Material and labour prices

Market ranges, in US dollars and local currency.

Sierra LeoneBuilding in Freetown1 USD = 23 NLe (Live exchange rate)Data updated August 30, 2026

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Item	Unit	USD	NLe	Confidence
Initial verification, per circuit (IEC 60364-6)Continuity of the protective conductor, insulation resistance, earth loop impedance and RCD trip time, measured circuit by circuit and written up. IEC 60364-6 requires this before an installation is energised, and no schedule in these markets prices it, because it is usually not done. Estimated from an electrician’s day rate against the number of circuits one person tests in a day. The bill bought the board and the earth electrode and verified neither, which is the same shape as a missing line anywhere else in this product: it looks exactly like a test that costs nothing. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per circuit	$5 – $14	106 NLe – 317 NLe	Estimated
Isolation valve, per fixtureA quarter-turn brass ball valve and its connection, one at each fixture and one on the incoming main. Estimated from merchant prices for 15 and 20 mm valves; no published schedule separates them from the fixture. Without them an installation has no way to isolate a branch, so changing a tap means shutting the whole house off: and in practice means the tap is not changed. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per valve	$8 – $23	172 NLe – 517 NLe	Estimated
Wall copingA weathered cap over the top of a wall, cast in place or precast, throwing water clear of both faces. Estimated from the concrete, the formwork and the mason’s time for a 300 mm cap rather than from a published rate, because coping is normally swallowed inside a per-metre wall price. An uncapped wall takes rain straight into its top course, and the first failure of a boundary wall here is almost always the top three courses rather than the foundation. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$8 – $20	172 NLe – 459 NLe	Estimated
Damp-proof courseBitumen felt or polythene laid in the bed joint above ground level, breaking the path water takes up through the masonry. Estimated from roll prices at the width a 150 to 200 mm wall needs. Rising damp is what makes the bottom of a rendered wall blister and shed within two or three wet seasons, and the cure after the fact is to take the render off and start again. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$2 – $4	34 NLe – 101 NLe	Estimated
Gate lock and drop boltA lock and a drop bolt into the threshold, which is what secures a gate rather than what hangs it. Deliberately not hinges or paint : the gate leaf here is priced through the boundary’s own material with a fabrication factor whose written basis already names the frame, the hinges and the paint, so buying them again would charge the same money twice. That is the mistake `knownCosts` exists to avoid, and it is easier to make when adding a line than when removing one. Estimated from merchant prices for a padlockable gate lock and a galvanised drop bolt. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per set	$75 – $250	1,723 NLe – 5,743 NLe	Estimated
Formwork, per m² of contact areaSheet, bearers, nails, props and release oil, measured the way a bordereau measures it, per square metre of concrete face formed, with the sheet amortised over about four uses. Nothing in this product priced formwork at all, and no concrete rate here claims to include it, so every reinforced element was quietly assumed to cast itself. It is not a small line: on a boundary wall with posts and two tie beams the formed area is roughly twice the wall’s own footprint. Estimated from plywood and melamine sheet prices in this market against a four-use life; a merchant quotation would replace the sheet share directly. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m² formed	$5 – $13	106 NLe – 289 NLe	Estimated
Binding wire (for tying reinforcement)Annealed wire for tying bars and links into a cage. Ordered at 12 kg per tonne of reinforcement, which is the middle of the 10 to 15 kg range trades work to. Estimated from merchant prices for annealed wire by the coil. It is a trivial cost and a total stopper: a cage cannot be tied without it, and it was missing from every bill this product has ever produced. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per kg	$2 – $4	40 NLe – 92 NLe	Estimated
Weep hole (75 mm PVC sleeve through the wall)A short PVC sleeve cast or built through the wall just above ground on the exposed face, with the mason’s time to place it. Estimated from offcut pipe prices and a few minutes’ work each; no schedule prices a weep hole, because it is the first thing left out. Leaving them out is not a saving of this size : an undrained wall carries roughly 1.75 times the push of a drained one, because saturated backfill adds full hydrostatic pressure that no friction angle reduces. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per weep hole	$2 – $8	53 NLe – 185 NLe	Estimated
