This issue tracks the same product at the same supplier from 30/06/2026 to 08/09/2026 and runs the change through the library recipes with labour and plant held still, so what you see is price, not method. 47 materials and 71 build-ups qualify. The median move is 0.0%: cement, sand, lime, doors, basins and hinges have not moved a cent. The movement sits in a few inputs with a clear cause behind each.
Rate update
Three things that moved the bill
- 0.0%
- Median move
- 25
- Rates up
- 16
- Rates down
- 30
- Unchanged
01 · Copper
+11.3%
Cable is the quiet riser
Surfix 2.5mm cable at Builders went from R35.00 to R41.67 a metre between June and September, taking the cable rate up 11.3% and a light or switch point up 9.4%. LME copper set an all-time high of $14,533 a tonne on 07/09/2026 as buyers front-ran a US tariff on refined metal.
02 · Steel
+9.0%
Sections up while the mills stand still
Mild steel section at BUCO is R24.28 a kilogram against R21.50 in June, so structural steel is 9.0% dearer per tonne, fabricated steel 7.6% and a steel window 5.6%. South Africa now imports its longs: 88% of the billets, rod and rebar came from Zimbabwe by road through Beitbridge.
03 · Finishes
−13.6%
The lines a household can postpone are being discounted
Fibre-cement sheeting is 13.6% cheaper than June, palisade fencing 10.9%, 4mm glazing 9.2%, PVC waste pipe 8.4%, and precast paving 5.2%. The FNB/BER building confidence index fell to 38 in the second quarter. Merchants are clearing stock into a thin order book.
The movers
June to September
UpDown
| Material | Movement | Change | Previous rate | New rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gypsum ceiling m² | +12.3% | R 61.11 | R 74.07 | |
| Cable m | +11.3% | R 35.00 | R 41.67 | |
| Lifting key no | +10.5% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Wall angle / channel m | +10.0% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Light/switch point no | +9.4% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Structural steel t | +9.0% | R 21.50 | R 24.28 | |
| Steel fabrication kg | +7.6% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Wall tiling m² | +7.4% | R 109.90 | R 134.90 | |
| Nutec ceiling m² | −4.4% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Precast slab m | −4.4% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Vinyl flooring m² | −5.0% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Precast paving m² | −5.2% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| 50 waste pipe m | −8.4% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| 4mm glazing m² | −9.2% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Palisade fencing m | −10.9% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
| Fibre-cement sheeting m² | −13.6% | R 0.00 | R 0.00 | |
−15%0%+15% |
Read-across
Why the rest did not move
The bulk of a bill is standing still
- Cement, sand and lime are flat. PPC Surebuild 42.5N is R128.00 a bag at Builders on both dates, building sand R449 a cube, plaster sand R439.95, lime R126.99 to R139.
- Energy is showing up in the kiln and board products. Rhinoboard 6.4mm is R74.07 a square metre against R61.11 in June (+21%) and a gypsum ceiling rate is up 12.3%. Eskom's 8.76% increase took effect on 01/04/2026.
- Rate-sensitive work is waiting on the Reserve Bank. The repo rate was held at 7% on 23/07/2026 by four votes to two. July inflation came in at 4.3%, so the next meeting is open.
- Diesel has not reached the rates yet. Wholesale diesel went up R2.94 a litre on 02/09/2026 to R29.11 inland, 49.7% higher than a year ago. Aggregates, bricks, precast and anything moved by tipper will show it in October.
On the watch list
- Copper pipe and cable. The 07/09 record is a squeeze, not a settled level. Get the supplier to hold a price in writing before award.
- Roof timber. 50×76 SA Pine held at R32–R35/m since issue 02, but formwork bearers are 13% up and the planting-permit shortage has not been resolved.
- Second-quarter GDP is out today. Stats SA's Q2 release is due at 11:00 on 08/09/2026. Construction has recorded nine consecutive years of decline and now contributes 2.4% of GDP.
The workbook
Where the numbers live
Download
The priced rate library
190 materials on 504 supplier lines, 339 build-ups, and a Settings sheet that drives profit, tier uplift, VAT and on-cost. Enter quantities in column D of any bill; rates, amounts and the Final summary follow.
setout-rate-library-2026-09.xlsxXLSX · 1.4 MB · 34 sheets
Method
How the rates are built
Like-for-like means the same product on the same supplier listing on 30/06/2026 and 08/09/2026, median where more than one listing matched. The change is applied to the material line of each build-up with quantities, BIBC labour, on-cost and plant unchanged, then 12.5% profit. Build-ups are included where at least 60% of material cost had a matched listing.
By Setout. General guidance, not project-specific advice.
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