JDR Metal Art builds custom steel driveway gates for homes, ranches, farms and estates in all 48 contiguous states. Each gate we design + build is designed specifically for your property entrance, MIG welded by an expert fabricator with 20+ years of experience, powder coated with a 20 year warranty (or finished in raw weathered steel), and backed by a lifetime craftsmanship warranty. Free shipping on gates $15,000 and up.
Need to price your gate? Send us your driveway width, the look you’re after, and any photos of your entrance. Most quotes go out within one business day. Request your quote
Lifetime warranty – On workmanship and welds, for as long as you own the gate.
Free nationwide shipping – On orders of $15,000 and up, crated and delivered.
Built in Ohio – Designed, cut, welded and finished in our own shop.
Why steel is the right material for a driveway gate
Steel is iron alloyed with carbon, which gives it a strength-to-cost ratio no other gate material matches. For a driveway gate, that translates into three practical advantages:
- Span. Steel holds a straight, true line across a 16- or 20-foot opening without sagging. Aluminum gates that wide need heavier sections or a rolling wheel to stay level.
- Impact resistance. A steel gate absorbs a bump from a truck mirror or a deer strike and stays square. Aluminum dents and cast iron cracks.
- Detail. Steel plate takes fine plasma-cut artwork — horses, trees, elk, brands, monograms — and holds those edges crisply for decades.
The tradeoff is weight and corrosion. We address both: heavier gates get adjustable ball-bearing hinges and a properly footed 6″×6″ post, and every gate is sandblasted to white metal before finishing so the coating bonds to bare steel rather than mill scale. If you’re still weighing materials, read our breakdown of steel vs. aluminum driveway gates.
What custom steel driveway gates cost
Pricing depends on opening width, panel height, how much cut artwork the design carries, and the finish. These ranges reflect what our customers typically invest in a complete custom steel gate, fabricated and crated:
| Gate type | Typical opening | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| Single swing, simple picket design | 10–16 ft | $6,000 – $12,000 |
| Double swing, moderate cut artwork | 12–24+ ft | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Double swing, heavy custom artwork and scrollwork | 14–24 ft | $15,000 – $45,000+ |
| Sliding / cantilever steel gate | 12–24 ft | $14,000 – $40,000+ |
| Matching steel posts, keypad stand, hardware package | — | $1,500 – $5,000 |
Want a real number for your driveway? Text a photo of your entrance and the width of the opening to 614-800-9840 and we’ll come back with a quote.Get my gate priced
Swing or slide: choosing your steel gate configuration
Double swing gates
The most common choice, and usually the least expensive to automate. Two leaves meet in the middle, each carried on a post set in concrete. You need level ground and roughly the gate’s half-width of clear space for the arc. Best for most residential and ranch entrances.
Single swing gates
One leaf across the full opening. Simpler and cleaner looking on narrower drives up to about 12 feet, but the hinge post carries the entire load, so post sizing and footing depth matter more.
Sliding and cantilever gates
The answer when your driveway slopes uphill, when you don’t have swing clearance, or when snow accumulation would block a swing leaf. A cantilever gate carries itself on rollers beside the opening with nothing touching the drive surface.
Bi-fold gates
Each leaf folds in half as it opens, cutting the required swing space roughly in half and opening far faster than a standard swing. Worth the additional hardware cost on tight entrances and on properties where fast entry matters.
Finishes: powder coat or raw weathering steel
Powder coated steel gates
Every panel is sandblasted to clean white metal, then electrostatically powder coated and oven cured. The result is a hard, uniform, UV-stable shell far tougher than wet paint. Semi-gloss black and bronze are our most requested colors, but any RAL color is available. Expect 15–25 years before any refinishing is worth considering.
Raw and rusted steel gates
Left unfinished, hot-rolled steel weathers to a deep orange-brown patina that suits ranch, mountain and desert entrances beautifully. We can accelerate the patina in-shop so your gate arrives already rusted rather than taking a season to get there. The surface rust stays superficial on the heavy sections we use, and we can seal it to stop rust runoff onto your drive and posts.
Zinc rich primer and Architectural Grade Top Coat
For coastal properties and high-salt environments in particular, zinc rich primer beneath a powder coat gives you a sacrificial zinc layer under the color. It adds cost and lead time, but it’s the correct specification for any steel driveway gate.
How your steel driveway gate is built
- Design. You describe the entrance and the look you want. We produce a scaled rendering of your gate and revise it until it’s right, before a single cut is made.
- Frame fabrication. Frames are built from 2″×2″ square tubing, mitered and beveled at the corners so the MIG welds penetrate fully instead of sitting on the surface.
