How Much Does a Frameless Shower Door Cost?

Whether you’re in the design phase or you’ve just finished your bathroom remodel, or you’re thinking about getting rid of that old shower door that came with the house, knowing how much to budget for a new shower door can ultimately determine if you end up with a bathroom you can be happy with for a long time. 

In short, there are several factors that can affect how much your new shower door will cost. First, we’ll discuss those factors that impact pricing the most, and then we’ll review pricing for the most common shower door layouts.

What Affects the Price of a Frameless Shower Door?

When designing your new shower, or just looking at your existing enclosure, considering these factors will get you started on budgeting for a new door:

  • Overall shower size- how much glass is needed
  • Thickness of glass
  • Glass type (clear, low-iron, privacy, grid)
  • Door function (swinging, sliding)
  • Door style (fully frameless, semi-frameless)
  • Position of door (anchored to tiled wall, anchored to glass support panel)
  • Shower wall surface material (tile such as porcelain or ceramic, or shower kits made of fiberglass or acrylic)
  • Hardware finish (color)
  • Spot-resistant coating

Glass Size and Type

At the risk of sounding obvious, we must acknowledge that more glass will cost more money. This applies both to square footage and thickness. 

For example, 1/4” (quarter inch) thick glass will cost less than 3/8”, which costs less than 1/2”, and so on. A small 3’x3’ (3 feet wide and 3 feet deep) shower, with glass needed only on one side, will cost much less than a grand primary (master) bath with a full glass enclosure covering all 10’ (10 feet) wide and full floor to ceiling panels.

The most common glass type- standard or regular clear- is also the most cost effective (cheapest). Second in popularity to standard clear is low-iron or Starphire or OptiWhite- all names referencing crystal clear glass with lower iron oxide in the glass formula; this is a premium material that would add to the cost (see the difference between regular and low-iron glass here). There are many other glass types if you have a need for privacy- frosted (acid etched or sand-blast), rain, white laminate; these will vary in price but will add to the cost of your shower door. See the comparisons here.

Do you love the look of a unique etched design or perhaps a fully bespoke grid pattern? As you might imagine, the more customization, the higher the material cost.

Door Design and Hardware

We’re grouping these two factors together because the design will often determine how much and what type of hardware is needed, which will affect the overall price. 

For example, the hardware needed for a barn door style slider costs more than the frame needed for a standard bypass slider.

If your shower is designed to have the door hinge directly off a wall, that will demand the minimal amount of hardware compared to a design that calls for the door to be supported by another piece of glass or support header. 

Other Factors

While the color of your hardware and whether you elect to add a clear coat to help with water spots typically has a lesser impact on cost, if you believe every dollar counts, then it’s important to mention. 

  • More commonly used colors such as shiny or polished chrome, brushed nickel, and even matte black will cost less than higher-priced options such as brushed gold and antique bronze. 
  • Enduroshield is a product used by local tempering plants to create a clear barrier by applying a liquid coating to the glass. The cost is per panel of glass, so if you only need one single piece of glass for your shower, your cost will be significantly less than someone that needs glass for their Neo-angle steam shower with a transom; this layout could have 5 more panels of glass than your single panel shower, which would generally cost 5 times as much.
  • If you have an existing door that needs to be removed, that will typically add a nominal fee. 

Factors Summary

While there are other items that could reduce or increase the final cost of your shower door, this article has discussed the most common factors that can have the highest impact to help you determine how expensive your taste is. 

Just kidding. But really- how much is your door going to cost?

Pricing Ranges for Popular Frameless Shower Doors 

For the purpose of our discussion here, we are including installation as part of the cost. Please note the price ranges given here are what you will find most companies will charge in the Southern California area; your final cost could be less or more, depending on your specific shower and the company you choose.