How Much Does Carpet Installation Cost in 2026?
National ranges, carpet + pad + labor · Pricing data updated · Reviewed annually
Installing new carpet in mid-grade nylon or triexta — the best-value tier and the one most homeowners actually buy — runs about $4.00 to $8.50 per square foot all-in (carpet, pad, and labor), roughly $6.00/sq ft at the midpoint. That puts a bedroom level of about 500 sq ft at $2,000 to $4,300 and a whole 1200 sq ft home at $4,800 to $10,200. The full spectrum is wide — a small budget-olefin room in a low-cost metro can start near $200, while a whole home in wool in a high-cost metro can exceed $40,500.
Four decisions set most of the price: which fiber you pick, how much floor you're covering, whether stairs are involved, and where you live. Stairs are the wild card — they're priced per step, not per square foot, and they're the biggest per-unit adder on the whole job. The tables below break the national ranges down along each axis, and the interactive estimator lets you combine them — then hand off to the free carpet calculator for a square-yard and pad takeoff built from your actual room dimensions.
Carpet cost by fiber (installed, per sq ft)
Fiber tier is the dominant price driver. These are all-in installed rates — carpet, pad, and labor per square foot of measured floor area, before tear-out, stairs, or prep. Nylon is the durability standard; triexta splits the difference for pets and basements; polyester and olefin are the budget picks; wool is the premium natural fiber.
| Fiber | Installed / sq ft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Olefin / polypropylene | $2.00 – $5.50 | Cheapest, least resilient — Berber loop, basements, indoor-outdoor |
| Polyester (PET) | $2.50 – $6.50 | Soft and stain-resistant, budget-friendly, crushes sooner |
| Triexta (SmartStrand) | $4.00 – $8.00 | Polyester softness, near-nylon resilience — great for pets |
| Nylon — mid-grade | $4.00 – $8.50 | The durability standard and best value — most homeowners buy here |
| Nylon — premium (6,6) | $6.00 – $12.00 | Stainmaster / Karastan — top synthetic durability |
| Wool | $9.00 – $25.00 | Premium natural fiber — luxurious, resilient, moisture-sensitive |
| Carpet tile (modular) | $2.00 – $9.00 | Glue-down or peel-and-stick squares, no separate pad — DIY-friendly |
Prices are per square yard × 9 (1 sq yd = 9 sq ft) — most installers quote by the yard, so mid-grade nylon at $6/sq ft is about $54/sq yd.
Carpet cost by fiber and area
New carpet installed, national averages, plush cut pile. Each cell is a low-to-high range; real projects cluster toward the middle. Area here is measured floor area — your installer will quote a slightly larger purchased figure because carpet is sold by the roll width (see the square-footage note further down).
| Area | Olefin / polypropylene | Polyester (PET) | Triexta (SmartStrand) | Nylon — mid-grade | Nylon — premium (6,6) | Wool | Carpet tile (modular) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One room144 sq ft | $300 – $800 | $400 – $900 | $600 – $1,200 | $600 – $1,200 | $900 – $1,700 | $1,300 – $3,600 | $300 – $1,300 |
| Bedroom level500 sq ft | $1,000 – $2,800 | $1,300 – $3,300 | $2,000 – $4,000 | $2,000 – $4,300 | $3,000 – $6,000 | $4,500 – $12,500 | $1,000 – $4,500 |
| Whole floor800 sq ft | $1,600 – $4,400 | $2,000 – $5,200 | $3,200 – $6,400 | $3,200 – $6,800 | $4,800 – $9,600 | $7,200 – $20,000 | $1,600 – $7,200 |
| Whole home1200 sq ft | $2,400 – $6,600 | $3,000 – $7,800 | $4,800 – $9,600 | $4,800 – $10,200 | $7,200 – $14,400 | $10,800 – $30,000 | $2,400 – $10,800 |
Estimate your carpet project
Combine fiber, pile style, area, region, and the real-world add-ons to see your range update live. The "includes a staircase" toggle adds one typical straight flight — for per-step pricing by method, see the table below it. Each add-on shows what it adds before you commit.
