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 $4.50 to $8 per square foot all-in (carpet, pad, and labor), roughly $6/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 $35,600.
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) | $3.50 – $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 – $22.00 | Premium natural fiber — luxurious, resilient, moisture-sensitive |
| Carpet tile (modular) | $3.00 – $9.00 | DIY-friendly glue-down or peel-and-stick squares |
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 | $500 – $1,200 | $600 – $1,200 | $900 – $1,700 | $1,300 – $3,200 | $400 – $1,300 |
| Bedroom level500 sq ft | $1,000 – $2,800 | $1,300 – $3,300 | $1,800 – $4,000 | $2,000 – $4,300 | $3,000 – $6,000 | $4,500 – $11,000 | $1,500 – $4,500 |
| Whole floor800 sq ft | $1,600 – $4,400 | $2,000 – $5,200 | $2,800 – $6,400 | $3,200 – $6,800 | $4,800 – $9,600 | $7,200 – $17,600 | $2,400 – $7,200 |
| Whole home1200 sq ft | $2,400 – $6,600 | $3,000 – $7,800 | $4,200 – $9,600 | $4,800 – $10,200 | $7,200 – $14,400 | $10,800 – $26,400 | $3,600 – $10,800 |
Estimate your carpet project
Combine fiber, pile style, area, region, and the real-world adjusters to see your range update live. The "includes a staircase" toggle applies a whole-job allowance — for the exact per-step stair math, see the table below it. Each upgrade shows what it adds before you commit.
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Stairs are priced per step, not per sq ft
A staircase is the single biggest per-unit adder on a carpet job, and the method drives the 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 the most labor, running roughly twice waterfall. These are all-in per step (carpet, pad, and labor):
| 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 | $100 – $200 | A landing at the top or a turn (flat rate) |
A typical 13–16-step flight with a landing runs $500 to $950 in mid-tier fiber. Curved or spiral staircases are a different job — figure $500 or more for the flight, since every step is a custom cut.
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. Material runs about $0.75–$1.75/sq ft installed when itemized separately. 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 residential default — CRI 105 Class 1 |
| 10-lb rebond | $0.50 – $1.00 | High-traffic / stairs |
| Memory foam | $0.50 – $1.20 | Low-traffic bedrooms — NOT for stairs |
| Moisture-barrier | $0.75 – $1.50 | Basements, concrete, pets / kids |
| Felt / fiber | $0.30 – $0.90 | Berber / commercial loop |
The cushion spec floor (CRI 105 / HUD UM 72a):
• 8-lb density rebond at 7/16" — no thicker than 7/16", no thinner than 1/4", ≥6 lb/ft³ (CRI 105 Class 1).
• Stairs and high-traffic areas need firmer, thinner cushion — 3/8" at 8–10-lb density.
• Berber / low-profile loop must use ≤3/8" at 8-lb density; a thick soft pad wrinkles the loop and voids the warranty (HUD UM 72a / CCC Class 2).
• Memory foam is NOT recommended on stairs — it reduces traction and voids many stair warranties.
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. On a bigger or higher-end fiber each adds proportionally more.
| Factor | What's involved | Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Includes a staircase | A flight of stairs — priced per step, not per sq ft. See the stair table below. | +$100 – $1,200 |
| Tear out & haul old carpet | Remove and dispose existing carpet + pad (~$0.50–$1.75/sq ft) | +$100 – $1,000 |
| Upgrade the pad | Thicker / denser rebond, memory foam, or moisture-barrier cushion | +$100 – $600 |
| Subfloor patch / level | Minor squeak fixes, patching, and leveling before install | +$100 – $1,200 |
| Occupied home / move furniture | Furniture moving and working around a lived-in home | +$0 – $400 |
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?