Filter fabric (behind the wall)A non-woven geotextile wrapping the granular drainage blanket so the fines in the retained soil do not migrate into it. Estimated from roll prices for a light non-woven grade. Without it the drain silts up and becomes more soil within a season or two, which is worse than never building it: the wall is then loaded as an undrained wall by a detail everybody believes is working. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m²	$1 – $4	32 NLe – 92 NLe	Estimated
Concrete curing (sheeting and water, 7 days)Polythene sheeting at 200 microns used twice over, the water to keep the surface wet for seven days, and the labour of wetting it. An outright estimate: no schedule in these markets prices curing separately, because it is almost always buried in a concrete rate and therefore almost always skipped on site. It is priced here for the opposite reason, in this climate a slab above about 32 °C loses water faster than bleed replaces it, and concrete that dries before it hydrates never reaches its grade whatever the mix design said. A well-batched concrete badly cured is weaker than a badly batched one cured properly, so this is the cheapest line in the bill measured against what it protects. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m² of surface	$1 – $2	16 NLe – 42 NLe	Estimated
Movement joint (backer rod and sealant)Compressible filler and a gun-applied sealant, per metre of joint height. Nothing in these packs is comparable enough to scale from, a joint is a backer rod and a cartridge, not a coating sold by the square metre, so this is an outright estimate from what a hardware merchant charges for polyurethane sealant and closed-cell filler at the coverage a 15 mm joint uses. It is a small line against the wall it protects: a 140 m run needs about 55 m of joint, and leaving it out is why a new boundary wall cracks in its first dry season. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per metre	$3 – $9	79 NLe – 211 NLe	Estimated
Consumer unit, per way (three phase)A three-phase way: the same protective device on a busbar fed from three lines rather than one, so the board, the main switch and the incoming device all cost more for the same number of circuits. Priced from this market’s own single-phase way at the premium wholesalers quote for the three-phase range. No regional survey separates them. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per way	$19 – $64	432 NLe – 1,466 NLe	Estimated
Supply cable (3 × 10 mm²)Single-phase supply, three cores: line, neutral and earth against the four of a three-phase run. Priced from this market’s own four-core cable at the ratio of the copper in it, which is what a merchant charges for cable, the drum is sold by weight of conductor. No regional survey separates the two sizes. This is what an ordinary house here is connected with; three-phase is for a workshop, a borehole pump of any size, or a house large enough to need the load balanced. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$4 – $11	89 NLe – 260 NLe	Estimated
Copper supply pipe (ø 22)Copper, soldered. Rare here and dear: it is imported, it needs a plumber with a torch, and the offcuts walk off a site. It is specified where hot water runs through a roof void or where a client wants a system that outlives the building. Priced at the multiple of PPR that importers quote for tube of the same bore; no regional survey covers it, and in most of these markets a merchant will order it in rather than stock it. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$8 – $28	181 NLe – 645 NLe	Estimated
Pressure PVC supply pipe (ø 25)Pressure PVC, the cheaper supply pipe and the one most self-builds here use for cold runs. It is solvent-welded rather than fusion-welded, so it needs no heating iron and any mason can lay it : which is why it is common : and it must not carry hot water or run in sunlight, where it goes brittle. Priced from this market’s own PPR at the discount merchants quote; no regional survey separates supply pipe by material. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$2 – $5	34 NLe – 109 NLe	Estimated
Stair nosing (aluminium or PVC)A pre-formed aluminium or PVC stair nosing, sold by the metre and fixed to the front edge of each tread. It takes the wear and stops the arris of a cast step breaking away, which is what makes an unnosed concrete stair look derelict in two years. No regional survey prices it; the band is scaled from this market’s own skirting, which is the same kind of extruded trim bought the same way. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per metre	$4 – $16	95 NLe – 370 NLe	Estimated