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Stairs are priced per step, not per sq ft
A typical straight staircase of 12–16 steps costs $350 to $900 to carpet, with most jobs near $550 — carpet, pad, and labor, before removing old carpet. That's the figure the estimator's staircase toggle adds. Per step, national guides put it at $14–$55 all-in, or $6–$20 for labor alone. A straight flight uses about 55–65 sq ft of carpet.
| Staircase | Whole flight, installed |
|---|---|
| Straight (12–16 steps) | $350 – $900 |
| L-shaped or U-shaped | $400 – $1,000 |
| Curved | $500 – $1,300 |
| Spiral | $700 – $1,500+ |
The installation method drives the per-step price. Waterfall (the carpet cascades continuously over each nose) uses the least carpet and installs fastest; box/capped is the standard; wrapped/Hollywood — each tread individually wrapped and tucked under the nosing — uses the most carpet and labor. All-in per step:
| Method | Per step | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfall | $10 – $22 | Carpet cascades continuously over each nose — least carpet, fastest |
| Box / capped | $12 – $30 | The standard method — a separate piece caps each tread and riser |
| Wrapped / Hollywood | $20 – $45 | Each tread individually wrapped and tucked — most cutting, most carpet |
| Spindles / balusters | +$3 – $20 | Extra per step to cut around each baluster |
| Landing | $50 – $140 | Billed as floor area at the room rate — a 3×4 to 4×4 ft landing in mid-grade nylon |
National cost guides publish one per-step range and don't split it by method; the method split above comes from a single cost guide (CarpetInstallCost.com), so treat it as a comparison between methods rather than a quote. Big-box "free installation" offers don't include stairs — Home Depot bills stairs separately, then covers the stairwork under its lifetime labor warranty.
Carpet pad: cost and the spec floor
Pad is usually bundled into the installed price, but it's worth understanding — the wrong pad voids the carpet warranty. Itemized separately, pad runs about $0.75–$1.75/sq ft installed. Cushion material only, by type:
| Pad type | Material / sq ft | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 6-lb rebond | $0.25 – $0.50 | Bedrooms / low traffic |
| 8-lb rebond (7/16") | $0.35 – $0.75 | The common residential default |
| 10-lb rebond | $0.50 – $1.00 | High-traffic / stairs |
| Memory foam | $0.50 – $1.30 | Low-traffic bedrooms |
| Moisture-barrier | $0.75 – $1.50 | Basements, concrete, pets / kids |
| Felt / fiber | $0.30 – $0.90 | Berber / loop carpet |
The cushion specs (CRI 105 and the HUD / Carpet Cushion Council table — two separate standards):
• CRI 105 recommends residential cushion no thicker than 7/16" — and never over 1/2". CRI sets no density minimum; it defers to the carpet maker, and most residential warranties call for 3/8"–7/16" rebond at 6–8 lb.
• The HUD / Carpet Cushion Council minimum for bonded urethane (rebond) is 5.0 lb/ft³ at 3/8" in bedrooms and living areas (Class 1).
• Stairs count as heavy traffic (Class 2): rebond must be at least 6.5 lb/ft³ at 3/8", and prime (non-bonded) urethane is not recommended there.
• Berber, woven, and heavy-latex-backed carpet need a firm, dense cushion no thicker than 3/8" (CRI 105). A thicker or softer pad than the carpet maker specifies can void the warranty.
What the real-world add-ons cost
Priced against a typical project — a 500 sq ft mid-grade nylon install at the national average. These are conditions and upgrades that ride on top of the base carpet-and-labor price. Each is priced once and added, not stacked on the others. Tear-out and pad upgrades scale with square footage, furniture moving is per room (3 rooms here), and a staircase or a subfloor fix is a flat amount.
| Factor | What's involved | Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Includes a staircase | One typical straight flight of 12–16 steps, priced per flight — not per sq ft. See the stair table below. | +$400 – $900 |
| Tear out & haul old carpet | Remove and dispose of stretch-in carpet + pad (~$0.25–$1.60/sq ft; lowest when bundled with new carpet) | +$100 – $800 |
| Upgrade the pad | From standard 6–8 lb rebond to 10-lb rebond, memory foam, or a moisture-barrier cushion | +$100 – $300 |
| Subfloor squeak fix / patch | Fixing squeaks and patching one problem area before install (installers include only light scraping) | +$200 – $1,200 |
| Move furniture | Installers move standard furniture for about $25–$75 per room; pianos, safes, pool tables, and electronics are excluded | +$100 – $200 |
Small single-room jobs carry a trip minimum. Installers charge a job/trip minimum — typically $150–$300 nationally, $200–$500 in high-cost metros — because loading and setup cost the same for one small bedroom as for a large room. The estimator applies this as a hard floor.