Pile style is a secondary adjustment — roughly ±10–30% on top of the fiber. Plush and Saxony are the baseline; frieze (twist) and Berber cost a bit more at the top of the range; cut-and-loop patterns are the most expensive because they add pattern-match labor and extra waste. 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 – $5,100 | Twisted cut pile — durable, hides marks |
| Berber / loop | $2,000 – $5,300 | Needs a denser, thinner pad; snag-prone; costs more at the top |
| Cut-and-loop / patterned | $2,100 – $5,500 | Most expensive — pattern-match labor and extra waste |
The "free installation" trap
"Free installation," "$99 whole-house install," and similar retail promotions don't make installation free — they relocate the labor cost into inflated material and pad pricing and into required add-ons. Big-box "free install" is gated behind minimum purchases: Home Depot's applies to carpet purchases of $499+, and Lowe's runs free installs with a $600+ purchase. Both still charge separately for tack strips, floor prep, transitions, upper-floor carpeting, furniture moving, and haul-away.
All-in bundled retailers like Empire Today don't publish prices and sell marked-up third-party product (Shaw, Mohawk) at a reported $10–$14/sq ft installed, with promotions that require minimums and exclude stairs and non-standard prep. The only apples-to-apples comparison is the total delivered job price — carpet + pad + labor + removal + every add-on + tax — not the advertised install line. Always demand an itemized quote.
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. The 8-lb, 7/16" rebond is the residential spec; a thicker, softer pad isn't an upgrade for Berber or stairs — it's a warranty risk. 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, subfloor prep, and furniture moving are priced as separate adjusters. Excludes asbestos-tile abatement, major subfloor / structural repair, custom binding or serging, moving of pianos / pool tables / safes, permits, and sales tax.
- Asbestos floor-tile abatement & hazmat testing — licensed specialty work found under old carpet; never a firm national number.
- Major subfloor or structural repair — joist work, water or rot damage, beyond a minor patch and level.
- Custom binding, serging, or area-rug fabrication — priced as its own job.
- Moving pianos, pool tables, safes, and other heavy specialty items.
- Permits, inspection fees, and sales tax — plus any general-contractor overhead (~13–22%).
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 and NerdWallet project medians — with the per-step stair method split from CarpetInstallCost.com and D&G Flooring, and the cushion spec from the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI 105), HUD UM 72a, and the Carpet Cushion Council. Sources disagree by more than 40% at the extremes, driven entirely by whether 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.
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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/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 $3,200 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?
Stairs are priced per step, not per square foot — the single biggest per-unit adder. All-in per step: waterfall (carpet cascades over each nose) runs $10–$22, box/capped $12–$30, and wrapped/Hollywood $20–$45 — Hollywood is roughly twice waterfall. A typical 13–16-step flight with a landing runs $500–$950 in mid-tier fiber. Spindles add $3–$20 per step, and curved or spiral staircases run $500 or more.
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?
No — "free installation" and "$99 install" promotions relocate the labor cost into inflated material and pad pricing and into required add-ons, and they're gated behind minimum purchases: Home Depot's free install applies to purchases of $499+, and Lowe's runs free installs with a $600+ carpet purchase. Both still charge separately for tack strips, floor prep, transitions, upper-floor carpeting, furniture moving, and haul-away. Compare the total delivered job price — carpet + pad + labor + removal + every add-on + tax — never the advertised install line.
Do these ranges include removing my old carpet?
No — the base ranges are for installing new carpet over a sound subfloor, so they calibrate cleanly to published new-carpet project totals. Tearing out and hauling the old carpet and pad runs about $0.50–$1.75 per square foot; on a 500 sq ft job that adds roughly $100–$1,000. Toggle "tear out & haul old carpet" in the estimator to fold it in. If a quote looks unusually low, check whether removal is included.
What carpet pad should I get, and does it cost extra?
The residential default is 8-lb rebond (7/16") rebond — no thicker than 7/16", ≥6 lb/ft³ (CRI 105 Class 1). Pad material runs about $0.35–$0.75/sq ft and is usually bundled into the installed price; itemized separately it's around $0.75–$1.75/sq ft installed. Berber / low-profile loop must use ≤3/8" at 8-lb density; a thick soft pad wrinkles the loop and voids the warranty (HUD UM 72a / CCC Class 2). Memory foam is NOT recommended on stairs — it reduces traction and voids many stair warranties. A moisture-barrier pad is the pick for basements, concrete, and homes with pets or kids.
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, subfloor prep, and furniture moving are priced as separate adjusters. Excludes asbestos-tile abatement, major subfloor / structural repair, custom binding or serging, moving of pianos / pool tables / safes, permits, 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.