Three published figures
| Source | Per linear foot | 200 linear feet |
|---|---|---|
| Fixr, January 2025 | $16 to $29 | $3,192 to $5,808 |
| This Old House, types of gutters, April 2026 | not stated | $2,000 to $5,800 |
| This Old House, seamless guide, October 2026 | $40 | $8,000 |
The first two nearly agree at the top and not at all at the bottom. Their upper ends are $5,808 and $5,800, which is $8 apart by our subtraction, on figures near six thousand dollars. Their lower ends are $3,192 and $2,000, which is $1,192 apart.
Our reading, marked as ours. Two independent guides converging to within $8 at the top is not a coincidence worth dismissing: that is what a real ceiling price looks like. The bottom ends are where cost guides differ most, because one is describing the cheapest job that counts and the other the cheapest material that exists. We would plan against Fixr's $3,192 and treat $2,000 as the number you only see on a small or simple roof.
The third figure is a different thing. $40 a foot is seamless zinc, custom-formed on site, and seamless is the dearest way to buy any material. It is not wrong, it is a different product, and our seamless page explains why that guide's figures sit apart from the rest.
Where zinc sits among the materials
Using This Old House's own guide to gutter types, which prices every material for the same 200 feet:
| Material | 200 linear feet |
|---|---|
| Vinyl | $600 to $1,200 |
| Aluminum | $1,000 to $2,800 |
| Galvanized steel | $1,200 to $2,800 |
| Zinc | $2,000 to $5,800 |
| Copper | $5,000 to $8,000 |
Zinc is the second dearest material and the only one whose range overlaps both the mid-market and the premium end. Our division, marked as ours: at the midpoints, zinc is about twice aluminum and about three fifths of copper.
Does it last long enough to justify that
This is the question that decides zinc, and the sources disagree about the answer.
| Source | Zinc lifespan |
|---|---|
| This Old House, half-round guide | 50 years |
| Fixr | 50 to 100 years, for zinc, copper and hardwood, with routine cleaning and care |
Our arithmetic, marked as ours. Take Fixr's own installed figure of $3,192 to $5,808 and divide by 50 years: $64 to $116 a year. On our aluminum page the same division puts aluminum at $73 to $133 a year over 20 years, and $37 to $67 over 40.
So zinc at 50 years genuinely competes with aluminum at 20, and loses to aluminum at 40. On our copper page copper came out at $125 to $190 a year over 50 years, which zinc beats outright.
That makes zinc the better long-life metal on cost, if the 50 years holds. Note how carefully Fixr phrases its upper figure: these materials last 50 to 100 years "when routinely cleaned and cared for". That is a conditional, and it is the condition most gutters fail.
What zinc actually gives you
From This Old House's guide to gutter types: zinc develops a protective patina over time, holds up well in harsh weather, and needs less upkeep than most materials. Their half-round guide names zinc alongside copper as the choice when curb appeal is the point, and groups zinc with copper and galvalume as the materials to pick if you want the system to outlast twenty years.
The patina is the same mechanism copper has: the surface weathers into a layer that then protects what is underneath. Our copper page has This Old House's timing for that process on copper, 10 to 15 years near industry or the coast and considerably longer in dry rural air.
The cost that follows you
Premium material means premium repairs. From This Old House's repair guide, the per-repair figures by material:
| Material | Repair |
|---|---|
| Aluminum | $85 to $200 |
| Steel | $100 to $225 |
| Copper | $125 to $250 |
| Zinc | $150 to $325 |
Zinc is the most expensive material on that table to fix, dearer than copper. Our arithmetic: at the midpoints, $237.50 against $142.50, that is about 67 percent more than an aluminum repair. Our repair page works through what that does over a system's life.
Who should buy zinc
- You want fifty years and you are not buying copper. Zinc is the cheaper way to that lifespan, by our arithmetic above.
- Harsh weather, and you will actually maintain them. Fixr's long lifespan is explicitly conditional on routine cleaning. Our cleaning page costs that out.
- The look matters. Zinc patinas like copper for roughly three fifths of the price.
And who should not: anyone comparing zinc against aluminum on a twenty-year horizon, because at twenty years aluminum has not finished its life and zinc has not started to pay for itself.
Sources
- Fixr, Gutter Installation Cost, updated January 31, 2025 (zinc at $16 to $29 per foot and $3,192 to $5,808 whole home, 50 to 100 year lifespans)
- This Old House, Types of Gutters and How to Choose One for Your Home, updated April 22, 2026 (zinc at $2,000 to $5,800 for 200 feet, patina and maintenance)
- This Old House, How Much Do Seamless Gutters Cost (2026), updated October 13, 2026 (zinc at $40 per linear foot and $8,000 for 200 feet)
- This Old House, Half-Round Gutters: Benefits, Sizing, and Life Span, updated May 27, 2026 (zinc at 50 years, zinc as a curb-appeal choice)
- This Old House, How Much Do Gutter Repairs Cost in 2026?, updated June 12, 2026 (zinc repair at $150 to $325, the dearest material to fix)
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.