Cost by region
On total installed cost the regional spread is modest — roughly 10–35% — because region-neutral material cost dominates. But labor-only varies 2–3× between low-cost and high-cost metros. The same mid-grade nylon install of a 500 sq ft bedroom level:
| Region | Typical metros | Nylon (mid-grade) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower-cost region | Rural South, Midwest — labor cheaper | $1,700 – $3,600 |
| National average | Most metros | $2,000 – $4,300 |
| High-cost metro | Coastal CA, Northeast, West Coast | $2,700 – $5,700 |
California single-room jobs commonly carry a $200–$500 minimum and run 10–25% above the national average.
Does pile style change the price?
Less than most people expect — fiber matters far more. Plush and Saxony are the baseline; frieze (twist) prices about the same; Berber runs slightly higher at the top of the range. Cut-and-loop and patterned carpet cost the most, because matching the pattern takes more labor and more carpet: about 15% waste versus 10% for plain goods, and up to 30–35% for large pattern repeats. The same mid-grade nylon over a 500 sq ft area:
| Pile style | Installed range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plush / Saxony | $2,000 – $4,300 | Baseline cut pile — soft, shows footprints |
| Frieze (twist) | $2,000 – $4,700 | Twisted cut pile — durable, hides marks; priced about like plush |
| Berber / loop | $2,000 – $4,900 | Needs a firm pad no thicker than 3/8"; snag-prone; slightly more at the top |
| Cut-and-loop / patterned | $2,100 – $5,000 | Most expensive — pattern matching adds labor and ~15% waste vs ~10% plain |
Carpet vs. LVP vs. laminate
Carpet usually costs the least of the three to install, though the ranges overlap and some guides price budget vinyl below mid-grade carpet. Installed per square foot, before tearing out the old floor:
| Floor | Installed / sq ft | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Polyester (PET) carpet | $2.50 – $6.50 | $4.00 |
| Nylon — mid-grade carpet | $4.00 – $8.50 | $6.00 |
| Laminate | $3.00 – $13.00 | $7.00 |
| Luxury vinyl plank (click / floating) | $4.00 – $12.00 | $7.00 |
Carpet prices include pad. For a same-source cross-check — HomeGuide 2026: carpet $2–$8, laminate $4–$14, LVP $4–$16 per sq ft installed, tear-out not included. Compare every hard surface on the flooring cost page.
Home Depot and Lowe's carpet installation
As of September 2026, Home Depot advertises free carpet installation with a $699 minimum purchase, with installation otherwise starting at 49¢–69¢ per sq ft and a lifetime labor warranty covering seams, restretches, and stairs. Home Depot's own cost guide puts carpet, pad, and labor at $2.70–$5.70 per sq ft. Lowe's offers free in-home measurement and special financing on installed flooring over $299; it requires new pad (it won't install over an old one), includes only light floor scraping, and charges per room to move furniture. Lowe's jobs typically run $4.00–$6.00 per sq ft all-in.
Neither retailer's low install price covers tearing out the old carpet, stairs, moving furniture, or subfloor work beyond light prep. All-in bundled retailers like Empire Today don't publish prices and have been reported at $10.00–$14.00/sq ft installed. The only apples-to-apples comparison is the total delivered price — carpet + pad + labor + removal + every add-on + tax — so ask for an itemized quote. Promotions change often; check each retailer's current terms before you buy.
Why the calculator's square footage looks bigger
The prices on this page are quoted per measured floor area — the actual square footage of your rooms — with seam and waste already built into the installer's bid. The companion carpet calculator instead computes purchased carpet area (face square footage): it has to add the seam and waste created by fixed 12-ft (sometimes 13'2" or 15') roll widths, so it reports a larger number — typically +5–20%, and more for pattern-match jobs or many small rooms and stairs. The two pages use different denominators by design and don't contradict each other: this page expresses dollars per measured floor foot, the calculator expresses rolls and face square feet to purchase.
How to keep the cost down
Match fiber to traffic and ownership horizon. Mid-grade nylon is the value sweet spot for the whole house. Reserve premium nylon and wool for rooms you'll keep for a decade; use budget polyester in low-traffic bedrooms you'll recarpet in a few years.
Treat stairs as their own line. They're per step, not per square foot — a flight can rival a whole bedroom. If budget is tight, waterfall costs far less than Hollywood for the same fiber.
Don't over-buy pad. A 6–8 lb rebond no thicker than 7/16" is the residential norm; a thicker, softer pad isn't an upgrade for Berber or stairs — it can void the carpet warranty. Spend the pad budget on a moisture-barrier cushion only where you need it (basements, pets).
