Cost
How much does a custom steel pergola cost in DFW?
Quick answer
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a custom welded steel pergola typically runs roughly $4,000 to $14,000 or more installed, depending on size and options. A smaller 10x12 ft open-rafter pergola often lands around $4,000 to $7,000, while a larger 16x20 ft structure with shade panels and upgraded legs can reach $10,000 to $14,000 or more. These are general planning ranges that move with footprint, roof style, leg design, and finish-build yours in our 3D designer for a live ballpark, or request a quote for an exact figure.
What drives a steel pergola's price?
Size (footprint). A pergola is priced largely off its plan area and the number of posts, so width and depth are the biggest levers. Going from a 10x12 to a 16x20 roughly doubles the steel and the labor.
Roof style. Open rafters are the baseline. Solid shade panels add material and weight overhead, and push the price up per square foot of cover.
Legs and screens. Plain square posts are standard. Slatted designer legs cost more per post for the extra cutting and welding, and louvered side screens-which wrap each post for privacy and wind break-add the most.
Head clearance and post count. Taller posts use more steel, and any run past about 16 feet picks up a mid-span post pair for support, which adds material.
Finish. Powder coat in matte black, bronze, or raw-sealed steel is standard. Near a pool we can hot-dip galvanize first, then powder-coat over it for maximum corrosion protection, which adds cost.
Site and footings. North Texas clay swells and shrinks, so posts are set in concrete footings sized for wind load. Attaching to the house, hard access, or an existing slab all change the labor.
See your price before you call
Our online pergola designer lets you build the real CJM design in 3D-set the width, depth, and head clearance, choose open rafters or shade panels, pick standard, designer, or side-screen legs, and try finishes. As you build, a live ballpark updates on screen.
You leave with a design code and a price range, and we pick up exactly where you left off. It is the fastest way to see roughly what your pergola will cost without waiting on a call.
How do you get an exact number?
A custom steel pergola is not a catalog kit. The same footprint can be a simple open-rafter frame or a shade-paneled structure with side screens and a galvanized-and-powder-coated finish-and the price reflects that.
At CJM Metals, every pergola is designed, welded, and installed by hand. We confirm your measurements, look at your slab or soil, and quote the real scope rather than a sticker number.
Tell us the size, roof, legs, and finish you want-or send us your design code from the online designer-and we will give you a firm quote. Call (214) 603-9142 or email support@cjmmetals.com for an exact figure for your Arlington or DFW property.
NotePrices are general DFW market estimates as of 2026 and vary by size, roof style, legs, finish, and site conditions-they are not a CJM quote. Permits also matter: in Arlington a freestanding pergola over a certain size, or any structure attached to the house, generally needs a City permit, and setback and height rules apply. Rules and prices change, so confirm current requirements with the City of Arlington's planning and permitting office before you build, and request a quote for an exact figure.