Front Entry Door Replacement Cost in 2026: Installed Prices by Material, Prehung vs. Slab, and Regional Code Requirements

Last reviewed: 2026-08-10

Researched and written by one person, not an editorial team. I am an independent researcher, not a licensed contractor, and I do not install doors — see the About page for exactly what I do and don't do. This page contains a sidebar lead-capture form; if you submit it, your contact information is routed to a disclosed set of door-installation companies and/or lead networks, and I am paid for that referral. That disclosure, and the current list of who sees your information, is shown next to the form itself, not buried here.

Why "how much does a new front door cost" gives you five different answers

Search "front entry door replacement cost 2026" and you'll get numbers that don't agree. Thumbtack's national average for door-plus-installation sits at $1,200–$2,500 for a mid-range steel or fiberglass unit. Homewyse's ZIP-adjusted calculator returns $957–$1,458 for an exterior door. DoorNMore quotes $650–$1,050 for a standard install in a serviceable opening, broken out by material. Energy Home Improvements reports $1,200–$6,000+ for a standard prehung front door.

That's not a small discrepancy — it's a 3–6x spread on what is supposedly the same purchase. Both the low and the high numbers are real. They're measuring different things, and the single biggest reason they disagree is not material, not region, and not markup — it's whether the job includes replacing the door frame.

The prehung-vs-slab distinction: the single biggest reason quotes differ

This is the part most cost articles skip, and it explains more of the price spread than any other factor.

A slab door is the door panel alone — no frame, no hinges, no weatherstripping. It is installed into an existing door frame that is assumed to be structurally sound, square, and properly sealed. The installer removes the old slab, hangs the new one on the existing hinges, adjusts the strike plate, and seals it. This is the lowest-cost scenario.

A prehung door is the door panel already mounted inside a frame (jamb) with hinges attached, weatherstripping installed, and a threshold at the bottom. It ships as a complete unit. Installing it means removing the old door and the old frame down to the rough opening, fitting the new prehung unit, shimming it level and plumb, sealing the gap, and finishing the exterior and interior trim. This is a substantially different job — more demolition, more skill, more time, more materials.

DoorNMore prices the two scopes for exterior entry doors this way (retrieved 2026-08-10):

Scope	What it includes	What it does NOT touch	Installed cost range
Slab replacement (into existing serviceable frame)	New door panel hung on existing hinges, strike plate adjusted, perimeter sealed	Existing frame, threshold, exterior trim, sidelights	$650–$1,050 (material-dependent)
Prehung replacement (full unit)	New door + frame + threshold + weatherstripping, installed into rough opening	Sidelights, transoms, structural framing beyond the rough opening	$1,200–$6,000+ (material + glass + upgrades)

The gap is not a markup — it's a scope difference. Energy Home Improvements notes that slab-only replacement "keeps the old frame and threshold, which is where many comfort and sealing problems live" (source retrieved 2026-08-10). If your existing frame is rotted, out of square, or has a failed threshold seal, a slab replacement won't solve the problem — you need the prehung scope regardless of price.

Practically: when comparing quotes, ask explicitly whether the bid covers slab or prehung scope. A low prehung quote and a normal slab quote can look identical on paper while representing very different amounts of work.

Cost by material: installed price per door

Two kinds of source, side by side. The DoorNMore column prices a standard installation in a serviceable opening (slab or simple prehung without major frame work). The Thumbtack column prices door-plus- installation as a national average across contractor bids. The Homewyse column is a ZIP-adjusted cost-database estimate including material, labor, job supplies, and removal. The Energy Home Improvements column reflects full prehung replacement including frame, threshold, sealing, and trim.

Material	DoorNMore (standard install, serviceable opening)	Thumbtack (national avg, door + install)	Homewyse (ZIP-adjusted, material + labor)	Energy Home Improvements (full prehung replacement)
Steel	$650–$950	$1,200–$2,500 (mid-range)	$636–$962	$1,200–$3,800
Fiberglass	$700–$1,050	$1,200–$2,500 (mid-range)	$957–$1,458	$2,200–$6,000+
Wood	$650–$975	$500–$3,000+	$639–$966	$3,800–$8,000+

Sources: DoorNMore, "Door Installation Cost in 2026" (retrieved 2026-08-10) · Thumbtack, "2025 Door Installation Cost" (retrieved 2026-08-10) · Homewyse, "Install Exterior Door" (retrieved 2026-08-10) · Energy Home Improvements, "Entry Door Replacement Cost 2026" (retrieved 2026-08-10).

