1. Quiz
  2. Your result
  3. Your plan
  4. Your guide

Step-by-step guide

Welding gates and burglar bars: from your first quote to your first paid installation

Make and fit security gates, burglar bars and small steel jobs for homes and businesses. This guide covers real 2026 South African supplied-and-fitted prices, welder costs, how to measure and quote, deposits, the Consumer Protection Act warranty on repair work, safety, and a worked rand example.

  • 23 lessons
  • 5 modules
  • About 2 hours
  • First lesson free

Is this guide for you?

Good fit if

  • You can already weld neatly and safely, or are learning under an experienced welder.
  • You have space with power to work and somewhere to store steel.
  • You can measure carefully and transport steel to site.

Think twice if

  • You have never welded and have no one to learn from.
  • You have no safe workspace with ventilation and power.
  • You can't afford steel for a job before the deposit comes in.

Honest expectations

  • Published 2026 prices: burglar bars about R550 to R2,200 a square metre, or R700 to R2,500 a standard window, supplied and fitted.
  • Single security gates about R1,500 to R6,300 supplied and fitted, depending on source and design.
  • Steel, discs, rods and paint are a big share of each job. Always take a deposit.

What is inside

  1. Module 1

    Is this right for you?

    What it involves, who pays, and honest expectations.

    1. How a gate and burglar bar business worksFree · 5 min
    2. Honest expectations4 min (in the full guide)
  2. Module 2

    Set up and price

    What you need and what to charge.

    1. Your startup kit, costs and skills5 min (in the full guide)
    2. Set up step by step: ready to quote6 min (in the full guide)
    3. Prices: real 2026 South African figures5 min (in the full guide)
    4. Your numbers: a worked example in rands5 min (in the full guide)
  3. Module 3

    Your first week

    The first steps, in order.

    1. Your first week, step by step6 min (in the full guide)
    2. Week one, step 2: Write a price list and get steel prices3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Week one, step 3: Make a sample and photograph it3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Finding your first clients5 min (in the full guide)
    5. Your 14-day playbook to your first paid job6 min (in the full guide)
    6. Messages to copy: your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
  4. Module 4

    Your first month

    A routine that brings in customers.

    1. Your first 30 days: build a routine4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Month one, task 1: Measure and quote five jobs3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Month one, task 2: Deliver your first paid installation3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Common mistakes in gate and burglar bar work4 min (in the full guide)
  5. Module 5

    Months two and three

    Repeat what works, grow and stay safe.

    1. Days 31 to 90: repeat what works and grow4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Months two and three, task 1: Build a relationship with a builder3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Months two and three, task 2: Check your profit per job3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Free courses to fill your skill gaps4 min (in the full guide)
    5. Getting paid safely and spotting scams4 min (in the full guide)
    6. Tax: what to put aside, with worked examples6 min (in the full guide)
    7. Risks, rules, tax and staying safe5 min (in the full guide)

What it costs to start

ItemCostNote
Inverter arc welder about 200A (published prices about R2,000 to R3,200)R2 000 to R3 200Toolhome lists a Matweld 200A kit at R3,159; Builders had a 200A unit at R2,299 on promotion until August 2026.
Angle grinder, clamps, tape, square, helmet, gloves, apron, safety boots (example figure)R2 000 to R6 800Example figure. Get your own quotes.

Try it before you buy

Lesson one is free. If it helps, the whole guide is R149 once-off.

Start the free lesson

Reviewed 26 October 2026 by the Earn Path team. Next review due 26 April 2027.