Exterior paint (20 L drum)Exterior acrylic, sold in the same 20 L drum as the interior grade. It carries more binder and a UV package because this face takes full sun and driven rain through a wet season, and an interior paint put outside chalks within a year. Priced from this market’s own interior paint at the premium merchants quote for the exterior grade, since no regional survey separates the two : the Kinshasa paint survey does not even state its container size, which is why the interior figure is itself an estimate. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per drum	$40 – $110	919 NLe – 2,527 NLe	Estimated
Primer or sealer (20 L drum)New render is alkaline and thirsty: without a sealer the first top coat is drunk into the wall, the colour goes patchy and the covering rate collapses, so the paint saved is spent twice over. Priced from this market’s own paint at the discount a primer usually carries, since no regional survey separates the two. A repaint over sound existing paint needs none, and the element lets it be unticked. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per drum	$25 – $65	574 NLe – 1,493 NLe	Estimated
Door ironmongery (lock, handle, 3 hinges)A lock case, a handle set and three hinges. Doors here are sold as a leaf and a frame and nothing else, `door_timber` is a timber door with frame, so a house with twelve doors needs twelve sets and the bill had none of them. No regional survey prices ironmongery; the band is scaled from this market’s own timber door, at the fifth of the door price merchants quote for a plain mortice set. A cylinder lock on an external door costs more and a padlock hasp costs less: this is the ordinary internal set, and somebody fitting security ironmongery overrides the line. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per set	$10 – $36	230 NLe – 834 NLe	Estimated
Electrical point, surface mountedSurface-mounted point: PVC trunking and clips on the face of the wall, no chase cut and no making good. Priced from this market’s own chased point rate less 20 per cent, the chasing and the render patch are what the two installations differ by, and on blockwork that is about a fifth of the point. No published survey separates the two: CYPE and the regional schedules price a chased point, because that is what a specification asks for. It is the cheaper build and the common one in a rented shop, a workshop, or any wall somebody expects to open again. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per point	$7 – $12	159 NLe – 264 NLe	Estimated
Ridge capping (pre-folded)A pre-folded ridge cap, sold in 2 m lengths at roughly the price of one sheet, which is the ratio merchants across the region quote. No published survey covers it, regional price surveys track cement, steel and sheeting, never the accessories, so the band is scaled from this market’s own sheet price and moves with it. It is a real line rather than flat sheet: a cap is folded to the ridge angle and costs more per square metre than the sheet it closes. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$8 – $13	172 NLe – 287 NLe	Estimated
Roofing fixings (box of 100)Self-drilling screws with EPDM washers, sold by the box of 100 at any hardware merchant. No published survey covers this item: regional price surveys track cement, steel and sheeting, never fasteners. The band starts from a retail price of 0.12 to 0.25 USD a screw observed across the region, and scales with this market’s own sheet price. At 7 screws/m² it is 1 to 2 per cent of the sheet cost, an error here does not move a roof budget, while omitting it drops a real item: a 300 m² roof needs about 2,100 of them. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per box of 100	$11 – $26	260 NLe – 604 NLe	Estimated
Grey cement (50 kg bag)The dearest cement in West Africa, and the source says so itself by comparing it with the neighbours. A Sierra Leonean press report of 8 May 2026 puts the 50 kg bag at NLe 230 to 250 on the market and converts that itself to USD 10 to 11, against 6.50 to 7.20 in Nigeria, 5.50 to 6.50 in Ghana and 7.50 to 9.00 in Liberia. The Ministry of Trade and Industry nonetheless publishes far lower benchmarks: NLe 175 wholesale for imported 42.5R and 165 for local 32.5R, 205 and 195 at retail in the Western Area. They are not being observed, which the article states outright. Two tax measures explain part of the gap: a 20% import duty introduced in June 2025 and an excise restored in January 2026. The floor is the official Western Area retail price, the top the market price; converted at 23 NLe/USD.	per bag	$9 – $11	207 NLe – 253 NLe	Derived
Scaffolding, erect and hireDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (1.7 to 4.0 a day) at an output of 2.5 to 6 m² of face erected, moved and struck per worker-day; hiring the equipment weighs less than the labour. Measured on the face worked above 2 m: below that you work off the ground or off trestles and nothing is hired. Nothing in this product bought any, when a 2.40 m wall rendered on both faces is not built from the ground. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m² of elevation	$0 – $2	7 NLe – 42 NLe	Estimated