The wide spread across sources is itself informative. DoorNMore's tighter ranges reflect a narrower scope — standard install, existing opening, no major upgrades. Energy Home Improvements' higher ranges reflect the full prehung package including glass options, sidelights, and premium hardware. Thumbtack blends contractor bids across both scopes. Homewyse uses a materials-and-labor cost model that doesn't include frame replacement, trim, or disposal fees. None of these sources is "wrong" — they're pricing different amounts of work.

Wood's premium over steel and fiberglass is driven by two things: the raw material cost (solid wood slabs run several hundred dollars more than a foam-core fiberglass panel) and the maintenance obligation. Wood doors require periodic staining or sealing to prevent warping and rot; a fiberglass or steel door does not. ASP Windows prices wood doors at $400–$3,000+ for the door alone, compared to $150–$800 for steel and $500–$1,500 for fiberglass (source, retrieved 2026-08-10).

What's usually bundled into an "installed" price — and what isn't

Thumbtack's national average for door-plus-installation is $1,200–$2,500 for a mid-range unit. But that headline number hides a significant add-on structure that most sources don't itemize consistently. Based on what each source does and doesn't include:

What's typically included in a standard "installed" price:

The door unit (slab or prehung, depending on scope)
Labor for removal of old door and installation of new door
Basic hardware (hinges, strike plate, weatherstripping)
Threshold adjustment or replacement (prehung scope)

What's typically NOT included — common add-ons:

Rot or frame repair when discovered during tear-out: $200–$2,500 depending on severity. Energy Home Improvements notes severe rot repair can run $3,000–$6,500+ — enough to double the original estimate (source, retrieved 2026-08-10). DoorNMore prices frame replacement as a separate line item at $130–$380 (source, retrieved 2026-08-10).
Exterior trim and finish carpentry: $150–$900 depending on complexity (DoorNMore, retrieved 2026-08-10). This is a separate line item from the door installation itself.
Hardware upgrades (premium handleset, deadbolt, smart lock): $250–$1,200 (Energy Home Improvements, retrieved 2026-08-10).
Disposal/haul-away of the old door: $40–$200 (DoorNMore, retrieved 2026-08-10).
Permits: typically $50–$356 depending on jurisdiction (see below). Almost never included in a contractor's headline "installed" price.

The implication: a contractor quoting $1,200 "installed" for a steel prehung door and a contractor quoting $2,500 for "the same door" may differ primarily in what they're including in that number, not in the door itself.

Regional cost drivers, named

California — Title 24 energy code and Climate Zone 3

California's 2025 Title 24 Energy Code (effective January 1, 2026) sets prescriptive U-factor requirements for residential fenestration that are stricter than the federal ENERGY STAR minimum in some climate zones. For Climate Zone 3 (the San Francisco Bay Area and coastal Central California), the prescriptive U-factor requirement for residential doors is ≤ 0.27 — tighter than the ENERGY STAR opaque door threshold of ≤ 0.17 would require for a glazed door, and meaningfully stricter than the ≤ 0.30 that most California climate zones allow for glazed door assemblies (source: Truitt & White, "California Energy Code 2026 Window Rules for Climate Zone 3", retrieved 2026-08-10; source: Lifetime Home, "California Title 24 Energy Code Changes 2026", retrieved 2026-08-10). Doors with less than 25% glazing must meet U ≤ 0.20 across California (source: California Permits, "California Title 24 Compliance Guide for Window/Door Installation", retrieved 2026-08-10).

This is not a generic "California costs more" observation — it's a specific code requirement that constrains which door products you can legally install and can push you into a higher-spec door than you'd need in a state without an energy-code overlay. A fiberglass door with a polyurethane foam core that meets U ≤ 0.20 is a different (and more expensive) product than a basic hollow-core steel door at U ≤ 0.30.

