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Prices of Concrete, Steel, Wood Decline in October

ABU DHABI — The price of concrete, steel, cement, wood, marble, tiles and sanitary ware have shown declining trends in the month of October, compared with September, as the impact of the financial crisis continues.

The average price of concrete fell 10.99 per cent in October, with the price of standard UAE ready mix concrete falling to Dh315, and the price of UAE sulphate resistant ready-mix concrete lowering to Dh322.5, said the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, or SCAD, in its report on the price trends of building materials in Abu Dhabi during the month of October.

The report monitors fluctuation in the prices of 164 construction material items, about 95 per cent of the material used in construction.

“In October declining trends were monitored in the prices of steel, cement, concrete, wood, marble and tiles and sanitary ware comparing with September, “the report said.

In contrast, the prices of glass, water and sewage pipes, waterproofing materials and electrical wiring 
cables rose.

However, the prices of other building materials including tinted glass remained stable in October.

The average prices of six out of ten basic items have shown a decline, these include cement which slipped by 0.32 per cent, reflecting the drop in the prices of Ittihad sulphate resistant cement from Dh330 to 321.25 per metric tonne and Ittihad Portland cement from Dh320 to Dh311.25 during the period, the SCAD report noted.

The average price of concrete decreased by 10.99 per cent in October compared to September, with the price of standard UAE ready mix concrete, retreating to Dh315, and prices of UAE sulphate resistant ready-mix concrete lowering to Dh322.5 from Dh363.75 in previous comparable period.

The average price of construction steel edged down by 1.86 per cent in October compared with the previous month as result of lower prices for most types of steel products.

Wood price nudged down 1.02 per cent in October, compared with September 2009, due to a fall of 10.73 per cent in the per cubic metrer price of Chile white timber, and a drop in the price of white Indonesian plywood that fell to Dh64.24 from Dh71.58.

The average prices of small and large Malaysian Keruing redwood shot up 15.38 per cent and 9.27 per cent, respectively, compared to their September levels.

The average prices of glass rose 13.05 per cent against the average reported last September, the average price of 4 mm and 6 mm untainted glass having leapt 16.67 per cent and 30.95 per cent, respectively.

There has also been a significant rise during in the average prices of PVC water and sewage pipes by 12.07 per cent against previous month.

· haseebhaider@khaleejtimes.com