Garage door panel replacement costs about $300 to $900 per section installed, and Angi puts the national average near $550. A new single door runs $700 to $2,700 installed. Replace one or two panels on a newer door with a matching part; replace the whole door once panel costs pass half its price.
Prices updated September 2026.
A dented or cracked section doesn’t always mean a new door. The real questions are simple: can you still buy a panel that matches, what will a pro charge to swap it, and at what point does a whole new door become the better deal? This guide answers all three, with the math.
Garage door panel replacement cost at a glance
The big cost trackers land in a similar band for one section on a standard sectional door. Only This Old House runs much higher.
| Source (date) | One panel, installed | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| HomeGuide (June 2025) | $300 to $900 | Material $150 to $400 plus labor $150 to $500 |
| Angi (Aug 2026) | $350 to $900, average $550 | Panel $150 to $800; labor $200 to $500 |
| Homewyse (Sept 2026) | $454 to $748 | Paint-ready insulated steel panel, basic labor |
| This Old House (Apr 2026) | $860 for one panel; $3,440 for a full set | Labor about $63 an hour, 1 to 2 hours per section |
Why the numbers disagree: HomeGuide and Angi split the bill into panel plus labor, and both land between roughly $300 and $900. Homewyse prices one specific product, an insulated steel panel, so its range is narrower. This Old House’s range stretches from a single panel up to a full set of sections for a one-car door, and it also cites a $2,150 average for one section. It doesn’t show what sample sits behind that figure, so we treat it as the high end, not the norm.
One panel vs a whole new door: installed price ranges (2025–2026)
One panel (Homewyse): $454 to $748
One panel (HomeGuide): $300 to $900
One panel (Angi, typical): $350 to $900
This Old House (1 panel up to a full set): $860 to $3,440
New single door (HomeGuide): $700 to $2,700
New double door (HomeGuide): $1,000 to $3,500
Scale: $0 to $4,000. Panel rows are per section, installed. Sources: HomeGuide (panel, June 2025; new doors, July 2025), Angi (panel, Aug 2026), Homewyse (Sept 2026), This Old House (Apr 2026).
Panel replacement cost by material (steel, wood, aluminum, glass)
Material moves the price more than anything else. HomeGuide notes that steel and aluminum panels are generally the most affordable, while wood, glass and insulated panels cost more. The national trackers don’t publish a per-material split, so the table below uses one installer’s 2026 price list, plus HomeGuide’s installed price for glass.
| Panel material | Per-panel price | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Steel, non-insulated | $300 to $700 | $450 |
| Steel, insulated | $400 to $950 | $600 |
| Aluminum | $350 to $900 | $550 |
| Vinyl | $350 to $800 | $500 |
| Fiberglass | $400 to $1,100 | $650 |
| Composite faux wood | $500 to $1,500 | $850 |
| Wood (cedar, redwood) | $800 to $2,500 | $1,400 |
| Glass section, installed | $400 to $1,000+ | n/a |
Insulation adds about $50 to $150 per panel, according to Garage Door Repair Desk. If your door is insulated, the new section must be too, or it will look and seal differently.
Door style matters too. HomeGuide lists $300 to $900 for a sectional panel, $400 to $1,000 for a tilt-up door and $500 to $1,200 per panel for a French-style door.
Can you replace just one garage door panel?
Yes, on a sectional door (the kind that rolls up in horizontal sections), as long as a matching section still exists. Clopay, for example, sells replacement sections for doors it still manufactures.
No, on one-piece doors. Angi notes that tilt-up, side-hinged and side-sliding doors that are built as a single slab can’t be partly replaced, so the whole door has to go.
Before you pay for a new section, check whether the damage is only cosmetic. HomeGuide prices minor dent repair at $100 to $300, which can beat a new panel if the section still opens, closes and seals normally.
How to find a matching panel
Matching is the part most cost guides skip, and it’s where panel jobs fall apart. HomeGuide warns that matching new panels to older doors can be hard when the maker or color has been discontinued, and that you may end up replacing more panels, or the whole door, to get a good look.