Florida — wind-borne debris region and impact-rated door requirements

Florida's building code requires impact-rated doors in the Wind-Borne Debris Region (WBDR), defined as areas within one mile of coastal mean high water where basic wind speeds equal or exceed 130 mph. Doors in this zone must pass large-missile impact testing per TAS 201, which requires the door assembly to withstand a 9-pound 2×4 projectile fired at 50 feet per second — a testing standard that exceeds the baseline International Building Code (source: ASP Windows, "Does Florida Building Code Require Impact Windows and Doors", retrieved 2026-08-10; source: CDF Distributors, "Florida Building Code Door Requirements", retrieved 2026-08-10).

The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), which covers Miami-Dade and Broward counties, goes further — requiring products rated for wind speeds of 170–200 mph and holding a Florida Product Approval number or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) (source: BNT Windows and Doors, "Florida Building Code Impact Windows 2025", retrieved 2026-08-10).

Almost every exterior door replacement in Florida requires a building permit, and the permit application must include the manufacturer's installation instructions and the door's product approval documentation (source: Armor Pro Windows, "Florida Building Code Impact Windows", retrieved 2026-08-10). HB 267, effective January 1, 2025, modified some of the plan-requirement details for door replacements (source: Hammer & Gavel, "Proposed Statute with Numerous Changes to Florida's Building Codes Act", retrieved 2026-08-10).

The cost implication: impact-rated glass and reinforced frames add material cost, and the testing/certification requirements limit the pool of compliant products. This is a building-code-driven material requirement, not a generic regional markup.

Michigan — cold-climate durability

GOCL Ward, a Michigan installer, attributes its above-national pricing to the state's climate "requiring durable materials and careful installation labor" — cold-climate installations demand better sealing, more insulation in the door assembly, and attention to thermal bridging that a mild-climate installer may not prioritize (source, retrieved 2026-08-10).

Minnesota — ENERGY STAR climate zone

Minnesota falls within ENERGY STAR Climate Zone 1 (Northern), where the prescriptive U-factor requirement for opaque entry doors is ≤ 0.17 (source: U.S. EPA, "ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 Final Draft Specification, Table 2, Energy Efficiency Requirements for Doors", retrieved 2026-08-10 — primary-document extraction). A poorly sealed door in a Northern-zone climate imposes a real ongoing HVAC penalty; a door that does not meet the U-factor requirement is not just non-compliant but measurably more expensive to operate over its lifetime.

What the manufacturer warranty PDFs actually say — the gap between "lifetime warranty" and what you get

Replacement-door sales pitches lean heavily on "limited lifetime warranty." We read the actual warranty documents from two major manufacturers — Therma-Tru and Pella — rather than relying on marketing summaries. The gap between the headline and the fine print is significant, and it affects your total cost of ownership.

Therma-Tru Benchmark warranty (effective April 1, 2016) — primary-document extraction

The Therma-Tru Benchmark warranty covers smooth-surface fiberglass door slabs with a Lifetime Limited Warranty and pre-colored factory- finished fiberglass with a 10-Year Limited Warranty on the finish (source: Therma-Tru, "Warranty Information for products purchased on or after April 1, 2016", retrieved 2026-08-10 — read directly from the PDF via text extraction).

The warranty's limitation-of-remedy clause states: "THERMA-TRU IS NOT LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGE TO A PREMISES, REMOVAL OR REINSTALLATION, LABOR, REFINISHING OF NON-FACTORY PRE-FINISHED PRODUCT, RELOCATION OF PEOPLE OR PROPERTY, LOSS OF INCOME, WORK STOPPAGE, INCREASED OPERATING EXPENSES, OR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS."

And the remedy clause states: "Therma-Tru Benchmark is not responsible for the installation or reinstallation of any replacement door system."

Additional exclusions from the same document:

Finishes applied by anyone other than Therma-Tru Benchmark are not covered. If you hire a local painter to finish the door after installation, the finish warranty is void.
Failure to properly finish all door/sidelite/transom surfaces and/or jamb materials prior to exposure to weather voids the warranty — unless the product was purchased factory-prefinished. This includes door units stored in excess of 30 days prior to installation.
The pre-stained wood-grain factory finish carries only a 2-Year Limited Warranty — one-fifth the term of the pre-colored finish warranty.
Warpage is not considered a defect unless it exceeds ¼ inch, and claims may be deferred for up to 12 months.

