Six published figures for one job
| Source | Per linear foot | 200 linear feet |
|---|---|---|
| Fixr, January 2025 | $18 to $32 | $3,491 to $6,352 |
| This Old House, copper guide, May 2026 | $20 to $40 | $4,000 to $8,000, average $6,000 |
| This Old House, copper guide, its own table | not stated per foot | $6,250 to $9,500 |
| This Old House, installation guide, October 2026 | $29 at the top of its range | $5,749 |
| This Old House, seamless guide, October 2026 | $20 | $4,000 |
| Bob Vila, June 2023 | $25 to $40 or more | not stated |
Top to bottom that is $3,491 to $9,500, a spread of nearly three times for the same house. The two single values, $20 a foot on the seamless guide and $29 on the installation guide, sit inside that spread rather than extending it.
A labelling note on the fourth row. This Old House's installation guide introduces that table as total installation cost for a 200-foot system, then heads the column "Material Cost". We cannot tell from the page which it means, so we quote the figure and leave the label alone.
One of those rows contradicts the row above it. This Old House's copper guide says in its text that copper runs $20 to $40 per foot, "totaling between $4,000 and $8,000 or more." Further down the same page, its material-plus-labor table gives copper a total installed cost of $6,250 to $9,500. The bottom of the table is above the middle of the text. We are reproducing both rather than picking the one we like.
The band they actually share
Our comparison, marked as ours. Take the three sources that publish a per-foot range and overlay them:
- Fixr: $18 to $32
- This Old House: $20 to $40
- Bob Vila: $25 to $40 or more
The only stretch inside all three is $25 to $32 per linear foot. On 200 feet that is $5,000 to $6,400. This Old House's seamless guide gives a single figure of $20, which falls below that band; its own copper guide and installation guide both sit inside it.
Two independent checks land inside that band. This Old House's own stated average for a copper system is $6,000. Their installation guide, built on different data again, gives $5,749 for 200 feet of copper material. Fixr's separate remark that top-end seamless gutters in zinc, copper or hardwood run "over $6,000" points at the same place.
So if you are quoted per foot for copper, $25 to $32 is the band with the most support behind it. Below $20 or above $40 and something in the quote is unusual, not necessarily wrong.
What copper costs against everything else
This Old House's copper guide is the only source here that publishes lifespan and installed cost in one table:
| Material | Lifespan | Material, 200 feet | Total installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | 10 to 20 years | $400 to $500 | $1,725 to $1,850 |
| Aluminum | 20 years or more | $600 to $760 | $2,000 to $2,430 |
| Steel | 20 years or more | $840 to $970 | $2,800 to $3,200 |
| Copper | 50 years or more | $2,000 to $3,000 | $6,250 to $9,500 |
Copper costs between two and a half and four and a half times what aluminum costs, depending on which ends of the two bands you compare, and lasts roughly two and a half times as long.
Does the 50 years pay for itself
This is the question the sources set up and never answer, so we will.
Our arithmetic, marked as ours. Divide each total installed by the stated lifespan:
| Material | Cost per year of life |
|---|---|
| Vinyl, 10 to 20 years | $86 to $185 |
| Aluminum, at 20 years | $100 to $122 |
| Steel, at 20 years | $140 to $160 |
| Copper, at 50 years | $125 to $190 |
Copper does not win. At 50 years it costs more per year than aluminum does at 20. The durability is real, but it is not cheap durability.
There is one figure that changes the answer. This Old House writes that some gutter companies estimate a lifespan of 80 to 100 years for copper. At 80 years the cheapest copper system is $78 a year; at 100 years the dearest is $95. Both beat aluminum.
Where that figure comes from matters. The 50-year number is attributed to InterNACHI, a home inspectors' association with no copper to sell. The 80 to 100 year number is attributed to gutter companies. Fixr says something similar, 50 to 100 years for copper, zinc and hardwood, but puts it as a maximum "when routinely cleaned and cared for". We would plan on 50 and treat anything beyond it as a gift.
And this calculation ignores repairs, which also run dearer in copper: $125 to $250 against $85 to $200 for aluminum, from the repair page.
What else copper brings
- A fourth lifespan figure, noted 15 October 2026. This Old House's half-round guide, updated 27 May 2026, states copper lasts 100 years with no qualifier, where its installation guide says 50 or more citing InterNACHI and this copper guide attributes 80 to 100 to gutter companies. Our half-round and K-style page sets the three against each other. We still plan on 50.
- Patina. Copper turns brown and then green. This Old House puts the timing at 10 to 15 years near industry or the coast, considerably longer in dry rural air. The patina is protective, not just decorative.
- It cannot be a weekend job. This Old House is explicit that copper needs professional installation because of its weight and the specialised tools involved.
- It gets stolen. Scrap value makes copper gutters a target, which is This Old House's own caution, not ours.
Our conclusion, marked as ours: copper is an appearance decision with a long service life attached, not a saving. If the house is historic, or the look is the point, the numbers above tell you the fair price. If you are buying it to save money over forty years, the arithmetic does not support that, and our zinc page reaches the longest lifespan for considerably less, and our installation page reaches the same conclusion from a different source.
Sources
- This Old House, Copper Gutters Guide, updated May 22, 2026 (per-foot range, the material and lifespan table, patina timing, the 80 to 100 year claim)
- Fixr, Gutter Installation Cost, updated January 31, 2025 (copper at $18 to $32 per foot and $3,491 to $6,352 whole home, 50 to 100 year lifespans)
- Bob Vila, Gutter Installation Cost, updated June 9, 2023 (copper at $25 to $40 or more per linear foot)
- This Old House, Gutter Installation Cost in 2026, updated October 9, 2026 (copper at $5,749 for 200 feet and $29 at the top of its per-foot range)
- This Old House, How Much Do Seamless Gutters Cost (2026), updated October 13, 2026 (copper at $20 per linear foot and $4,000 for 200 feet)
- This Old House, Half-Round Gutters: Benefits, Sizing, and Life Span, updated May 27, 2026 (copper stated at 100 years)
- This Old House, How Much Do Gutter Repairs Cost in 2026?, updated June 12, 2026 (copper repair at $125 to $250 against aluminum at $85 to $200)
Price figures are national US ranges from the sources above as of the date shown. Your local price depends on labor rates, permits and site conditions. Read how we get our numbers.