2026 pricing guide

How Much Does a Floating Cover Cost?

Modular floating covers cost $1.75 to $7.00 per square foot ($18.84 to $75.35 per m²), set by how much insulation the cover carries and how large the order is. Freight adds 5–20%. There is no installation cost and no anchoring cost, so the delivered cover is the entire project budget.

The three price tranches

Insulation level is what separates them. Within each tranche the rate falls as order quantity rises; the low figure applies at 100,000 sq ft and above.

Tranche Products Insulation USD / sq ft USD / m²
Non-insulated covers None (R-1 to R-2 incidental) $1.75–$2.50 $18.84–$26.91
Medium-insulated covers R-4 to R-8 $2.50–$3.30 $26.91–$35.52
high-insulated $5.00–$7.00 $53.82–$75.35

Indicative bands, not a quotation. Exclude the resin index and freight.

What gets added, and what does not

Added — resin surcharge

Separate line item

Covers are indexed to polymer cost, which moves with the petrochemical market. Any surcharge is quoted as a separate line item at no markup — a straight pass-through of the resin producers’ price — and is confirmed at the time of order rather than folded into the product price. AWTT has applied it this way since 2020 so that product pricing does not have to change every time the resin market does.

Added — freight

+5% / +20%

Depends on distance from the supplying factory, transport mode, and port or inland access. AWTT supplies from Trenton SC, Tecate MX, Budapest, and Jebel Ali, so the nearest factory usually sets the number.

Not added — because it does not exist

• Installation labour charged by AWTT — $0

• Perimeter anchoring — $0

• Ballast tubes or float systems — $0

• Sump pumps and drainage — $0

• Structural support — $0

• Annual pump maintenance and power — $0

The modules are poured onto the water and self-arrange, so a floating cover is delivered rather than constructed. A self-install still consumes a little of the site’s own crew time — typically a two-person crew, 1–2 hours per 53-foot dry van unloaded — but that is internal labour, not an AWTT charge.

Worked example: one acre

One acre is 43,560 sq ft (4,047 m²), covered with Hexprotect® AQUA from the non-insulated tranche.

Cover, at $1.75–$2.50/sq ft $76,230–$108,900
Freight, +5–20% $3,812–$21,780
Installation, anchoring, pumps $0
Delivered total $80,042–$130,680

One acre sits below the 100,000 sq ft threshold, so in practice expect the upper part of the band. Add the resin index if one is active when the order is placed.

Where the money actually goes on a geomembrane

A geomembrane sheet can quote below a modular cover on material alone. The comparison changes once the rest of the scope is priced: perimeter anchoring, ballast tubes, sump pumps and drainage, installation labour, and engineering design are each separate line items, and the system then carries ongoing pump maintenance, electricity, cleaning, and tear repair for its whole life.

A modular cover carries none of those, and no single-point-of-failure risk from a torn sheet or a failed rainwater pump. The full ten-year comparison is set out in the cost analysis section of the FAQ , and the modular vs. solid cover guide covers the engineering trade-offs.

Floating cover cost — frequently asked questions

Direct answers on pricing, quantity discounts, freight, and total cost of ownership.

How much does a floating cover cost per square foot?
AWTT modular floating covers run $1.75 to $7.00 per square foot ($18.84 to $75.35 per square metre) depending on how much insulation the cover carries and how large the order is. Non-insulated covers such as Hexprotect AQUA and Armor Ball are $1.75–$2.50/sq ft. Medium-insulated Rhombo Hexoshield covers are $2.50–$3.30/sq ft. The highly insulated Hexprotect MAX R is $5.00–$7.00/sq ft. Within every tranche the rate falls as quantity rises, with the low figure applying at 100,000 sq ft and above.

What is the total installed cost of a modular floating cover?
The cover plus freight, and nothing else. A modular floating cover has no installation cost, no anchoring, no perimeter trenching, no structural support, and no pumps — the modules are poured onto the water surface and self-arrange, and AWTT supplies product only rather than selling installation. Freight adds 5–20% depending on distance from the supplying factory. A resin surcharge may also apply: it is quoted as a separate pass-through line at no markup and confirmed at the time of order.

How much does it cost to cover one acre with a floating cover?
One acre is 43,560 sq ft (4,047 m²). Using the non-insulated band, the cover is roughly $76,000 to $109,000, plus 5–20% freight, giving a delivered total of about $80,000 to $131,000. One acre sits below the 100,000 sq ft volume threshold, so the rate falls in the upper part of the band. There is no installation or anchoring cost to add.

Why is an insulated floating cover so much more expensive?
A highly insulated cover such as Hexprotect MAX R carries a closed-cell insulation layer delivering R-17 or greater, which is materially more polymer and a more complex module than a non-insulated tile. It is three to four times the per-square-foot cost. It is specified where energy cost dominates the business case — anaerobic digestion, biogas, dairy lagoons, and cold-climate chemical storage — because the heating savings on a heated liquid recover the difference far faster than the cheaper cover would.

Do floating cover prices go down with quantity?
Yes, in every tranche. The published low figure applies at 100,000 sq ft or more. Quantities between the small- and large-order endpoints are quoted individually; AWTT does not publish the intermediate discount curve.

Why do floating cover prices change with resin cost?
Covers are manufactured from HDPE, so the product is indexed to polymer cost. In normal markets the index is at or near zero. The upper bound of 20% reflects rare shocks — armed conflict, oil shortage, or a sustained resin supply disruption. Quotes state the index applicable at the time of issue.

Is a modular floating cover cheaper than a geomembrane cover?
On material alone a geomembrane can look cheaper. On installed and lifetime cost it usually is not. A geomembrane needs perimeter anchoring, ballast tubes, sump pumps and drainage, installation labour, and engineering design — each a separate line item — and then carries ongoing pump maintenance, electricity, cleaning, and tear repair. A modular cover has none of those. Over ten years the modular total cost of ownership is typically substantially lower, and the modular cover carries no single-point-of-failure risk from a torn sheet or a failed rainwater pump.

Get the real number for your site

Send the surface area, wind exposure, and application and AWTT will return a costed proposal — typically within one business day when the site details are complete.

Request a quote

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