Where the model label is
- Inside the top section: Interstate Garage Doors says most doors carry a sticker on the inside of the top panel.
- Inside the bottom section: Clopay says its 15- to 16-digit serial number sits on the interior of the bottom section. Interstate adds that some Clopay labels sit on the vertical track near the floor.
- On the frame or a section back: This Old House notes the label is usually on the back of a panel section or on the door frame.
Snap a clear photo of the label before you call anyone. Clopay says it can identify doors made in the last ten years from that serial number.
Matching-panel checklist: brand and model or serial number; door width and height; which section is damaged (top, middle or bottom); panel design (short raised, long raised, flush or carriage style); surface texture; color; insulated or not; window layout if the section has glass. Take one photo from outside and one from inside. Interstate Garage Doors recommends sending those photos plus measurements to the maker when there’s no label.
Discontinued styles
If the maker no longer builds your model, a direct match may not exist. Your realistic options, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Ask a local dealer to search for a close current profile in the same section height and design.
- Accept a close match and paint the whole door so the color evens out. Clopay notes weather changes a door’s color over time, so even an exact model can look slightly off.
- Price a new door. If the section has to be custom-built, the new-door quote often wins.
Custom doors add another hurdle. Clopay says its custom-assembled Coachman carriage-house doors carry restrictions on section replacement.
Bottom panel replacement and rot repair
The bottom section takes the most abuse: bumpers, snow, salt and standing water at the slab. It also has extra hardware. On most torsion-spring doors, the lift cables hook to brackets on the bottom section, and those cables carry the springs’ tension.
Safety note: Never loosen the bottom brackets or cables yourself. They hold spring energy that can cause serious injury. Bottom-section swaps are a pro job. If the springs also need work, see our spring replacement cost guide, where one spring runs $150 to $350 installed.
The trackers don’t price the bottom section separately, so expect the same per-panel range, plus any cable or seal work found once the section is off.
Wood doors: Rot usually starts in the lower insert panels and the bottom rail, where water wicks up from the ground. A carpenter can sometimes replace just the rotted inserts. We couldn’t find a reliable 2025 or 2026 national price for that repair, so get a written quote and compare it with a new section.
Steel doors: Rust that has eaten through the skin at the bottom edge can’t be patched well. That usually means a new section.
Panel vs new door: break-even table
This Old House gives the rule of thumb: repairs that cost more than half the price of a new door spell trouble, and panel swaps make sense when damage affects one or two sections on a door less than 15 years old. Here’s how that plays out with HomeGuide’s per-panel range.
| Panels to replace | Panel cost (installed) | New single door | New double door | Usually better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300 to $900 | $700 to $2,700 | $1,000 to $3,500 | Panel, if it matches |
| 2 | $600 to $1,800 | $700 to $2,700 | $1,000 to $3,500 | Get both quotes |
| 3 | $900 to $2,700 | $700 to $2,700 | $1,000 to $3,500 | New door |
| 4 (full set) | $1,200 to $3,600 | $700 to $2,700 | $1,000 to $3,500 | New door |
Worked example: A 10-year-old 16×7 steel double door has one dented middle section. Assume the matching panel costs $400 (inside Angi’s $150 to $800 panel range) and labor is $300 (inside Angi’s $200 to $500). One panel: $400 + $300 = $700. A mid-range new double door, using HomeGuide’s range: ($1,000 + $3,500) / 2 = $2,250. Half of that is $1,125. One panel is $700 / $2,250 = 31% of a new door, so the panel wins. Two panels at the same price: 2 x $700 = $1,400, which is 62% and over the half-price line. Break-even: $1,125 / $700 = 1.6 panels. In short, fix one section; if two are damaged, get a new-door quote first.
Note that the answer depends on which new-door price you compare against. Against Angi’s $1,231 national average, even a $700 panel is over half. Always compare against a real quote for the door you would actually buy.
