PRODUCT 05 · AUTO GATES · RESIDENTIAL → HEAVY INDUSTRIAL
Custom Steel Auto Gates
Gates built like structures, because at 30 feet of leaf that is what they are.
Residential sliding gates through heavy industrial gates. Designed, fabricated, and installed. Automation hardware is excluded unless specified, and coordinated with your gate operator supplier.
2026 pricing
Fabrication only. Automation hardware excluded unless specified. Installation available after site visit and field review.
| Item | 2026 budget range |
|---|---|
| Residential sliding gate | $12,000 – $25,000 |
| Commercial gate | $25,000 – $60,000+ |
| Heavy industrial gate | $60,000+ |
Budget pricing · 2026 Northern California · Not a quote — Fabrication only. Installation available after site visit and field review.
Configurations
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cantilever slide | No track across the drive. Needs run-back room on one side. The default for most commercial applications |
| V-track or roller slide | Track in the drive surface. Less run-back required, more maintenance |
| Single swing | Simple, needs swing clearance and a level arc |
| Bi-parting swing | Wide openings split across two leaves |
| Vertical lift or pivot | Where there is no room to slide or swing. Quoted per project |
| Pedestrian gate | Matching man-gate, usually part of the same package |
Infill options: picket, tube, plate, perforated panel, expanded metal, laser-cut decorative panel, wood or composite in a steel frame. See decorative panels for laser-cut infill.
A 30-foot cantilever gate is a cantilevered beam with a motor on it
At residential scale a gate is a fence panel that moves. At commercial and industrial scale it stops being that.
A long cantilever slide gate carries its own weight out over an unsupported span, cycles thousands of times a year, takes wind load like a sail, and has to stay square enough that a safety edge and a limit switch still work in year five. The posts and the counterbalance section carry real loads into real footings. Get the frame wrong and it sags, binds, and destroys an expensive operator.
This is why the "massive custom auto gates" line exists in our product list. It is structural fabrication with a gate-shaped outcome, and the engineering matters more than the picture.
BEAM WELDING 
WELDING — BASE CONNECTION
What we need to quote a gate
- Clear opening width and the desired height
- Slide or swing, and how much run-back or swing clearance exists
- Drive surface: concrete, asphalt, gravel, sloped or level
- Infill style, or a photo of what you want it to look like
- Whether automation is included, and if so which operator, or whether you have a gate automation contractor
- Access control scope: keypad, card reader, loop detectors, intercom, safety edges and photo eyes
- Fire department access requirements (Knox box, siren activation) if applicable
- Existing footings or new
- Finish, and whether it needs to match an existing fence
- Site photos, ideally standing in the driveway looking at the opening
Automation scope
| Item | Who typically handles it |
|---|---|
| Gate frame, leaf, posts, and hardware | Miller 3 Engineering |
| Footings and structural anchorage | Miller 3 Engineering. |
| Operator, loops, safety devices, access control | Gate automation contractor, coordinated by us |
| Electrical service to the operator | Licensed electrical contractor, coordinated |
Automation hardware is excluded from published pricing unless specified. We will coordinate directly with your operator supplier so the frame is built to their weight, travel, and mounting requirements rather than discovered to be incompatible after installation.
Divisions
Related services
Products
Related fabrication products
Trash, Generator, and Mechanical Enclosures
Single dumpster enclosures $4,500-7,500, double $7,500-14,000, generator enclosures $8,000-25,000+. Fabricated and installed from Sacramento.
Steel Bollards: Fixed, Decorative, and Removable
Standard steel bollards $450-850 each, decorative $950-2,500, removable or locking $1,500-3,500. Fabricated and installed from Rancho Cordova.
Pricing
Published 2026 budget pricing
Miller 3 Engineering publishes budget ranges instead of hiding them. Guardrail runs $165 to $225 per linear foot, a light-duty mezzanine runs $18,000 to $35,000, and a 20 to 30 foot fixed ladder runs $3,500 to $7,500, in 2026 Northern California, fabrication only.
| Item | 2026 budget range |
|---|---|
| Standard steel handrail, 2-line | $140 – $185 per linear foot |
| Guardrail system, 42" OSHA | $165 – $225 per linear foot |
| ADA compliant rail | $180 – $240 per linear foot |
| Fixed ladder, 20–30 ft | $3,500 – $7,500 |
| Steel framed roof access hatch | $3,500 – $8,000 |
| Light duty mezzanine | $18,000 – $35,000 |
| Heavy industrial mezzanine | $35,000 – $75,000+ |
| Standard steel | $450 – $850 each |
Budget pricing · 2026 Northern California · Not a quote — Fabrication only. Installation available after site visit and field review.
Common questions
How much does a custom driveway gate cost?
A residential sliding gate runs $12,000 – $25,000, a commercial gate runs $25,000 – $60,000 and up, and a heavy industrial gate starts at $60,000, in 2026 Northern California, fabrication only. Automation hardware is excluded unless specified. Installation, footings, and the electrical and access-control scope are quoted separately.
Is the gate operator included in that price?
No. Automation hardware is excluded unless specified. We build the gate and coordinate with your gate automation contractor or operator supplier so the frame matches their weight and travel specifications. If you would like us to carry that scope, ask and we will include it as a coordinated line item.
Do you do residential gates?
We mostly operate in the commercial and industrial sphere, and we are open to larger high-end residential. A substantial custom residential gate with real engineering behind it is squarely in scope. A standard driveway gate at a tract home is usually better served by a local gate company.
How long does a custom gate take?
Design and approval, fabrication, finish, and installation, plus whatever your automation contractor needs. Powder coating or galvanizing adds a cycle outside our shop. If the gate is on a fire access route, allow time for fire department review. Ask for a schedule at quote.
Can you match an existing fence or gate?
Usually. Send photos, dimensions, and a close-up of the picket or panel detail. If the original is a proprietary system we will tell you whether we can match it or whether a deliberately different but complementary design will look better than a near-miss.
Send the opening width and a photo from the driveway
Standing in the drive, looking at the opening, with enough frame to show the run-back.