How much does a carpenter cost in Darwin?
Carpenters in Darwin bill $55–$130 per hour, and a day's booking is $400–$900. A supplied-and-fitted door comes to $250–$650 and a wardrobe built into a bedroom $1,200–$5,000, while the labour to frame a carport or pergola runs $1,500–$6,000, before timber and roofing. Deck building is priced on area, with labour at $80–$190 per square metre. Two things shape a Darwin carpentry job more than most: the wet season, which pushes outdoor building into the dry months, and a housing stock with far more units and rentals than the national mix. Rates include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Carpenter cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Carpenter Cost in Darwin 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpentry (hourly rate) | $55/hr | $85 | $130 |
| Door installation (supply & fit) | $250per door | $400 | $650 |
| Door repair / rehang | $100per job | $180 | $300 |
| Skirting boards (per linear metre) | $20/lm | $30 | $55 |
| Architraves (per linear metre) | $10/lm | $18 | $45 |
| Built-in wardrobe (supply & install) | $1,200total | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Timber shelving installation | $200per job | $400 | $700 |
| Minor staircase repairs (squeaky or loose treads, single tread or baluster) | $300per job | $600 | $1,200 |
| Pergola / carport framing (labour) | $1,500total | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Timber window repair | $150per job | $280 | $500 |
| Deck build labour (per sqm) | $80/sqm | $130 | $190 |
| Full-day carpentry | $400per day | $620 | $900 |
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Get Darwin quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Darwin metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What Affects Carpenter Costs in Darwin
Hourly, daily or fixed price
Small repairs are usually charged by the hour. If you have a list of jobs, the day rate of $400–$900 usually beats paying the typical hourly figure eight times over, which totals $680. A defined project, say decking or a row of wardrobes, deserves a fixed quote as soon as the scope is drawn.
Build outside in the dry
Darwin Airport averages 432.1 mm of rain in January and just 1.1 mm in July (BOM averages). The wet season, November to April, is also the cyclone season, so decks, pergolas and anything with concrete footings are best booked for May to October. Wardrobes, shelving and door work happen indoors, which makes them sensible jobs to schedule through the wet.
Pergolas and carports
In the NT a pergola or shade structure needs a building permit unless an exemption applies. A free-standing pergola of up to 30 m² that stands at least 50 mm clear of the house falls outside the regulations, but once the roof is solid it is no longer a pergola. Darwin is a Tier 1 area, so permitted work must be certified by an NT registered building certifier and built to the cyclone-resistant standard.
Over $25,000, a registered builder
In the Northern Territory, building work on a house or units worth more than $25,000 is prescribed work, and only a registered building contractor may do it. The written contract has to show their registration number and a schedule of progress payments, and the deposit cannot exceed 5% of the contracted price. On smaller jobs, still ask about registration and insurance before any structural framing starts.
Units, rentals and small jobs
A quarter of Greater Darwin dwellings are flats or apartments, against 14.2% nationally, and 43.8% of households rent (ABS 2021 Census). For a unit owner, or a landlord between tenants, the useful prices are the small ones: rehanging a door is $100–$300, fitted wardrobes $1,200–$5,000, and new timber shelves $200–$700. In a unit, check what the scheme lets you change before booking.
Timber for the tropics
Average maximums stay above 30 °C in every month at Darwin Airport (BOM averages), and the wet season brings long soakings, so outdoor timber has to handle heat and humidity. Ask which species and treatment each quote assumes, and whether the fixings are galvanised or stainless. On an older timber window, a repair at $150–$500 is worth pricing before replacement if the frame is sound.
Trim, skirting and stairs
Skirting runs $20–$55 per linear metre and architrave trim $10–$45; measure each room before asking for a price. Uneven walls, or profiles that must match existing trim, tend to land toward the top of those bands. Squeaky or loose stair treads are a separate repair at $300–$1,200.
How to Save Money on Carpenter Cost in Darwin
Carpenter Cost in Darwin by Job Size
Say a unit in Darwin needs a door rehung, two shelves hung and a length of skirting fixed, and the visit runs six hours. At $55–$130 an hour that is $330–$780, to be read beside the booked day at $400–$900 a day. The six hours are the example's own assumption; ask how the time is counted.
What moves a visit of that size in Darwin: a unit's scheme rules on changes, uneven walls that need extra fitting, and old sheeting to remove and dispose of. Each can add time at the hourly rate, so ask for it as a separate line.
Carpenter Cost in Darwin: What the Quote Should Include
Darwin's wet season moves outdoor building to the dry months, and a unit or rental changes what can be altered, so a carpentry quote for a home in Nightcliff or Palmerston should name its timing and materials. Each line below is something to see in writing.
- Outdoor framing, decks and footings dated for May to October and indoor work such as wardrobes, shelving and doors dated for the wet, with a start date beside each.
- Timber species and treatment named for anything outdoors, with fixings stated as galvanised or stainless.
- A pergola or carport frame at $1,500–$6,000 for labour, with the roof type and the timber stated as separate lines.
- In a unit, the scheme's rules on changes checked before booking, and the carpenter told which doors, walls and shelving are involved.
- Rehanging a door at $100–$300 priced apart from a new door supplied and fitted at $250–$650 a door, useful for a landlord between tenants.
- For an older timber window with a sound frame, a repair at $150–$500 priced alongside any replacement.
- Skirting at $20–$55 a metre and architraves at $10–$45 a metre, with uneven walls or an old profile to match noted as extra fitting time.
- Old wall or ceiling sheeting taken out: who removes it, where it goes and whether that sits in the price.
- A day booking of $400–$900 a day for a list of small fixes against hourly time at $55–$130 an hour, with GST and dates in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions — Carpenter Cost in Darwin
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →