Garage Door Spring Replacement Cost: What You'll Pay and Why
The Short Answer
Garage door spring replacement typically costs about $200 to $400 installed. That covers the spring or springs, the labour to safely unwind and rewind them, and a balance check so the door lifts evenly afterward. Where your job lands in that range depends on how many springs your door uses, how heavy the door is, which type and cycle rating of spring you choose, and whether cables or rollers need attention at the same time.
Springs are the part of a garage door that does the heavy lifting, which is why a broken one stops everything. The opener is only designed to guide a door that the springs have already balanced, so when a spring snaps, the door suddenly feels like a slab of concrete. The good news is that spring replacement is one of the most common and predictable repairs, and once you know what drives the price, a quote is easy to read.
What drives the price
Five things account for most of the difference between one spring quote and another.
- Number of springs. Many single doors use one torsion spring; most double doors use two. On a two-spring door, both should be replaced together, which adds parts cost but saves a second visit.
- Spring type. Torsion springs sit on a bar above the door; extension springs run along the horizontal tracks. Both are common, and the right replacement matches what your door was built for.
- Door weight. Heavier insulated or double-wide doors need larger, stronger springs, which cost more than springs for a light single-skin door.
- Cycle rating. Standard springs are commonly rated around 10,000 cycles. High-cycle springs rated for 20,000 or more cost more but last much longer.
- Related parts. Cables, bottom brackets, and rollers often wear alongside springs. Replacing a frayed cable in the same visit adds roughly $150 to $250, far less than a separate call later.
Typical costs at a glance
These are installed ranges that line up with the garage door repair pricing on this site. Your exact number comes from an on-site look at the door.
| Job | Typical installed range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring replacement (single or matched pair) | $200 - $400 | Includes balance check and safety test |
| High-cycle spring upgrade | Upper end of the range or above | Longer life for doors used many times a day |
| Cable replacement added to the visit | $150 - $250 | Frayed or rusted cables are common alongside spring wear |
| Minor tune-up items (rollers, lubrication, tightening) | From about $100 - $150 | Often done in the same visit |
A quote that comes in far below these ranges is worth questioning. The usual shortcuts are a single spring on a two-spring door, an under-sized spring that leaves the door heavy, or skipping the balance test that tells you the job was done right.
Torsion vs. extension springs and why it matters for cost
Most newer doors in the Lower Mainland use torsion springs: one or two tightly wound coils on a steel bar just above the door opening. They give smoother, more controlled lifting and generally last longer. Older doors and some lighter single doors use extension springs, which stretch along each horizontal track as the door closes.
Price-wise, the two are similar for a like-for-like replacement. The difference shows up in safety and longevity. Extension springs should always have a safety cable running through them so a broken spring cannot whip across the garage. If your extension-spring door is missing those cables, adding them is a small cost worth paying. Converting an extension-spring door to torsion is possible, but it is a bigger job and only worth it when other hardware is being replaced anyway.
Why replace both springs at once
If your door has two springs and only one has broken, it is tempting to replace just the broken one. It rarely saves money. Both springs went in on the same day and have opened and closed the same number of times, so the survivor is usually near the end of its life too. Replacing one leaves you with a mismatched pair, an unevenly balanced door, and a strong chance of paying for another service call within months.
Replacing the pair in one visit means one trip charge, matched tension on both sides, and a fresh starting point for the whole system. It is the same logic as replacing brake pads on both sides of a car.
Standard or high-cycle springs?
A cycle is one full open and one full close. A household that uses the garage as its main entrance can easily put three to five cycles a day on the door, which wears out a standard 10,000-cycle spring in well under a decade. High-cycle springs rated for 20,000 cycles or more cost more up front, but their cost per year of service is often lower.
A simple rule of thumb: if the garage is your front door, high-cycle springs usually pay for themselves. If the door opens once or twice a day, standard springs are fine.
Spring life in Surrey’s wet climate
Rain and humidity are hard on springs. Moisture settles into the coils, rust forms between them, and the added friction and pitting shorten a spring’s life well before it reaches its cycle rating. Across Surrey and the rest of the Fraser Valley, it is common to find springs with a crust of surface rust on doors that are only a few years old, especially on detached garages and doors facing the prevailing rain.
Two things help. Galvanized or oil-tempered springs with a protective coating resist rust better than bare steel. A light coat of garage door lubricant on the coils during an annual maintenance visit keeps moisture out and lets the coils move smoothly against each other. Both are cheap compared with an early replacement.
Signs a spring is about to go
Springs rarely fail without warning. Watch for these:
- A visible gap of a few centimetres in a torsion spring coil (this means it has already broken).
- The door feels heavy when lifted by hand with the opener disengaged, or will not stay put halfway.
- The door rises unevenly, or one side lifts before the other.
- The opener strains, slows, or reverses partway up.
- A loud bang from the garage when nobody was using the door.
Our guide on why garage door springs matter explains the warning signs in more detail, and testing your door’s balance is a simple check you can do safely in a couple of minutes.
Getting an accurate quote
The fastest way to an exact price is a technician looking at the door: its weight, spring size and type, cable condition, and how it balances. If a spring has already broken, leave the door closed and avoid running the opener. , call (778) 201-5640, or , and you will get a clear, itemized price before any work starts. For a door that is stuck after hours, Midnight Rescue covers the Lower Mainland around the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does garage door spring replacement cost?
A typical spring replacement runs about $200 to $400 installed, including the spring, labour, and a balance check. Replacing both torsion springs on a heavy double door, upgrading to high-cycle springs, or adding new cables or rollers in the same visit moves the total toward the top of that range or beyond.
Should I replace both garage door springs at the same time?
On a two-spring door, yes. Both springs were installed together and have worked the same number of cycles, so when one breaks the other is usually close behind. Replacing the pair in one visit costs less than two separate service calls and keeps the door balanced evenly.
Can I replace a garage door spring myself?
It is not recommended. Torsion springs store enough energy to lift a door that can weigh 70 to 135 kg (150 to 300 pounds), and winding or releasing them without the right bars and training causes serious hand, arm, and head injuries every year. Spring work is the part of garage door repair best left to a trained technician.
How long do garage door springs last?
Standard springs are commonly rated for about 10,000 open-and-close cycles, which is roughly 7 to 10 years for a household that uses the door a few times a day. High-cycle springs rated for 20,000 cycles or more last proportionally longer. Rust shortens spring life, which matters in a wet climate.
Is it safe to use my garage door with a broken spring?
No. With a broken spring the opener is trying to lift the full weight of the door, which strains the motor and gears, and the door can drop suddenly if a cable slips. Leave the door closed if you can, keep people and vehicles clear, and have the spring replaced before using it again.
Are high-cycle springs worth the extra cost?
For a door used many times a day, usually yes. High-cycle springs cost more up front but can last twice as long as standard ones, so a busy household often pays less per year of service. For a door that opens once or twice a day, standard springs are a reasonable choice.