What is the price of building materials in Zambia?
There is a variety of building materials that are used when building a house. These building materials vary from house to house, depending on the design of the house. This is undoubtedly true, but there are basic building materials that all modern houses need, as we will show you. Without these building materials, a house cannot be complete, regardless of its design.
In Zambia, the price of building materials varies mainly depending on the purchase location. Some building materials are more expensive in the rural areas, while others are in the urban centers. We will show you how location affects the price of building materials in Zambia, among other factors. Let us look at the types of building materials and their prices in Zambia. Check out the cost of roofing in Zambia in this post.
Prices Of Building Materials In Zambia
1. Price Of Cement In Zambia
The price of cement in Zambia is ZMW.150.ZMW.200 per 50kg bag. The following factors determine the price of cement in Zambia.
- Cement supplier: There are different cement suppliers in Zambia, like Eagle Cement and Dangote Cement, among many more. These suppliers have different prices for cement.
- Location in Zambia: Cement becomes more expensive as you go deep into the remote areas. Transporting cement to remote areas is costly. Therefore, suppliers increase the prices as compensation.
- Size of a bag of cement: Apart from the conventional 50kg bag of cement, there are still smaller options of 25kg and 20kg. Their prices are lower compared to the 50kg cement.
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2. Price Of Bricks In Zambia
The price of bricks in Zambia is ZMW.2-ZMW.5 per brick. The price of bricks is determined by its size. The bigger the brick, the more the buying price. Bricks can be made from cement or mud. Bricks made from cement are more expensive. Bricks can be bought, or one can make them themselves with the right materials. Making bricks yourself is far cheaper because you save on the following:
- Transportation costs: When molding bricks yourself, one does this at the construction site. When buying from a supplier, you must hire a vehicle to transport the bricks to the construction site.
- Damage costs: Transporting bricks from a supplier will break some of the bricks, especially if you use a rough road.
- Quality control: When you make your bricks, you will be sure they are good quality. Buying from a supplier might cost a lot if they are not trustworthy.
3. Price Of Blocks In Zambia
The price of blocks in Zambia is ZMW.3-ZMW.7 per block. The size of the block determines block prices. The larger the size of the block, the more expensive it is. The expense of large blocks does not only affect the buying price but also:
- Transportation costs: Because of their weight, hiring a vehicle to carry large blocks would be expensive.
- Labor cost: Paying workers to handle large blocks is expensive due to their heavy weight.
Buying blocks close to the construction site is advised because the blocks will not get damaged from being transported long distances. Blocks can be damaged by continuous impact, which wastes resources. Apart from damage, buying blocks from a close supplier saves on the cost of transportation.
4. Price Of Floor tiles In Zambia
The price of floor tiles in Zambia is ZMW.65-ZMW.1,000 per square meter. The price of floor tiles varies depending on the quality of the floor tile material. A decorated tile is also more expensive compared to tiles with a plain color. The primary determinant of the price of a tile, however, is the type of tile. Below are the prices of the three types of tiles used by Zambians:
- Granite tiles: ZMW.500-ZMW.1,000 per square meter
- Porcelain tiles: ZMW.170-ZMW.250 per square meter
- Ceramic tiles: ZMW.65-ZMW.100 per square meter.
5. Price Of House Paint In Zambia
The price of paint in Zambia is ZMW.100-ZMW.150 per liter. The prices vary depending on the following factors:
- Type of paint: There are different types of paint, e.g., emulsion paints and oil paints.
- Color of paint: This may not make sense, but the public demands some paint colors. As a result, they are priced higher than other colors of paint.
- Paint supplier: Each supplier has their price for their paint products. The difference in paint prices among its suppliers is not significant because they all work under the same economy.
6. Price Of Timber In Zambia
The price of timber in Zambia is ZMW.30-ZMW.100 per kg. The weight of wood is used to determine its price because the best types of wood are heavier than the others. The following are other factors that determine the price of wood in Zambia:
- Location of wood supplier: Wood suppliers in rural areas sell wood at lower prices than in urban centers.
