$41bn
Total estimated cost
$10-12bn
Trump’s pre-election estimate
Concrete
This wall would have a volume of 9.7m cubic metres. One cubic metre could cost $900, totaling a spend of almost $9bn
Steel
2.3bn kilograms of steel would reinforce 3% of of the concrete needed. Steel costs could hit $4.6bn at around $2 per kilogram
Labour
Difficult desert and mountainous border terrain could push labour costs to two times the cost of materials
Person
to scale
1ft
thick
1,000
miles long
10ft
below ground
50ft
above ground
... it could
cost
Assuming
the wall is ...
Up to
$27.2bn
$4.6bn
$10-12bn
Trump’s pre-election estimate
$41bn
$9bn
Total estimated cost
Difficult desert and mountainous border terrain could push labour costs to two times the cost of materials
2.3bn kilograms of steel would reinforce 3% of of the concrete needed.
Steel costs could hit $4.6bn at around $2 per kilogram
This wall would have a volume of 9.7m cubic metres.
One cubic metre could cost $900, totaling a spend of almost $9bn
Person
to scale
1ft
thick
1,000
miles long
10ft
below ground
50ft
above ground
Assuming
the wall is ...
Labour
Steel
Concrete
... it could cost