How much does garage door spring replacement cost?

Springs are the most common garage door repair, and they’re also where homeowners get the widest range of quotes. Here’s what the published data says a spring job should cost, what legitimately pushes it higher, and where a quote stops making sense.

Spring replacement costs at a glance

Item	Typical cost	Source
Spring replacement (overall)	$150 – $350, average $250	HomeAdvisor
Torsion spring, per spring	$75 – $150	HomeAdvisor
Extension spring, per spring	$50 – $100	HomeAdvisor
Cable replacement (same visit)	$75 – $200	HomeAdvisor
Convert extension to torsion	$400 – $800	HomeAdvisor
Garage door technician labor	$75 – $150 an hour	HomeAdvisor

All figures are national ranges from HomeAdvisor’s spring replacement cost guide, updated June 17, 2026. In Connecticut, where the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median repair-worker wage about 16% above the national median (May 2025), expect quotes in the upper half of these ranges.

Torsion vs. extension springs

Torsion springs sit on a steel bar above the door and turn the cable drums. HomeAdvisor rates them at 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, roughly 8 to 15 years. Extension springs stretch along each horizontal track and are rated at 8,000 to 15,000 cycles, about 7 to 12 years. Extension springs cost less per spring but always come in pairs, and each must have a safety cable through it. Our guide to torsion vs. extension springs goes deeper.

One spring or two?

Most two-car doors and many single doors have two springs. They’ve done the same number of cycles, so when one breaks, the other is close. HomeAdvisor’s guidance is to replace both at the same time to keep the door balanced, and most technicians will recommend it. That recommendation is legitimate. What isn’t legitimate is pricing each standard spring at several hundred dollars.

What legitimately raises the price

• Door weight and height. Heavy insulated, wood, or carriage-style doors need larger springs.
• High-cycle springs. Springs rated for 20,000+ cycles cost more and last longer, a reasonable upgrade for a door several households use.
• Damaged cables or drums. A snapping spring shocks the whole system; frayed cables should be replaced at the same visit.
• Rust. In shoreline garages and damp detached garages, hardware beside the spring may be too corroded to reuse. The garage door industry’s DASMA technical guidance says rust pits are where spring fatigue cracks start.
• After-hours timing. Evening, weekend, and holiday calls usually carry a higher rate or an extra fee.

Where a spring quote stops making sense

In a case reported by NBC Connecticut, a Burlington homeowner was told her door needed two springs that were “expensive and in short supply” and shown a screenshot claiming each cost more than $700. The Better Business Bureau has also warned about companies that advertise a cheap service call, then inflate the parts once inside.

Protect yourself with a few habits:

• Ask for the spring sizes (wire gauge, inside diameter, length) and cycle rating on the quote.
• Ask for the price of each spring and each other part, not one lump sum.
• Ask for the contractor’s Connecticut HIC registration number and check it on eLicense. Connecticut requires a registered contractor and a written contract for home improvement work over $200.
• If the number feels wrong, pay any agreed service fee and get a second quote. You have until midnight of the third business day to cancel a signed contract.

While you wait

A door with a broken spring isn’t safe to lift by hand or with the opener. Leave it closed if it’s closed, unplug the opener, and keep everyone out from under it if it’s stuck open. Our guide to whether a broken spring is dangerous covers what’s safe, and the spring repair page explains what the repair involves.