Get the area right before you call for bids. The carpet calculator gives you a defensible square-yard figure with a seam plan to check quotes against, so you're not paying for an installer's over-measure.
What these ranges don't include
National ranges, carpet + pad + labor combined, professional stretch-in installation over a sound subfloor. Tear-out of old carpet, stairs, a pad upgrade, subfloor fixes, and furniture moving are priced as separate add-ons. Excludes asbestos tile or mastic abatement, major subfloor or structural repair, binding or serging remnants into rugs, moving pianos, pool tables, safes, and electronics, and sales tax.
- Asbestos tile or mastic abatement — licensed work if old resilient tile turns up under the carpet: about $5–$15 per sq ft, plus $250–$800 for inspection and testing.
- Major subfloor or structural repair — $500–$1,200 for a structural repair, $350–$1,000 per joist, or $2.20–$10.00 per sq ft to replace subfloor.
- Binding or serging remnants into rugs — about $1.50–$4.00 per linear foot for binding and $5–$10 per linear foot for serging; a 9×12 rug has 42 linear feet of edge.
- Moving pianos, pool tables, safes, aquariums, waterbeds, and electronics — installers refuse or surcharge them.
- Sales tax — and a permit only if subfloor structural work triggers one ($50–$200); new carpet itself needs none.
Where these numbers come from
Ranges reconcile national published data — Homewyse (May 2026) and Fixr (2025) for all-in-with-prep jobs, Angi (2026), HomeAdvisor, and HomeGuide (2026) for budget-to-mid jobs, plus Forbes Home, NerdWallet, and D&G Flooring project figures — with the per-step stair method split from CarpetInstallCost.com and D&G Flooring. In September 2026 we re-checked tear-out, subfloor, furniture moving, pile premiums, and exclusions against HomeGuide, Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Forbes Home, the big-box offers against Home Depot's and Lowe's own installation pages, and the cushion specs against CRI 105 and the Carpet Cushion Council table HUD adopted as UM 72a. Sources disagree by more than 40% at the extremes, driven mostly by whether tear-out, premium material, and full prep are bundled; the fiber tiers are built to span both ends. Every figure is rounded to the nearest $100 on purpose — a national estimate quoted to the dollar is false precision. The model is reviewed annually; this page was last computed from data updated . For your own project, the only numbers that matter more than these are the ones in a written bid from a licensed local installer — get at least three.
Ready to price the actual job?
The free carpet calculator goes past ranges: enter your room dimensions and pick a roll width, and it returns square yards to order with a roll-width seam plan, pad rolls, tackless strip, seam tape, transitions, and an optional stair runner — a materials takeoff you can save, share, or hand to an installer. No signup.
Open the Carpet Calculator →
Don't forget disposal in the budget
A project this size usually needs a rolloff dumpster, and rental plus overage fees are a real line item. See the right container size and what disposal typically adds to the budget.
Plan the disposal line item →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does carpet cost installed in 2026?
Mid-grade nylon or triexta — the best-value tier most homeowners buy — runs about $4.00–$8.50 per square foot all-in (carpet, pad, and labor), roughly $6.00/sq ft at the midpoint. That puts a single bedroom (about 144 sq ft) at $600 to $1,200, a bedroom level (~500 sq ft) at $2,000 to $4,300, and a whole 1200 sq ft home at $4,800 to $10,200. Budget polyester and olefin run less; wool runs the most. Size your exact rooms with the free carpet calculator.
How much does it cost to carpet a bedroom?
A typical 144 sq ft bedroom (about 12×12) runs $600 to $1,200 in mid-grade nylon, $400 to $900 in budget polyester, and up to $1,300 to $3,600 in wool — carpet, pad, and labor included. Small single-room jobs also carry an installer trip minimum, typically $150–$300 nationally (higher in expensive metros), so a very small room won't price below that floor no matter the square footage.
How much does it cost to carpet stairs?
A typical straight staircase of 12–16 steps costs about $350–$900 to carpet, with most jobs near $550 — carpet, pad, and labor, not counting removal of the old carpet. Per step, national guides put it at $14–$55 all-in (labor alone is $6–$20 a step). The method matters: waterfall, where the carpet drapes over each nose, is cheapest, and wrapped or Hollywood, where each tread is tucked under the nosing, costs the most. Spindles add up to $20 per step. L- or U-shaped stairs run $400–$1,000, curved $500–$1,300, and spiral $700–$1,500 or more. A straight flight uses about 55–65 sq ft of carpet. Big-box "free installation" doesn't include stairs.
Is nylon or polyester carpet worth the extra cost?