What this means for budgeting: if a Therma-Tru door develops a defect in year eight, the slab itself is covered — but the homeowner pays for labor to remove and reinstall the door, plus any trim or finish carpentry work. On a door where labor runs $300–$1,000+, that is not a trivial cost.

Pella fiberglass or steel entry door warranty (effective February 24, 2020) — primary-document extraction

Pella's entry door warranty is more granular. The nonglass materials and workmanship on fiberglass or steel door panels carry a Limited Lifetime Warranty for the original homeowner — but labor coverage is a separate Two-Year Limited Warranty. The warranty document states: "repair or replace the defective materials or workmanship (with cost of labor included only if notice of claim made within two [2] years of the date of sale)"

(source: Pella Corporation, "Pella Entry Doors Fiberglass or Steel Entry Door Systems Product Limited Warranty and Finish Limited Warranty" (effective for purchases on/after Feb. 24, 2020), retrieved 2026-08-10 — read directly from the PDF via text extraction.)

Non-decorative glass carries a 20-Year Limited Warranty; decorative glass carries a 10-Year Limited Warranty; hinges, hardware, and weatherstripping carry a 10-Year Limited Warranty. Factory-applied finish carries a 2-Year Limited Warranty.

The limitation-of-remedy clause states: "Even where Pella chooses to repair or replace product within two [2] years of the date of sale, the costs covered by this warranty do not include any labor or material costs associated with finishing space surrounding or adjacent to the repaired or replaced product, including furnishing any trim or other carpentry work."

In other words: even during the two-year labor window, if Pella replaces a defective door, the trim and carpentry work to make the surrounding wall look finished again is never covered. After two years, the homeowner also pays for the labor to remove and reinstall the defective unit.

Additional exclusions from the same document:

Non-factory-applied finishes are not covered by any warranty. "Finishes applied by your local dealer/contractor are not covered by this warranty."
Failure to finish all door panel, sidelight, transom, molding, light rim and frame surfaces, and jambs within thirty [30] days of installation — including products stored in excess of 30 days — voids coverage for damage caused by that failure.
Pella makes no warranty on entry doors installed in barrier wall systems (EIFS / synthetic stucco) except in California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado — and in those six states, such installation must follow Pella's specific instructions for that construction type.

The practical takeaway: both Therma-Tru and Pella use the same warranty structure — lifetime on the parts, limited on the labor, nothing on the trim. This is not a manufacturer-specific quirk; it is the standard structure of fenestration warranties. A homeowner who assumes "lifetime warranty" means the whole repair is free, in year eight, will find the door panel covered but will pay for labor and finish carpentry out of pocket.

ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 door criteria — the code baseline

The federal ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 specification (effective October 23, 2023) sets maximum U-factor thresholds for entry doors by climate zone and glazing area. For opaque entry doors (no glass), the requirement is U ≤ 0.17 across all climate zones. For glazed doors, the requirements vary:

Door type	Northern / North-Central	South-Central / Southern
Opaque (no glass)	U ≤ 0.17	U ≤ 0.17
≤ ½ lite glazing	U ≤ 0.26	U ≤ 0.28
> ½ lite glazing	U ≤ 0.26	U ≤ 0.28

(Source: U.S. EPA, "ENERGY STAR Product Specification, Residential Windows, Doors, and Skylights, Eligibility Criteria, Final Draft Version 7.0", retrieved 2026-08-10 — primary-document extraction.)

A U-factor of 0.17 for an opaque door generally requires a polyurethane foam core or equivalent insulation — which is why ENERGY STAR-qualified entry doors cost more than uninsulated slabs. The DOE notes that steel and fiberglass-clad entry doors with insulated cores achieve R-values of R-5 to R-6 (source: U.S. Department of Energy, "Design: Windows, Doors, and Skylights", retrieved 2026-08-10).

Comparison table: named door products on measured specs

This table compares four door products/materials on four measured properties — the kind of comparison that requires looking at manufacturer specifications, not a blog summary. All slab thicknesses are standard 1¾" exterior entry door slabs.

