Market ranges, in US dollars and local currency.
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| Item | Unit | USD | FC | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey cement (50 kg bag) | per bag | $9 – $18 | 19,428 FC – 41,141 FC | Sourced |
| Steel reinforcement bar | per tonne | $590 – $1,050 | 1,348,520 FC – 2,399,908 FC | Sourced |
| Structural steel section (IPE, HEA)Rolled IPE and HEA sections, imported through the southern corridor from South Africa, Turkey, China or India. The same importer quotes reinforcement bar at 695 USD/t and sheet at 630 USD/t for the DRC; sections carry a premium over both because the range stocked locally is thin and most profiles are brought in to order. Priced bare: fabrication and erection are applied separately by `steelFrameCost`. | per tonne | $850 – $1,400 | 1,942,782 FC – 3,199,877 FC | Estimated |
| Cement block 15 × 20 × 40Alias of block_15, which is sourced from the Lubumbashi yard quotation. | each | $1 – $1 | 1,943 FC – 2,743 FC | Derived |
| Cement block 10 × 20 × 40Sourced 15 cm block scaled by material volume (100/150 mm). A block is cement + sand + moulding labour, all three of which are sourced, so thickness is the honest driver. | each | $1 – $1 | 1,257 FC – 1,829 FC | Derived |
| Cement block 15 × 20 × 40 | each | $1 – $1 | 1,943 FC – 2,743 FC | Sourced |
| Cement block 20 × 20 × 40 | each | $1 – $2 | 2,971 FC – 4,000 FC | Sourced |
| Hollow block 25 × 20 × 40Sourced 15 cm block scaled by material volume (250/150 mm). | each | $1 – $2 | 3,200 FC – 4,571 FC | Derived |
| Solid block 15 × 20 × 40Sourced 15 cm hollow block times ~1.6, the ratio of solid to hollow material volume at equal thickness. | each | $1 – $2 | 3,086 FC – 4,457 FC | Derived |
| Compressed stabilised earth blockStabilised earth block: site soil is effectively free, so the cost is the 5-8% cement stabiliser plus pressing labour, roughly a third of a hollow cement block. | each | $0 – $1 | 686 FC – 1,600 FC | Derived |
| Fired clay brickSpans artisanal kiln brick in the east (Butembo, 0.077 each, February 2026) to factory perforated brick in Kinshasa (0.45). If your project uses one or the other, override this line rather than accepting a band that covers both: they are different products with different strengths, not two prices for one thing. | each | $0 – $1 | 183 FC – 1,371 FC | Sourced |
| Corrugated fibre-cement sheetNo Congolese survey publishes fibre-cement sheet. Anchored on the regional pattern: across East and Central Africa a 1.75 m corrugated fibre-cement sheet runs roughly 1.4 to 1.8 times a galvanised steel sheet of similar cover, because it is made from imported cement and fibre rather than rolled from coil. Applied to this pack’s own sourced roof sheet band. Manufactured regionally rather than locally, so the delivered price carries freight from the plant. A quotation from a Lubumbashi or Kinshasa builders’ merchant would make this sourced. | per sheet | $11 – $18 | 25,142 FC – 41,141 FC | Estimated |
| Sun-dried earth brickNo merchant sells adobe, because it is moulded on site from the ground the house stands on: the cost is the moulder’s day and the water, not a purchase. Anchored against the Butembo artisanal fired brick surveyed at 1,300 for 100 USD (0.077 each), which is the same clay and the same hand moulding with a kiln firing added. Removing the firing takes the fuel and the kiln labour out, so adobe sits below it; the upper end covers a site buying moulded bricks from a neighbouring yard rather than making its own. A day-rate survey of a moulding team would make this derived rather than estimated. | per brick | $0 – $0 | 114 FC – 274 FC | Estimated |
| Rubble stone | per m³ | $22 – $34 | 50,284 FC – 77,711 FC | Sourced |
| River sand | per m³ | $20 – $32 | 45,713 FC – 73,140 FC | Sourced |
| Crushed gravel | per m³ | $32 – $50 | 73,140 FC – 114,281 FC | Sourced |
| Structural timber | per m³ | $250 – $450 | 571,407 FC – 1,028,532 FC | Sourced |
| Galvanised roofing sheet (2.40 × 0.90 m) | per sheet | $15 – $25 | 34,284 FC – 57,141 FC | Sourced |
| Roof tileConcrete or clay tile, largely imported. No published Congolese series found. Attack this first if a project actually specifies tiles. | each | $1 – $2 | 1,829 FC – 4,114 FC | Estimated |
| Polythene DPM sheet (300 µm)Polythene sheet to EN 13967, sold in 4 m wide rolls and imported through Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kasumbalesa. Priced off the regional roll trade rather than a Congolese survey. It is the cheapest line in this table and the one most often left out entirely. | per m² | $1 – $1 | 1,371 FC – 2,971 FC | Estimated |
| Damp proof course roll (230 mm)Bituminous DPC to EN 14967 in 230 mm rolls, the standard width for a 20 cm block wall plus render. Band covers hessian-based and polymer-reinforced grades. Priced per metre of wall, since that is how it is bought and laid. | per linear metre | $1 – $3 | 2,514 FC – 5,943 FC | Estimated |