- Plasma-cut artwork. Your design is CNC plasma cut from steel plate, then hand-dressed to remove dross and soften edges.
- Welding and assembly. Pickets, art panels and hinge brackets are welded in, welds ground flush where they show.
- Sandblasting. The whole gate is blasted to white metal, stripping mill scale, rust and oils so the finish bonds properly.
- Finishing. Powder coat and cure, or patina and seal.
- Crating and delivery. Gates ship crated and insured to your address, with hardware, posts and instructions.
Lead time
Typical build time runs 8–14 weeks from design approval, depending on shop load and how much cut artwork your design carries. We’ll give you a delivery window in writing with your quote.
Hardware, posts and automation
A steel gate is only as good as what carries and moves it. Every gate we ship includes the structural hardware sized for its actual weight:
- Posts. 6″×6″ or 4″×4″ square tubing with 1/4″ wall, on 1/2″ plate base plates or set directly in concrete footings below your frost line.
- Hinges. Adjustable, greaseable ball-bearing hinges on plasma-cut steel brackets, so the gate can be trued up on site and re-trued years later if a post settles.
- Openers. We build to suit LiftMaster, Ghost Controls, US Automatic and other common systems. See our LiftMaster LA-500 opener page and the driveway gate automation guide.
- Keypad stands. Matching welded steel keypad and intercom stands, powder coated to match the gate, so your access control doesn’t look like an afterthought.
More detail on hardware selection is in our driveway gate hinges guide.
Installation and where we ship
We build and ship nationwide from our Ohio shop, and we install in Ohio and surrounding states. Everywhere else, most customers use a local fence or gate contractor — our gates arrive with the post and hinge hardware already fitted, so installation is straightforward for anyone who works with gates regularly. We’ll talk your installer through it directly if that helps.
See our service areas, find driveway gate installers near you, or if you’re local, our Columbus, Ohio driveway gates page.
Steel gate designs we build
Browse finished work by theme to find a starting point for your own design:
- Ranch and farm gates — classic vertical picket designs for working properties
- Horse gates — equine silhouettes and scenes for farms and equestrian estates
- Wildlife gates — elk, deer, bear and waterfowl designs
- Tree gates — oak, pine and mountain landscape panels
- Commission a custom design — start from scratch with our design team
Start your gate. Tell us your opening width, your finish preference, and what you want the gate to say about your property. We’ll send a rendering and a firm price.Request your quoteCall 888-998-4283
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom steel driveway gate cost?
Most custom steel driveway gates run between $6,000 and $45,000 depending on width, height, how much plasma-cut artwork the design carries, and the finish. A 14-foot double swing gate with moderate artwork typically lands in the $11,000–$22,000 range. Automation and installation are quoted separately.
How long does it take to build a custom steel gate?
Typical build time is 8 to 14 weeks from the day you approve the design, plus shipping transit. Designs with extensive cut artwork sit at the longer end of that range.
Do you ship steel driveway gates nationwide?
Yes. We ship crated and insured to all 50 states, and shipping is free on gates of $15,000 and up.
Will a steel driveway gate rust?
Only if you want it to. A sandblasted and powder coated gate resists corrosion for 15 to 25 years or more. If you prefer the weathered look, we can deliver the gate already patinated and sealed so rust doesn’t run off onto your driveway.
Steel or aluminum: which is better for a driveway gate?
Steel is stronger, spans wider openings without sagging, takes fine cut artwork better, and costs less per pound. Aluminum is lighter and won’t rust, which matters most in coastal salt air and on gates where opener capacity is tight. For most inland residential and ranch entrances, steel is the better value.
Can you match an existing fence or gate design?
Yes. Send photos and rough dimensions of what you have and we’ll design a gate that reads as part of the same system.
What size steel posts do I need?
For most double swing gates we specify 6″×6″ square tubing with a 1/4″ wall, set in a concrete footing below the local frost line. Lighter single gates under 12 feet can run on 4″×4″ posts. We size and supply the posts with your gate.
Can my steel gate be automated?
Every gate we build can be automated. Tell us which opener you plan to use, or let us recommend one, and we’ll build the mounting provisions in from the start rather than retrofitting them later.
Talk to the people who will build your gate
You’ll work directly with the fabricators and designers making your gate, not a sales office. Send us your driveway width, a photo or two of the entrance, and any designs you’ve saved. We’ll tell you honestly what will work at your site and what it will cost.
Request your quote Call 888-998-4283
Text 614-800-9840 · Email [email protected]