Repair or replace: quick decision guide
| Your situation | Best move |
|---|---|
| Shallow dent, door runs and seals normally | Dent repair ($100 to $300) or leave it |
| One cracked or creased section, door under 15 years, part available | Replace the panel |
| Two sections damaged | Get a panel quote and a new-door quote |
| Three or more sections, or door 15+ years old | Replace the door |
| Model discontinued or custom carriage-house door | Usually replace the door |
| One-piece tilt-up or side-hinged door | Whole door (no single panels) |
| Car hit the door and it now sits crooked | Stop using it; get the track and cables checked first |
If a hit knocked rollers loose, read what to do when a garage door is off track before you run the opener again.
DIY vs pro: what the job involves
A section swap means taking the door apart while it’s closed: removing hinges and rollers from the damaged section, supporting the sections above it, sliding the new one in, rehanging hardware, then testing balance and travel. HomeGuide says one panel usually takes 1 to 3+ hours. Angi says a pro typically finishes in three or four hours, up to five or six on harder doors.
- Possible for a handy owner: This Old House says single-panel swaps can work for handy homeowners on newer doors. If you try it, pick a middle section, keep the door closed, unplug the opener and work with a helper.
- Call a pro: the bottom section, the top section with the opener bracket, several sections, or anything touching springs or cables. This Old House puts all spring, cable and multi-section work in the pro column.
Doing it yourself saves the labor share, which Angi puts at $200 to $500. You still pay for the panel and shipping, and you own the risk if the door ends up out of balance.
How to save and what to ask in a quote
- Get a panel quote and a new-door quote on the same visit. It turns the break-even table into real numbers.
- Ask for the part number. A quote that names the maker’s section number shows the installer has actually found a match.
- Ask what’s included: paint, haul-away of the old section, new rollers or hinges, and a balance check.
- Watch the service call fee. This Old House says diagnostic visits run $50 to $75 and are typically waived once you approve the job.
- Check your policy if a storm or car caused it. Coverage depends on the cause and your deductible, so read your own homeowners or auto policy before filing.
If your door also struggles to move, work through our garage door won’t open checklist so one visit covers everything. Our home project calculators can help you budget the rest of your exterior work.
Common questions
Can you replace just one panel on a garage door?
Yes, on a sectional door, if the maker still sells a matching section. One-piece tilt-up, side-hinged and side-sliding doors can’t be partly replaced, so the whole door has to be swapped.
How much does it cost to replace the bottom panel of a garage door?
Expect the normal per-panel range of about $300 to $900 installed, plus any cable or bottom seal work found once the section is off. The bottom section is tied to the lift cables, so it should be done by a pro.
Is it cheaper to replace a panel or the whole garage door?
One panel is usually cheaper. A single section runs about $300 to $900, while a new single door costs $700 to $2,700 installed. Once panel costs pass about half the price of a new door, replacing the door is usually the better deal.
How long does it take to replace a garage door panel?
HomeGuide says 1 to 3+ hours for one panel. Angi says a pro usually needs three or four hours, and up to five or six on harder doors.
Will a new garage door panel match my old door?
Not always. Weather changes a door’s color over time, and discontinued styles may have no exact match. Bring the model label details and photos to the installer, and plan to paint the whole door if the color is close but not exact.
Sources
- HomeGuide: Garage door panel replacement cost, 2025
- Angi: Garage door panel replacement cost, 2026
- Homewyse: Cost to replace a garage door panel, 2026
- This Old House: Garage door panel replacement cost, 2026
- HomeGuide: Garage door replacement cost, 2025
- Angi: Garage door replacement cost, 2026
- HomeGuide: Garage door repair cost (dent repair), 2026
- This Old House: Garage door repair cost (service call fees), 2026
- Easy Garage Door Repair: Panel prices by material, 2026
- Garage Door Repair Desk: Panel replacement cost, 2026
- Clopay: Garage door FAQ (replacement sections and serial numbers)
- Interstate Garage Doors: How to find your garage door model number, 2025
More guides in Garage Doors.