PEX Pipe Cost Guide: Prices, Types, and Buying Tips (2026)

Quick Answer: PEX pipe typically runs $0.30 to $2.50 per linear foot, with half inch landing around $0.30 to $0.60 and 1 inch pushing $1.20 to $2.00. Price moves with diameter, PEX type, fitting system, and the resin market. The ranges below are general estimates based on publicly available data, get current quotes from your suppliers for accurate bids.

What Drives the Price

Six things move a PEX pipe price, and you should know all six before you bid:

• Diameter: price scales with the weight of resin in the tube. Half inch and three quarter inch are cheap. One inch and 1 1/4 inch get expensive. A 1 inch line can cost three to four times what a half inch line costs per foot.
• PEX type: PEX A, PEX B, and PEX C differ in manufacturing method and expansion behavior. PEX A (Uponor style, expansion fitting) is the premium grade in most markets. PEX B (crimp ring style) is the value default and the most common. PEX C is less common. The type difference moves the price 10 to 20 percent for the same diameter.
• Fitting system: the fitting changes both material and labor. Expansion fittings (PEX A) use an expansion tool and cost more per fitting. Crimp and cinch fittings (PEX B) are cheaper per fitting. Push to connect fittings (SharkBite style) are the most expensive per fitting but cut labor to almost nothing.
• The resin market: PEX is polyethylene and tracks resin pricing, which moves with oil and natural gas. The per foot cost moves more slowly than copper, but a quote older than 60 days can still be stale on long bids.
• Form and length: PEX ships in coils (100 ft, 300 ft, 1000 ft rolls) and short sticks. Coil form gives long continuous runs with no fittings, which is the whole point of PEX. Stick form is rare and used for specific applications.
• Region and volume: delivery and local demand move the price. A plumbing supply house in a hot market quotes higher. Full roll and full pallet orders get volume breaks that single roll pickups never see.

Typical Price Ranges by Type

As of 2026, common per linear foot ranges run like this. Treat these as ballpark, your supplier quote is the real number.

• 1/2 in PEX A coil: $0.30 to $0.65 per LF.
• 1/2 in PEX B coil: $0.30 to $0.55 per LF.
• 3/4 in PEX A coil: $0.50 to $1.00 per LF.
• 3/4 in PEX B coil: $0.45 to $0.90 per LF.
• 1 in PEX A coil: $1.00 to $1.80 per LF.
• 1 in PEX B coil: $0.90 to $1.60 per LF.
• 1 1/4 in PEX A coil: $1.40 to $2.20 per LF.
• 1 1/2 in PEX A coil: $1.80 to $2.80 per LF.
• PEX A expansion fittings (elbows, tees): $0.80 to $4.00 per EA, scales with size.
• PEX B crimp fittings (elbows, tees): $0.40 to $2.50 per EA, scales with size.
• Push to connect fittings: $3.00 to $15.00 per EA, scales with size.
• Manifold (PEX A, multiple port): $40 to $250 per EA.

How to Calculate the Quantity You Need

Take pipe LF by diameter straight off the plumbing plans. PEX is usually run home run style from a manifold to each fixture, so the LF count is longer than a trunk and branch copper layout. Run each hot, cold, and recirculation line as its own count and group by diameter, do not blend.

Apply a five percent waste factor. PEX cuts and the offcut is hard to reuse on a long run. Five percent is standard for new work, three to five percent on tight remodels with careful measurement. Round up to the next coil, you cannot buy a partial roll.

Tie the count to the sheet it came from. PEX layouts and manifold locations change in revision, and a single added 100 ft run at $0.80 per foot moves the line $80 before fittings. Keep pipe, fittings, manifolds, and hangers as separate line items so a substitution late in the job does not blow the budget silently.

How to Buy Smarter

• Get three quotes, every time. PEX prices move 10 to 25 percent between suppliers in the same city. The plumbing supply house, the wholesale house, and the manufacturer rep all quote differently.
• Bundle the plumbing package. Put pipe, fittings, manifolds, and hangers on one purchase order. Package discounts on a full house order are real, single roll orders rarely see them.
• Decide the fitting system early. PEX A expansion needs an expansion tool (rented or bought) and costs more per fitting. PEX B crimp needs a crimp tool. Push to connect needs no tool but costs the most per fitting. Match the system to the crew and the budget.
• Verify the PEX type. Some jurisdictions limit PEX A versus PEX B for potable work. Check local code before you bid, a substitution after the fact costs time and money.
• Buy full rolls, not partial. PEX is sold in 100 ft, 300 ft, and 1000 ft rolls. Full roll pricing is lower per foot than cut lengths. Round your takeoff up to the next full roll.
• Lock the quote for 30 to 60 days. PEX tracks resin pricing, which is more stable than copper but still moves. A held quote protects your margin on longer bids.

Where Estimators Get It Wrong

The most common miss is averaging across diameters. A job with 800 ft of 1/2 in PEX at $0.45 and 150 ft of 1 in PEX at $1.40 averaged at $0.60 looks fine, but the 1 inch spec alone is $120 above the average line. Price by diameter, not by average.

The second miss is forgetting fittings. A PEX home run layout uses a lot of fittings at the manifold and at each fixture. Fittings add 15 to 30 percent to the pipe cost on a typical residential run, more than most estimators expect. Skip them and the plumbing line is short before the job starts.

The third miss is the manifold. A PEX A manifold runs $40 to $250 per EA and is not in the pipe price. A home run layout can use one to three manifolds per floor. They are separate line items and they add up.

The fourth miss is comparing PEX to copper on pipe only. PEX pipe is cheaper than copper per foot, but the fitting and manifold cost closes the gap. On labor, PEX usually wins because the runs are faster and the fittings are simpler. Compare total installed cost, not just the tube price.

Putting It Together

PEX pipe looks like a cheap LF line and it is not as simple as it looks. Price each diameter at its own range, separate pipe, fittings, manifolds, and hangers, carry a real waste factor, and lock your quote against the resin market. A clean PEX package on a single family home commonly lands between $800 and $3,500 total, depending on fixture count and layout. Get three quotes, tie the count to the plumbing sheets, and price the system complete, not just the tube. That is how you keep the PEX line defensible.