Price Watch: Basic Construction Materials (September)

Here’s your monthly dose of price monitoring on basic construction materials!

As requested from our previous Price Watch, we’ve added price monitoring for common electrical materials.

Disclaimer: Prices vary, depending on the delivery location and order quantity.

The survey was conducted on 8 out of 10 random retail outlets in Metro Manila.

Survey Period: September 6 to 17, 2021

Here are the construction and electrical materials included this month:

1. Cement

Cement is an extremely important construction material. Used in the production of the many structures that make up the modern world including buildings, bridges, harbors, runways, and roads, it binds with other materials through chemical processes collectively known as “setting”.

It is essential to choose cement that has better workability and good compressive strength to provide better durability to structures.

Know more about Holcim Excel at Excel | Pinoy Builders

2. Sand

Sand is among the most used materials in construction, with its usage often determining the strength and durability of the resulting structure. It can be mixed with lime or cement to create high-quality mortar for plaster and for joining bricks or stone.

3. Coco Lumber

The construction industry provides the bulk of the demand for coconut lumber. In the construction of big buildings, coconut lumber is used in large volumes as scaffolding and as form lumber. Selected and graded coconut lumber is also used as house posts, girders, trusses, door jambs, and sidings. It has also been proven to be a suitable material for pallets.

4. Flat Cord

Flat cables distribute the mechanical load over the total width of the cable, improving heat dissipation and eliminating the need for large conductors. Unlike conventional round wire cables, they do not require redundant insulating materials, fillers, and tapes. 

5. EMT Conduit 

Electrical Metal Tubing (EMT) is an example of a rigid electrical conduit. It is most commonly made of galvanized steel but can also be aluminum. EMT is also called a “thin-wall” conduit because it is thin and lightweight, especially compared to RMC. EMT is rigid but can be bent with a simple tool called a conduit bender.

Photo Courtesy: Sebring Design Build

6. PVC Conduit

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a combination of plastic and vinyl that is used to make PVC pipes. These popular types of pipes are commonly used in plumbing as an alternative to more expensive copper piping. PVC is also used to produce electrical conduits. 

Photo Courtesy: HellermannTyton

7. Light Bulbs 

Known as lamps in the industry, light bulbs come in a vast variety of sizes, shapes, and temperatures (colors) to allow for an array of fixtures needing different bases and considerations. The light bulb market has gone through changes since traditional incandescent bulbs were gradually removed from the market and replaced with energy-saving bulbs.

Photo Courtesy: Freepik

8. Drymix

These are high-performance, polymer-modified mortars formulated for internal and external applications. They are ready-mixed and only need the addition of water in their applications. These mortars have a shelf life of 1 year of manufacture when stored properly.

Photo Courtesy: Holcim Philippines, Inc.

FEATURED PARTNER RETAILER

Marc Alain General Merchandising is one of the most established Companies in Parañaque City. They are an active dealer (wholesale/retail) of Holcim Cement (Excel brand), and have been in the cement trading industry for more than 30 years. 

They’ve already received many awards from Holcim Cement which includes “Outstanding Dealer from 2004 to 2010”. They also engaged in wholesale and retail of steel bars (especially deformed bars), lumber, paints, electrical supply, hardware supply and many more.

What construction materials can you buy at Marc Alain General Merchandising?

• B.I. & G.I. Sheet

• B.I. & G.I. Pipe

• Corrugated Sheet

• Plywood

• Angle bar

• Flat bar

• Deformed bar

• Channel bar

• Round bar

• G.I. Wire

• Nails 

• Square & Round Tubing

• Purlins

• Stainless

• I-Beam

• Wide flange

• Hardware Supply

• Wire Mesh

• Electrical Supply

• Paints

• Portland Cement

• Ready Mix

• LED Lights 

LIST OF PARTNER RETAIL OUTLETS

1. MARC ALAIN GENERAL MERCHANDISING, AN OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR OF HOLCIM PHILIPPINES

STORE ADDRESS: 8182 D & E DR. A. SANTOS AVENUE (formerly Sucat Road) PARAÑAQUE, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES

TEL. NO.: 829-8328 * 825-1819 * 825-3372 * 829-0834; CELL. NO. (0917)817-9207 * (0922)825-5524 * (0999)990-5209

EMAIL ADDRESS: magmmarketing@yahoo.com

FACEBOOK: Marc Alain Gm

2. KINGSACE HARDWARE AND CONST SUPPLY INC., AN OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR OF HOLCIM PHILIPPINES

ADDRESS: #1501 Cavite St., Brgy. 209 Zone 019, Sta. Cruz, Manila

TEL. NOS.: 8251-1917 / 8254-2023 FAX NO.: 8255-9445

EMAIL ADDRESS: kingsacehardware@yahoo.com

FACEBOOK: Kingsace Hardware and Construction Supply 

CITATIONS:

• Flat Cables Selection Guide: Types, Features, Applications. Engineering360. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/electrical_electronic_components/wires_cables/flat_cables. 

• 7 Types of Sand Used in Construction. BuilderSpace. (2021, June 25). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.builderspace.com/types-of-sand-used-in-construction. 

• Bulb Reference Guide. Superior Lighting. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.superiorlighting.com/lighting-resources/light-bulb-learning-center/bulb-reference-guide/. 

• The Difference Between Plumbing PVC and Electrical Conduit PVC. Commercial Industrial Supply Product Specs, Industry Knowledge & More. (2020, December 14). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.commercial-industrial-supply.com/resource-center/difference-between-plumbing-pvc-and-electrical-pvc/#:~:text=Polyvinyl%20chloride%20(PVC)%20is%20a,used%20to%20make%20PVC%20pipes.&text=PVC%20is%20also%20used%20to,used%20for%20the%20same%20applications. 

• Rodriguez, J. (n.d.). 7 Types of Electrical Conduit-EMT, PVC, RMC, and More. The Balance Small Business. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/seven-types-of-electrical-conduits-844832. 

• Uses of Coconut Wood and Markets. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.fao.org/3/w7731e/w7731e04.htm#:~:text=The%20construction%20industry%20provides%20the%20bulk%20of%20the,house%20posts%2C%20girders%2C%20trusses%2C%20door%20jambs%20and%20sidings. 

• CEMENT 101 – An introduction to the World’s most important building material. Global Cement. (2011, August 19). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.globalcement.com/magazine/articles/490-cement-101-an-introduction-to-the-worlds-most-important-building-material.