How much does it cost to repair a hydraulic cylinder?

It depends almost entirely on what the strip-down finds. A straight reseal on a serviceable bore and rod is the cheap end: a kit, labour and a pressure test. If the bore needs honing or the chrome rod needs grinding, re-chroming, straightening or replacing, specialist machining is added, and that is the biggest swing in the price. Ask for a fixed price to strip and inspect, then a firm price once the report is in.

Is it cheaper to repair or replace a hydraulic cylinder?

For a common cylinder in poor condition, a new or exchange unit is often close to, or cheaper than, a rebuild that needs machining, and it is usually faster. For a large, obsolete or bespoke cylinder, rebuilding is normally the only realistic route. A repairer worth using will price both and tell you which they would do.

Why did my hydraulic cylinder start leaking again after a rebuild?

The most common reason is contamination. Dirty oil, a blocked or bypassed filter, or a torn rod wiper letting grit past will destroy new seals quickly. A damaged chrome rod that was resealed without machining does the same. Ask whether the system was flushed, whether filters were changed, and what the inspection said about the rod.

Guide

Hydraulic cylinder repair cost: reseal, machining or replace

Updated 2026-08-14

A cylinder repair is priced on what the strip-down finds, which is why the honest answer before strip-down is always a range. Here is what the strip is looking for.

The three outcomes of a cylinder strip

Reseal: The cheapest and most common outcome. Bore and rod are serviceable, so it is a seal kit, a clean, a reassembly and a pressure test. Labour is predictable and the parts cost is the kit.
Reseal plus machining: The bore is scored or the chrome rod is pitted, worn or bent. That means honing the tube, grinding and re-chroming the rod, straightening, or making a new rod. Specialist machine time, often subcontracted, and the single biggest swing factor in a cylinder quote.
Replace: The tube is distorted, the eye or mount is torn, or the parts to rebuild it cost more than a new unit. On common cylinders a new or exchange unit can genuinely undercut a rebuild, and a good repairer will tell you so.

Why an accurate price needs the cylinder off the machine

Nobody can see a scored bore or a bent rod while the cylinder is on the machine and covered in oil. That is why the sequence is quote to strip and inspect, then a firm price to rebuild. Expect the strip and inspection to be chargeable, and expect it to be credited against the repair if you go ahead. Ask about that up front: it is a normal and reasonable term, and knowing it in advance stops the argument later.

What a strip and inspection report should tell you

Condition of the bore: scoring, ovality, whether honing will clean it up
Condition of the rod: chrome pitting or flaking, wear, straightness, thread and eye condition
Which seals failed and, where it can be told, why, which points at contamination, misalignment or side load
Whether a seal kit is available, genuine or aftermarket, and its lead time
The machining operations needed, priced individually, not as one lump
A recommendation on rebuild versus replacement, with the reasoning

Contamination is usually the real fault

Seals rarely die of old age alone. Dirty oil, a failed filter, a torn wiper letting grit past the rod, or water ingress will chew out a new seal kit as fast as it chewed the old one. If the cylinder failed early, ask the repairer what the oil looked like and whether the system should be flushed and the filters changed at the same time. Paying for a rebuild and then feeding it the same contaminated oil is the most common way people pay for the same repair twice.

Rebuild or replace: how to decide

Get the strip and inspection report in writing, with the machining operations itemised.
Ask for the price of a new or exchange cylinder alongside the rebuild price, including lead time. On common sizes it is often close.
Weigh in downtime: a rebuild with a re-chromed rod can take a week or more, an off-the-shelf cylinder can be next day. On a machine that is earning, the faster option often wins even at a higher price.
Where the cylinder is part of lifting equipment, factor in the thorough examination regime under LOLER as well: see HSE guidance.

Any price quoted before the cylinder is stripped is an estimate. Ask for it in two parts: a fixed price to strip, inspect and report, then a firm price to complete once the findings are known.