Window Screen Material Types Cost Guide
The material is the premium decision inside a screen price. HomeAdvisor reporting prices fiberglass at $60 to $260 per window installed and aluminum at $80 to $390, with pet-resistant at $150 to $560 and solar at $60 to $850 in the same frame. Mesh alone prices far lower per square foot. This guide prices each material apart, with reported service span and visibility as product characteristics only.
Orange County, CA · Updated 2026 · Costs shown as ranges — your quote will vary by installer and scope
The materials, priced in the HomeAdvisor frame
| Material | Installed per window | Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Fiberglass | $60-$260 | HomeAdvisor |
| Aluminum | $80-$390 | HomeAdvisor |
| Pet-resistant | $150-$560 | HomeAdvisor |
| Solar, as a screen type | $60-$850 | HomeAdvisor |
| Labor, any material | $20-$50 per screen | HomeAdvisor |
This frame prices the installed window, material by material, and stays apart from the hub's frames: the Angi frame on the replacement cost hub prices fiberglass at $60 to $350 and aluminum at $70 to $400 installed, a wider band from a different project mix. The ordering agrees across frames -- fiberglass lowest, aluminum above it, pet-resistant and solar as premium classes -- while the bands are never averaged together.
Mesh alone: the per-square-foot frame
| Mesh class | Mesh alone, per sq ft | Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Standard fiberglass mesh | $0.15-$0.30 | JourneymanHQ mesh pricing |
| Aluminum mesh | $0.40-$0.75 | JourneymanHQ mesh pricing |
| Premium pet-resistant or solar mesh | $1.00-$3.00 | JourneymanHQ mesh pricing |
| Mesh materials, all classes | $0.25-$2.50 | Angi materials line |
Mesh alone is a small line. Even premium mesh at $1.00 to $3.00 per square foot prices a standard screen's mesh in single-digit dollars, which is why installed bands sit far above mesh bands: the installed price carries the frame, the fitting, and the labor. The Angi materials line, $0.25 to $2.50 per square foot, overlaps the mesh frame without matching it, and the two stay named apart. Which purchase the mesh goes into prices on the rescreen vs. full replacement guide.
Fiberglass vs. aluminum: the standard pair
Fiberglass is the standard class in published reporting: the lowest installed band in both frames here, and the lowest mesh price per square foot. Its reported service span in mesh-pricing reporting is 5 to 7 years. Aluminum prices above fiberglass in every frame on this page, as a metal mesh with a different reported failure shape: reporting describes aluminum as prone to permanent denting under impact, where fiberglass is described as prone to tearing and sagging over time. Visibility is reported as standard for both classes.
Pet-resistant mesh: the thickness premium
Pet-resistant mesh is a vinyl-coated polyester class, priced at $150 to $560 per window installed in the HomeAdvisor frame and at $100 to $500 as a type line in the Angi frame. Mesh-pricing reporting puts the premium class at $1.00 to $3.00 per square foot for mesh alone and reports service spans of 15 or more years for premium vinyl-coated polyester, against 5 to 7 years for basic fiberglass. Reporting also states the trade plainly: the thicker weave carries slightly reduced outward visibility, a reported product characteristic only.
Solar mesh as one material line -- and the solar-screen product, head-on
Solar mesh appears in this cluster as exactly one material line: a premium mesh class at $1.00 to $3.00 per square foot for mesh alone, and inside the HomeAdvisor frame's $60 to $850 solar type band. That is a different purchase from the product priced on the window solar screen installation guide. That guide prices solar screens as an installed product -- a complete scope quoted window by window, as its own project. This guide prices solar mesh only as a material inside an ordinary screen purchase, beside fiberglass, aluminum, and pet-resistant mesh. No figure here prices that installed product, and no figure on that guide prices a material selection. The remaining neighbour is larger still: the window replacement hub prices a whole window, frame and glazing included, where every material on this page prices only the screen.
- Material named on the quote, class by class
- Frame named: HomeAdvisor, Angi, or mesh pricing
- Mesh-only figures never read as installed figures
- Service span and visibility read as reported characteristics
- Solar mesh priced as a material, not as the solar product
Frequently asked questions
What is the least expensive window screen material?
Fiberglass, in every frame on this page: $60 to $260 per window installed in the HomeAdvisor frame, $60 to $350 in the Angi frame, and $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot for mesh alone in mesh-pricing reporting.
How much more does aluminum cost than fiberglass?
In the HomeAdvisor frame, aluminum runs $80 to $390 per window installed against fiberglass at $60 to $260. For mesh alone, aluminum runs $0.40 to $0.75 per square foot against fiberglass at $0.15 to $0.30.
What does pet-resistant mesh cost, and what is reported for it?
HomeAdvisor reporting prices pet-resistant screens at $150 to $560 per window installed. Mesh-pricing reporting puts premium mesh at $1.00 to $3.00 per square foot, reports 15 or more years for premium vinyl-coated polyester, and notes slightly reduced outward visibility.
What service spans are reported for standard mesh?
Mesh-pricing reporting puts basic fiberglass at 5 to 7 years and premium vinyl-coated polyester at 15 or more years in the same conditions. These are reported product characteristics, stated as reporting only.
Is solar mesh the same as a solar screen installation?
No, head-on: the solar-screen guide prices solar screens as an installed product, a complete scope quoted window by window. This guide prices solar mesh only as one material line inside an ordinary screen purchase.