Nylon is the durability gold standard and the best value for high-traffic areas — it resists crushing and bounces back, where polyester and olefin mat down sooner under foot traffic. In a 144 sq ft room the difference is $400 to $900 for polyester versus $600 to $1,200 for mid-grade nylon. For pets and basements, triexta (SmartStrand) splits the difference: polyester-like softness with near-nylon resilience and inherent stain resistance. Budget polyester makes sense for low-traffic bedrooms you'll recarpet in a few years.
Are "free installation" carpet deals actually free?
Rarely all the way. As of September 2026, Home Depot advertises free carpet installation with a $699 minimum purchase (otherwise labor starts at 49¢–69¢ per sq ft), and Lowe's offers free measurement plus special financing on $299+ rather than a free-install headline. Neither low install price covers tearing out the old carpet, stairs, moving furniture, or floor prep beyond light scraping, and Lowe's requires new pad. Compare the total delivered job price — carpet + pad + labor + removal + every add-on + tax — never the advertised install line. These promotions change often, so check the retailer's current terms.
Do these ranges include removing my old carpet?
No — the base ranges are for installing new carpet over a sound subfloor. Tearing out and hauling away stretch-in carpet and pad runs about $0.25–$1.60 per square foot: the low end is what installers charge when they bundle removal with a new-carpet sale (often $1–$2 per square yard), and $0.70–$1.60 is the typical standalone rate including disposal. On a 500 sq ft job that adds roughly $100–$800. Glued-down carpet costs more because the adhesive has to be scraped. Toggle "tear out & haul old carpet" in the estimator to fold it in, and if a quote looks unusually low, check whether removal is included.
What carpet pad should I get, and does it cost extra?
CRI 105 recommends residential cushion no thicker than 7/16" — and never over 1/2". CRI sets no density minimum; it defers to the carpet maker, and most residential warranties call for 3/8"–7/16" rebond at 6–8 lb. Pad material runs about $0.35–$0.75/sq ft for 8-lb rebond and is usually bundled into the installed price; itemized separately it's around $0.75–$1.75/sq ft installed. Upgrading to 10-lb rebond, memory foam, or a moisture barrier adds about $0.15–$0.75/sq ft. Berber, woven, and heavy-latex-backed carpet need a firm, dense cushion no thicker than 3/8" (CRI 105). A thicker or softer pad than the carpet maker specifies can void the warranty.
How much does it cost to move furniture for carpet installation?
Installers who charge for it typically bill about $25–$75 per room for standard furniture, so a 500 sq ft bedroom level adds roughly $100–$200. Some independent installers include it in the price; Lowe's charges per room. Big-box programs and CRI 105 exclude pianos, pool tables, safes, aquariums, waterbeds, and electronics like TVs and computers — move or disconnect those yourself or hire a specialty mover, and clear closet floors before install day.
Is carpet cheaper than LVP or laminate?
Usually, on upfront installed cost. Mid-grade nylon carpet runs about $4.00–$8.50 per sq ft with pad and labor, versus $4.00–$12.00 for click luxury vinyl plank and $3.00–$13.00 for laminate installed. At the typical price that's about $6.00 for carpet against $7.00 for LVP and $7.00 for laminate, and budget polyester and olefin carpet are cheaper still. The ranges overlap, and none of them include tearing out the old floor. Compare every hard surface on the flooring cost page.
Why does my installer quote more square footage than my room area?
Because installed carpet is priced per measured floor area, but carpet is purchased by the full roll width and can't bend. When a room is wider than the 12-ft roll, the installer seams in a fill piece, which adds material and waste — typically +5–20%, more for patterns or many small rooms. This cost page quotes dollars per measured floor foot; the free carpet calculator computes the larger purchased (face) square footage with a roll-width seam plan. The two use different denominators by design — they don't contradict.
Do these carpet ranges include labor?
Yes — every range on this page combines carpet, pad, and professional stretch-in labor, reconciled from national industry sources. National ranges, carpet + pad + labor combined, professional stretch-in installation over a sound subfloor. Tear-out of old carpet, stairs, a pad upgrade, subfloor fixes, and furniture moving are priced as separate add-ons. Excludes asbestos tile or mastic abatement, major subfloor or structural repair, binding or serging remnants into rugs, moving pianos, pool tables, safes, and electronics, and sales tax. For a materials takeoff you can hand to an installer or price yourself — square yards with a roll-width seam plan, pad rolls, tackless strip, and a stair runner — run the free carpet calculator.