Greenhouse knowledge / 12 min read
Commercial greenhouse cost benchmarks per square metre and per hectare, covering structure, climate systems, irrigation and civil works, plus the exclusions that inflate final budgets.
By Aegis Investment Advisory
Published /Updated
A commercial greenhouse typically costs between €35 and €260 per square metre installed, which is €350,000 to €2.6 million per hectare. The spread is wide because the phrase "commercial greenhouse" covers everything from a passively ventilated film structure to a semi-closed glass facility with combined heat and power. The number that matters is not the square-metre price but the total delivered cost of a facility capable of producing your target crop in your climate.
Capital cost is driven primarily by glazing and climate control, not by span width or aesthetics. Each band below assumes a complete installed facility including structure, glazing, basic irrigation and climate control, but excluding land and civil works.
Buyers frequently assume the structure dominates the budget. In a fully equipped facility it is usually less than half. Climate and irrigation systems, which determine whether the crop performs, account for a larger share than most first-time investors expect.
The most common cause of a greenhouse project running over budget is not price escalation. It is scope that was never quoted. Supplier offers are frequently ex-works and structure-only, while the client assumes an installed and operational facility.
Two facilities at the same square-metre price can differ by 30 percent in energy consumption. Since energy is typically the largest operating cost in a heated greenhouse, the cheaper structure often produces the more expensive kilogram. Comparing offers on capital cost alone systematically favours the specification that will cost more to run for the next twenty years.
A defensible budget requires a written specification before any quote is requested. Once scope is fixed in a single document, supplier offers become comparable and the levelled total is usually within a few percent of the final delivered cost. Without that document, early estimates should be treated as indicative only.
| Cost component | Share of capex | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Structure and glazing | 38 – 45% | Frame, foundations, glazing, ventilation |
| Climate systems | 18 – 25% | Heating, screens, control computer, CO₂ |
| Irrigation and fertigation | 8 – 12% | Head station, dripline, recirculation |
| Growing system | 5 – 9% | Gutters, substrate, crop support |
| Civil works | 5 – 15% | Levelling, drainage, roads, concrete |
| Water treatment and storage | 4 – 8% | Filtration, RO where required, basins |
| Engineering and supervision | 3 – 6% | Specification, tender, site supervision |
Aegis Investment Advisory
Feasibility and capital planning desk
The advisory desk builds the feasibility and capital models that Aegis clients present to boards and lenders. Work focuses on cost per square metre, energy cost per kilogram, phased capital deployment and the assumptions that determine whether a project is financeable.
FAQ
Between roughly €350,000 for a passively ventilated film structure and €2.6 million for a semi-closed glass facility with full climate control. For a year-round heated glass vegetable facility, €1.2 to €1.8 million per hectare installed is a realistic planning figure before civil works and land.
Almost always because the scopes differ. One offer may be ex-works structure only while another includes installation, screens, irrigation and commissioning. Until every offer is levelled to identical scope, the price differences are not comparable and the lowest number is usually the least complete.
Yes, when the crop and climate do not require the additional technology. Strawberry in a mild climate rarely justifies glass. But in a cold climate growing year-round tomato, cutting the screen package to reduce capital cost raises energy cost per kilogram for the life of the facility.
Three to six percent of capital cost. It is the line item most often cut and the one that most reliably pays for itself, because it is what makes supplier offers comparable and performance criteria enforceable.
Send us your location, available area and target crop. You will receive a structured first assessment with technology direction and an indicative investment range.