood sign, engineered wood siding, or fiber cement siding.

Material	Cost per sq. ft.	Cost to install 2,000 sq. ft.
Hardie Board siding	$8 – $14	$16,000 – $28,000
Vinyl Siding	$3.5 – $5.5	$7,000 – $11,000
Stucco	$7.5 – $12.5	$15,000 – $25,000
Stone Veneer	$15 – $32	$30,000 – $64,000
Fiber Cement siding	$4.5 – $10	$9,000 – $20,000
Engineered Wood Siding	$6.5 – $11	$13,000 – $22,000
Cedar Wood Siding (top grade)	$8 – $15	$16,000 – $30,000
Cedar Wood Siding (mid-grade)	$6 – $7.5	$12,000 – $14,000
Aluminum Siding	$2.75 – $4.5	$5,500 – $9,000

Hardie Board Siding Installation Preparation

Hardie-approved contractors will the structural integrity of your property way before hauling the boards to you. They’ll have to check each beam or stud to ensure that there is no possible damage to compromise their strength. With a weight of about 300 pounds per 100 square foot section, Hardie board is very heavy. Before you can start the siding project, any wood damaged by water or pests will have to be repaired or replaced.

Depending on the level of damage, the costs might increase significantly. These repairs might be charged separately by the company that takes on the project.

Products Available by James Hardie Siding

Hardie siding can be found as shingle, lapboard, or vertical designs, that are made from cement and not vinyl. You will usually get a more natural look when using fiber cement than vinyl. To look more like a wood board or shake, instead of being made of plastic, it is made of a combination of cement and wood pulp. There are still home builders and contractors that will be skeptical about using this material, as it is still considered new on the market so it doesn’t have the age to have passed the test of time.

Hardie offers an Artisan collection along with its traditional sides, which comes with a thicker board width and deeper shadow lines. According to the company, this works great to keep the historical accuracy of a home.

James Hardie Siding Warranties

James Hardie gives you a 30-year warranty on its products, unlike most of its competitors, which are known to offer limited lifetime protection. Although their agreement should cover defects caused by the manufacturer, it may still be voided if you make any repairs or alterations to the original product.