Quick Answer: EMT conduit (electrical metallic tubing) commonly runs $0.80 to $4.50 per linear foot as of 2026, set mostly by trade diameter and whether you buy steel or aluminum. The price rides the steel market more than the copper market, but it still moves. Use the ranges below as a planning anchor and pull live quotes from your supplier for the actual bid.
What Drives the Price
EMT is the thinwall steel tubing used to protect wiring in commercial, industrial, and some residential work. It is sold in 10 ft sticks (occasionally 5 ft for small boxes) and priced by the linear foot. Five variables move almost all of the cost:
- Trade diameter: The common sizes are 1/2 in, 3/4 in, 1 in, 1 1/4 in, 1 1/2 in, and 2 in. Bigger diameter means more steel per foot, and the price scales roughly with the wall area. A 1/2 in stick is cheap; a 2 in stick is several times the price.
- Metal: Steel (galvanized) is the default and what most specs call for. Aluminum EMT exists and is used for corrosion resistance and weight savings in food processing, water treatment, and coastal work. Aluminum is typically 2 to 3 times the price of steel per foot in the same size.
- Wall: Standard EMT is the default. There is no standard heavy wall variant of EMT (that is what RMC and intermediate conduit are for), but some suppliers carry a painted or PVC coated EMT for corrosive environments, and coating adds 30 to 60 percent to the price.
- Length and put up: EMT is sold by the 10 ft stick, by the bundle (10 sticks per bundle for 1/2 in and 3/4 in, fewer for larger sizes), and by the pallet. Full bundle pricing is cheaper per foot than single stick pricing.
- Steel commodity index: EMT is priced off the domestic steel market. When steel futures move, the conduit price moves within a few weeks, slower than copper but in the same direction.
Region matters because conduit is bulky and freight is a real cost on full pallet quantities. Local demand during a busy commercial build season can push the price up even when the steel index is flat.
Typical Price Ranges by Type
These are commonly quoted ranges as of 2026, per linear foot, full bundle pricing. Single stick and small order pricing runs higher.
- 1/2 in EMT, steel: $0.80 to $1.30 per LF
- 3/4 in EMT, steel: $1.00 to $1.60 per LF
- 1 in EMT, steel: $1.30 to $2.00 per LF
- 1 1/4 in EMT, steel: $1.70 to $2.60 per LF
- 1 1/2 in EMT, steel: $2.00 to $3.00 per LF
- 2 in EMT, steel: $2.50 to $3.80 per LF
- 1/2 in EMT, aluminum: $2.00 to $3.00 per LF
- 3/4 in EMT, aluminum: $2.50 to $3.80 per LF
- 1 in EMT, aluminum: $3.00 to $4.50 per LF
- PVC coated EMT (any size): add 30 to 60 percent over bare steel
Fittings are a separate line. A set of setscrew or compression couplings and connectors runs $0.30 to $2.50 each depending on size and type. Compression costs more than setscrew but is required in damp locations and is the spec on most commercial work.
How to Calculate the Quantity You Need
Take conduit lengths off the electrical plans, by trade diameter. For each run, measure from the source (panel, junction box, or pull box) to the destination, following the routed path shown on the plans. Add the vertical rises: panel to ceiling, ceiling to box, and any drops to devices. Conduit runs are not straight, so add the bends. Each 90 degree bend adds roughly 1.5 ft of conduit length for the radius in smaller sizes, more in larger sizes.
Apply a 5 to 10 percent waste factor on top of the measured length. EMT is cut at each termination and at each factory coupling, and short offcuts are usually too short to reuse. Bent runs produce waste at each bend because the bender takes a few inches for the radius.
Round up to the bundle. If a run calls for 95 ft of 3/4 in EMT, you buy ten 10 ft sticks. If three runs together call for 230 ft of 1/2 in, you buy 24 sticks (three bundles minus six sticks, or buy three full bundles and bank the leftover). Track each diameter on its own takeoff line so you can price each with the correct unit cost.
Count the fittings on a separate line. Every stick needs a coupling on each end unless it terminates in a box, and every box entry needs a connector. A run with five sticks and two boxes uses four couplings and two connectors. Fittings are a common line item to miss and they add up on a big job.
How to Buy Smarter
- Pull three quotes on bid day. Steel conduit pricing is less volatile than copper wire, but distributors still quote off different cost bases. A 10 to 20 percent spread between suppliers on the same size is normal.
- Buy full bundles and pallets. Single stick pricing carries a premium. Full bundles put the waste in your own bucket, and leftover sticks usually go to the next job.
- Bundle the conduit and fittings package. Buying EMT, couplings, connectors, straps, and boxes from one supplier in a negotiated package usually beats line item shopping, and it gives you one backorder to manage.
- Match the metal to the spec. If the spec calls for steel EMT, do not substitute aluminum or PVC coated to save money without a written RFI response. The wrong metal fails inspection and costs more than the savings.
- Lock quotes on long projects. Steel moves slower than copper but it still moves. Most distributors will hold conduit pricing for 30 days on a fixed quantity.
Where Estimators Get It Wrong
The most common mistake is pricing conduit and forgetting the fittings. A run of EMT is not just the tubing. It is the tubing plus couplings, connectors, straps, and expansion fittings. Fittings can add 20 to 40 percent to the conduit line item, and missing them turns a profitable bid into a loss.
The second is undercounting the bends. Estimators measure the straight runs and forget the bend radius, the offsets around ductwork, and the drops at each box. On a commercial job with a lot of routing, bends can add 10 to 15 percent to the conduit quantity.
The third is ignoring the conduit fill penalty. Packing EMT tight saves on conduit but slows the pull and increases the labor units. If you price conduit cheap and labor tight, you eat the difference on the install.
The fourth is using the wrong metal. Aluminum EMT in a non corrosive environment wastes money. Steel EMT in a food processing plant fails inspection. Read the spec notes before you price.
Putting It Together
Price EMT by the linear foot, by trade diameter, off a measured takeoff that includes bends, vertical rises, and a 5 to 10 percent waste factor. Count fittings on a separate line and price them by size and type. Reprice conduit on bid day from three suppliers, buy full bundles, and bundle the conduit with the fittings and boxes. Read the spec for metal and coating requirements before you commit. Conduit is one of the largest material lines on the electrical bid, so get the takeoff and the fittings right.