Property	Therma-Tru Classic-Craft (fiberglass)	Insulated steel (generic, 1¾" slab)	Pella fiberglass entry door system	Solid wood (mahogany or similar)
U-factor (door assembly)	0.17–0.20	0.15–0.30	Not publicly disclosed; ENERGY STAR certified	0.20–0.40+ (varies by core)
R-value	R-5 to R-6	R-5 to R-6	Not publicly disclosed; comparable to fiberglass	R-1 to R-2 (solid wood, no foam core)
Slab thickness	1¾" (44 mm)	1¾" (44 mm)	1¾" (44 mm)	1¾" (44 mm)
Nonglass materials warranty	Lifetime Limited (slab)	Varies by manufacturer	Limited Lifetime (original owner-occupant)	Varies; typically 5–10 years
Labor coverage under warranty	None — "not responsible for installation or reinstallation"	Varies	2 years from date of sale	Varies
Factory finish warranty	10 years (pre-colored); 2 years (pre-stained)	Varies	2 years	N/A (typically field-finished)
ENERGY STAR qualification	Qualified in all U.S. climate zones	Qualified (foam-core models)	Qualified	Generally does not qualify without foam core

Sources: Sound View Window and Door, "Therma-Tru Doors vs Codel Doors" (Classic-Craft U-factor 0.17–0.20, R-value R-5 to R-6, retrieved 2026-08-10) · King Locksmiths, "R-Value and U-Factor Comparison for Doors" (steel door U-factor 0.15–0.30, R-value 5–7, retrieved 2026-08-10) · Reeb Learning Center, "Therma-Tru Fiberglass Doors" (Therma-Tru fiberglass R-value 7.7 vs. wood R-value 1.2, retrieved 2026-08-10) · Engineer Fix, "Therma-Tru vs Pella" (Therma-Tru R-6 with polyurethane foam core, retrieved 2026-08-10) · Solar Tech Online, "Most Energy Efficient Doors Guide" (premium fiberglass U-factor as low as 0.09, retrieved 2026-08-10) · Therma-Tru and Pella warranty terms from primary-document extractions above.

A few things the table makes clear that a prose comparison does not:

Wood doors have dramatically lower R-values than foam-core fiberglass or steel — R-1 to R-2 versus R-5 to R-6 — because solid wood is a far poorer insulator than polyurethane foam. A wood door that feels substantial and heavy is, thermally, the weakest option in the table.
All three manufacturer warranties exclude labor after two years (or immediately, in Therma-Tru's case). The "lifetime" headline applies to the physical door panel, not to the cost of installing or reinstalling it.
Pella does not publicly disclose U-factor or R-value for its entry door line in the same way Therma-Tru does. The company certifies ENERGY STAR compliance, but consumers cannot compare exact thermal performance numbers without contacting a dealer — a transparency gap that the other two entries do not have.

What we could not verify

Pella's specific U-factor and R-value for fiberglass entry doors. Pella's public-facing documentation confirms ENERGY STAR certification but does not publish the door-assembly U-factor numbers that Therma-Tru and generic steel doors disclose. The comparison table reflects this gap rather than filling it with an estimated number.
Masonite's specific U-factor and R-value by product line. Masonite publishes ENERGY STAR qualification status but, like Pella, does not make assembly-level thermal performance data readily available on its public product pages. We confirmed the warranty exclusion language (labor/installation/finishing excluded) via a Masonite warranty document hosted at Lowes.com, but could not locate a public Masonite spec sheet with numerical U-factor or R-value data for specific entry door models.
Angi's live entry-door cost page. Angi's exterior door installation cost article returned an access error on direct fetch. Thumbtack's data (owned by the same parent company) was used as the national-aggregate source instead.
A specific state or utility rebate program for entry door replacement. We searched for energy-efficiency rebate programs that cover entry door replacements and found that most state and utility programs focus on window and insulation upgrades, not doors specifically. Some programs may cover doors as part of a whole-home weatherization package, but we did not find a named, currently active program that covers entry door replacement as a standalone line item.
Installer labor rates broken out by region for door installation specifically. DoorNMore cites an hourly labor rate of $30–$90 and notes that labor represents roughly 30–35% of total exterior door installation costs, but we did not find a source that publishes region-specific door-installation labor rates the way BLS publishes construction wages at the metro level.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-08-10.