| SBS bitumen membrane, 4 mmTorch-applied SBS sheet to EN 13707, 4 mm and about 4.8 kg/m², in 10 m² rolls. CYPE prices the material for a Congo-Brazzaville raft at 11,797 XAF/m², which is 18.0 EUR at the 655.957 XAF peg and sits at the top of this band; regional roll trade sits at the bottom. A Kinshasa or Lubumbashi importer quotation would make this sourced. | per m² | $9 – $18 | 20,571 FC – 41,141 FC | Estimated |
| Liquid waterproof coating (per coat)Acrylic or bitumen-rubber roof coating to EN 1504-2, sold in 20 kg pails covering roughly 1 m² per kg per coat. Cheaper to buy and far easier to patch than a torched membrane, which is why it dominates repair work, but it needs recoating every five to ten years under this sun. | per m² per coat | $2 – $6 | 5,028 FC – 12,571 FC | Estimated |
| Tanking slurry, per kgTwo-component cementitious tanking to EN 14891, applied under tiling in bathrooms at roughly 1.5 kg/m² per coat, two coats. Imported in 20-30 kg kits. Priced per kg because coverage varies with substrate roughness. | per kg | $2 – $5 | 5,486 FC – 10,971 FC | Estimated |
| Floor tilesCYPE prices a basic 25x25 ceramic floor tile for Congo-Brazzaville at 5,248 XAF/m², which is 8.00 EUR at the 655.957 peg and anchors the bottom of this band. Kinshasa showrooms quote 18 to over 70 EUR/m² for porcelain and stone-effect ranges, which sets the top. Imported from China, Vietnam or India. A Kinshasa showroom price list would make this sourced for the DRC rather than inferred from the neighbouring market. | per m² | $8 – $30 | 18,285 FC – 68,569 FC | Estimated |
| Tile adhesive (25 kg bag)CYPE prices interior-grade C1 adhesive mortar for Congo-Brazzaville at 153 XAF/kg, which is 0.23 EUR/kg or about 6 USD for a 25 kg bag, and that anchors the bottom of this band. The previous figure here was 12-20 USD a bag, derived from a rule of thumb that adhesive costs 1.4x cement; that rule is wrong, because adhesive is sold in 25 kg bags against cement 50 kg, and it overstated this line by roughly double. | per bag | $6 – $14 | 13,714 FC – 31,999 FC | Estimated |
| Tile groutCYPE prices white cement-based joint mortar for Congo-Brazzaville at 1,127 XAF/kg, which is 1.72 EUR/kg and sits near the bottom of this band. Sold here in 1-5 kg packs alongside the adhesive, at a retail markup over the trade figure CYPE quotes. | per kg | $2 – $4 | 4,114 FC – 9,143 FC | Estimated |
| Acrylic paint (20 L drum)Local paint fell 11% in Kinshasa, from 28,000 to 25,000 CDF a bucket, between 27 September and 6 October 2025, surveyed at the Bayaka market in Ngiri-Ngiri and at Rond-point Ngaba. That is 11 to 12 USD, but **the article does not state the bucket size**, so it cannot be converted to a 20 L drum with confidence and this line stays an estimate rather than being dressed up as a survey. Imported paint held steady through the same period and sets the top of the band. A stated volume would make this sourced immediately. | per drum | $35 – $80 | 79,997 FC – 182,850 FC | Estimated |
| General labourer | per day | $9 – $11 | 21,508 FC – 24,959 FC | Sourced |
| Mason | per day | $22 – $26 | 50,992 FC – 58,946 FC | Sourced |
| Carpenter | per day | $22 – $26 | 50,992 FC – 58,946 FC | Sourced |
| Steel fixer | per day | $22 – $26 | 50,992 FC – 58,946 FC | Sourced |
| Electrician | per day | $26 – $30 | 58,946 FC – 68,203 FC | Sourced |
| Plumber | per day | $26 – $30 | 58,946 FC – 68,203 FC | Sourced |
| Painter | per day | $15 – $19 | 33,142 FC – 44,318 FC | Sourced |
| Tiler | per day | $22 – $26 | 50,992 FC – 58,946 FC | Sourced |
| Site foreman | per day | $34 – $46 | 78,740 FC – 105,002 FC | Sourced |
A foreign invoice gets compared against a delivered local price while carrying none of the charges that get it to the same place. Enter your supplier’s CIF quotation: duty, the agency levies and VAT are added in the order the administration applies them.
With no quotation entered, the local price stands in as a worked example.
| CIF value (before the border) | $820 |
| Customs duty (10%) | + $82 |
| Maritime freight levy | + $48 |
| Import quality inspection | + $16 |
| Industrial Promotion Fund | + $16 |
| Clearing agent and file charges | + $25 |
| VAT (16%) | + $140 |
| Landed cost, charges included | $1,150 |
Once cleared, importing costs more than the local market.
Landed cost, charges included: $1,150 · Local market: $820
Total charges on the CIF value: 40% · Industrial inputs
Assigning a material to a duty band is an interpretation: the rate follows the HS code your agent declares, and agents differ. The rates and the VAT are sourced; the split between agencies is our apportionment of a sourced total.