This issue re-reads 175 supplier lines from live pages on 28/09/2026 against the same listings on 08/09/2026 and runs the change through the library recipes with labour and plant held still. 122 materials and 134 build-ups qualify. The median move is 0.4% — the bill is still broadly flat at the counter — but structural timber has broken out and hollow-core doors are being discounted hard.
Rate update
Three things that moved the bill
- 0.4%
- Median move
- 97
- Rates up
- 37
- Rates down
- 205
- Unchanged
01 · Timber
+20.0%
Structural pine has broken out
S5 38×152 structural pine at Chamberlains went from R44.90 to R98.78 a metre and 38×114 from R33.00 to R66.33 between 08/09 and 28/09; the timber tread rate is up 20.0% and every sawn-member build-up moved 7–14%. This is not new supply news — it is the planting-permit shortage issue 03 flagged finally reaching the merchant shelf price, on top of a weaker rand at R16.32 to the dollar on 28/09/2026. Formwork users pay twice: bearers and battens are up 10–14%, and rough formwork is 13.6% dearer at R203.09/m² City.
02 · Steel
+24.0%
Galvanised angles leading the steel complex
Pre-painted wall angle and channel is the biggest single mover at +24.0% (R43.55 to R54.01/m), following mild-steel section pricing through the import window. The 50mm brass gate valve at ACDC moved from R748.65 to R1 008.55, lifting the gate-valve rate 7.4%: LME copper cash settled at $14 788 a tonne on 21/09/2026, holding near the all-time high set on 07/09, with the Yangshan import premium at $121/t — its highest since October 2022 per the LME weekly review. Brass follows copper with a lag.
03 · Doors
−12.5%
Hollow-core doors are the discount of the month
The Swartland Kayo hollow-core door at Builders dropped from R549 to R329, taking the hollow-core door rate from R735.36 to R643.71 (−12.5%) and the door-set-in-partition rate down 4.1%. Copper pipework also eased: 15mm tube at Plumblink fell from R121.31 to R84.36 a metre (−30.5% at the counter), pulling the 15mm copper rate to −8.2%. The FNB/BER survey for Q3, released 10/09/2026, shows why merchants are discounting finish lines: sub-contractor confidence fell 6 points and 60% of the value chain remains dissatisfied, with the BER noting homeowners and landlords cutting discretionary spend.
The movers
08/09 to 28/09, like for like
UpDown
| Material | Movement | Change | Previous rate | New rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall angle / channel m | +24.0% | R 43.55 | R 54.01 | |
| Timber tread / riser m | +20.0% | R 175.81 | R 210.95 | |
| Sawn member 38×114 m | +14.4% | R 79.29 | R 90.70 | |
| Stone filling to drains m³ | +13.9% | R 338.81 | R 385.80 | |
| Rough formwork (DoA III) m² | +13.6% | R 178.83 | R 203.09 | |
| Battening 38×38 @300 m² | +11.4% | R 100.54 | R 112.04 | |
| Smooth formwork (DoA II) m² | +10.5% | R 228.18 | R 252.04 | |
| Member 38×114 bolted m | +9.6% | R 118.64 | R 130.05 | |
| Door set in partition no | −4.1% | R 2 214.47 | R 2 123.46 | |
| Mulch layer 25mm m² | −4.1% | R 53.37 | R 51.19 | |
| Double door set no | −5.5% | R 3 312.49 | R 3 130.47 | |
| Bollard light fitting no | −5.8% | R 2 098.12 | R 1 975.38 | |
| Copper pipe 15mm m | −8.2% | R 154.29 | R 141.64 | |
| Ductwork stopped end no | −10.8% | R 151.61 | R 135.24 | |
| Sheet-metal covering m² | −11.8% | R 396.63 | R 349.74 | |
| Hollow-core door no | −12.5% | R 735.36 | R 643.71 | |
−25%0%+25% |
Read-across
Why the rest did not move
Flat where it matters most
- Cement and sand held. The PPC line re-read at R147.85 against R146.95 on 08/09 (+0.6%), and building sand is unchanged at R449 a cube. The BER QS confidence reading of 56 — its highest since 4Q2016, on demand for cost control rather than new work — confirms the pipeline is quiet, not pricing.
- The repo hike has not reached the rates. The SARB raised the repo rate 25 basis points to 7.25% on 23/09/2026, unanimous, effective 25/09; prime is now 10.75%. The MPC statement cited the oil shock through the Strait of Hormuz and expects the policy rate broadly stable for the rest of 2026, with cuts later as inflation returns to 3%. Finance costs sit outside these build-up rates; land the risk on development budgets, not material lines.
- Diesel lands next month, not this one. Wholesale diesel rose R2.93 a litre on 02/09/2026 and the slate levy jumped to 83.28 c/l; Central Energy Fund data reported by News24 on 10/09 point to a further R1.65–R1.98 a litre on 07/10. Cartage, plant and delivered aggregates in this library still carry the early-September pump price. Price bulk-delivered materials from a dated quotation this tender cycle, not from this sheet.
- Copper eased off the spike. 15mm tube at Plumblink is R84.36 a metre against the R121.31 peak two weeks ago, but still above the R82.00 June level. The LME cash price held at $14 788/t on 21/09 — the pause is a breathing space, not a retreat.
On the watch list
- October fuel adjustment. Confirmed movement of R1.65–R1.98 a litre is expected on 07/10/2026 on CEF data. Anything delivered by tipper will move; aggregates and precast first.
- Structural timber. The permit shortage has not resolved and the rand is R16.32 to the dollar. Treat the 7–20% timber moves as a floor, not a ceiling, until a merchant quote says otherwise.
- The November MPC. The next meeting is 19/11/2026; Bank of America expects another 25-basis-point hike. Rate-sensitive residential work will stay soft while the hiking cycle is live.
The workbook
Where the numbers live
Download
The priced rate library
v3.2, saved 28/09/2026. 175 supplier lines re-verified from live pages (68 with a pack-to-unit conversion recorded in the Resources notes), 263 held at their 08/09 verified prices, 65 carried from 05–06/2026, 1 CUT term-contract rate. All 339 build-up rates recalculated with 0 formula errors. Enter quantities in column D of any bill; rates, amounts and the Final summary follow.
setout-rate-library-2026-09.xlsxXLSX · 1.4 MB · 37 sheets
Method
How the rates are built
Like-for-like means the same product on the same supplier listing on 08/09/2026 and 28/09/2026. A price is accepted only when read from the supplier page itself; pack prices are converted to the recipe unit and the conversion is noted against the line. 175 of 504 supplier lines were re-read from live pages this cycle; the rest carry their 08/09 or 05–06/2026 prices, unchanged. 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. Single-listing moves are signals, not indices. These are estimating benchmarks — verify against project quotations before any tender award or adjudication recommendation.
Sources: [1] · [2] · [3] · [4] · [5] · [6]
By Setout. General guidance, not project-specific advice.
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