- Type of wood: The type of wood is determined by the tree in which it was harvested from. Trees with the best wood are rare and have a high demand keeping their prices high all year through.
- Condition of wood: Recycled wood is cheaper than fresh wood. Good-quality wood already used may still be more expensive than low-quality fresh wood.
7. Price Of Sand In Zambia
The price of sand in Zambia is ZMW.150,000-ZMW.300,000 per lorry on average. The price of a kilogram of sand is ZMW.25-ZMW.40 per kg on average. The following are factors that determine the price of sand in Zambia:
- Location: When it comes to sand, it does not matter whether it is bought in rural or urban areas. The areas with the most sand deposits have low sand prices.
- Transportation: Transporting sand in the urban centers is more expensive than in the rural areas. The cost of hiring a vehicle is more in urban centers.
8. Price Of Construction Nails In Zambia
The price of nails in Zambia is ZMW.40-ZMW.100 per kg on average. The following factors determine the price of nails:
- Size of the nail: The larger the size of the nail, the more expensive it is.
- Quality of the nail: A high-quality nail is determined by its resistance to corrosion. Such nails are more expensive than others.
- Wight of the nail: A heavy-weight nail is the best option because harsh weather conditions will not dislodge it.
9. Price Of Doors & Windows In Zambia
The price of windows in Zambia is ZMW.1,000-ZMW.9,000 per window. The price of windows is determined by the size of the window and the quality of window material, among others. The price of doors in Zambia is ZMW.800-ZMW.15,000 per door. The type of door material is the primary determinant of the price of the door. For example, steel doors are more expensive than wooden doors.
Types Of Building Materials And Price In Zambia
| Type Of Building Material | Price |
|---|---|
| Cement | ZMW.150.ZMW.200 per 50kg |
| Bricks | ZMW.2-ZMW.5 per brick |
| Blocks | ZMW.3-ZMW.7 per block |
| Iron sheet roofing | ZMW.300-ZMW.1,000 per square meter |
| Floor tiles | ZMW.65-ZMW.1,000 per square meter |
| Roofing tiles | ZMW.60-ZMW.70 per roof tile |
| Paint | ZMW.100-ZMW.150 per liter |
| Wood | ZMW.30-ZMW.100 per kg |
| Sand | ZMW.150,000-ZMW.300,000 per lorry |
| Nails | ZMW.40-ZMW.100 per kg |
| Windows | ZMW.1,000-ZMW.9,000 per window |
| Doors | ZMW.800-ZMW.15,000 per door |
FAQs
Step 1: Have the average measurements for the size of the house you want to build in square meters. You can do this by looking at the sizes of similar houses.
Step 2: Measure each side separately, that is, the roof, the walls, and the floor.
Step 2: With the measurement of the sides of your house in square meters, all the building materials needed will have to be in relation to these sizes, e.g., to know how many floor tiles you need, you will divide the size of the floor tile by the size of the floor area.
Cement and cement products: The amount of cement used to build a house is higher than other building materials. Cement holds everything together, therefore, no builder can compromise to ensure enough cement. Cement products like cement bricks are also costly.
1. Record the measurements of the height of a particular building material.
2. Record the width of the same building material.
3. Multiply the width and the length measurements of the building material.
4. The result is the size of the building material in square meters. This is the area that it covers.
To find out how much building material you need for building a house, you will independently calculate the surface area of every part of the house. With this figure, you can divide the area of a single material to find out how much of this material you will need to build this part. Do this for all the other parts; you will have the results for each part of the house. Find out more about the cost of building a house in Zambia here.
1. Find the area in which the building material will cover.
2. Divide this area into equal proportions.
3. Divide each proportion by one laborer.
4. The proportions will be the laborers needed to handle the building materials.