Slab proppingDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (1.7 to 4.0 a day), plus the hire of the props. A suspended slab is held by its props for three weeks before it carries its own weight: the formwork gives it its shape, the propping stops it coming down. Formwork has been priced since 2026-08-21 and what holds it up still was not. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m² of soffit	$0 – $3	11 NLe – 59 NLe	Estimated
Setting outDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (1.7 to 4.0 a day) at an output of 5 to 12 m of perimeter set out per worker-day: profiles, lines, level and the day of the gang that marks it. It is the first spend on any site and no element carried it. Setting out wrongly is not corrected, it is demolished. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per metre of perimeter	$0 – $1	4 NLe – 21 NLe	Estimated
Mixing water, deliveredA cubic metre of concrete takes about 180 litres of mixing water, and on most sites here it arrives by tanker or in drums rather than through a connection. Estimated at the price of a tanker load spread over the volume of concrete, not at the metered price of water. Distinct from curing, already priced separately: this one goes into the mix, that one protects it after the pour. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m³ of concrete or mortar	$0 – $2	6 NLe – 35 NLe	Estimated
Hand excavation, ordinary groundDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (1.7 to 4.0 a day) at the usual output for hand digging in ordinary ground, 1.5 to 2.5 m³ per worker-day: 4.0 ÷ 1.5 at the top of the band, 1.7 ÷ 2.5 at the bottom. A fixed price in dollars would mean nothing here, earthworks are almost entirely labour, and the labourer’s wage varies sixfold across the markets in the catalogue. Hard, rocky or waterlogged ground is outside this band and is handled case by case. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per m³	$1 – $3	18 NLe – 71 NLe	Estimated
Washed crushed sand (0/5)This market has no separate survey for crushed sand. Derived from this pack’s natural sand (10.0 to 22.0) at the ratio of 1.5 surveyed in Kolwezi on 2026-08-21, where Dilala natural sand is delivered at 20 USD/m³ and Katonto crushed sand at 30 USD/m³. It is the ratio that is carried over and not the price: crushing and washing cost much the same anywhere, whereas the price of natural sand depends mostly on the distance to the river. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m³	$19 – $41	432 NLe – 949 NLe	Estimated
SandNo merchant’s rate published for Freetown. The only usable figure comes from a case study of house improvement in a coastal informal settlement in Freetown, which records a resident paying Le 400 (about USD 20 by the study’s own conversion) for a small truck of sand, transport included, delivered only as far as the settlement entrance, with a cart charge for the last hundred metres. That last detail is the real intelligence: in Freetown’s hillside settlements the last hundred metres is an item, not a detail. The page carries no date. Freetown has beach and river sand to hand, which holds this line below Ghana despite the port uplift applied everywhere else.	per m³	$6 – $16	138 NLe – 368 NLe	Estimated
Crushed graniteThe dearest line in this product for what it is, and the reason is human. Much of the crushed stone around Freetown is produced by hand: a Sierra Leonean report of 29 October 2025 on the stone crushers at Gbangbayela and Mende Quarry states that a head-load bowl sells for at most Le 15, which the article itself puts at USD 0.60. A bowl is 20 to 25 litres, so 30 to 40 kg of crushed granite; brought to the m³ that gives a price far above a mechanised quarry’s, and it is the price a Freetown site actually pays when it is not buying by the lorry. The band is wide because the gap between buying by the lorry and buying by the bowl is of that order.	per m³	$25 – $60	574 NLe – 1,378 NLe	Estimated
Rubble stoneNo published survey. Uncalibrated quarry stone, used in foundations. It inherits the same handicap as the crushed stone: a share of production around Freetown is by hand, and the delivered price carries that work.	per m³	$16 – $34	368 NLe – 781 NLe	Estimated
Reinforcement barAn acknowledged extrapolation, and the line in this pack that will move fastest. No 2026 quotation was found; the best in-market figures are four years old, the Freetown press having reported a 12 m bar at 115,000 to 120,000 old leones in February 2022, which is NLe 115 to 120 after redenomination, and a parliamentary survey giving the importer’s wholesale price in March 2022. Brought to the tonne at 10.66 kg for a 12 mm bar and uprated. What will change this line is not a survey but a factory: the country’s first iron rod plant was opened in November 2024, and a market that rolled nothing two years ago cannot be priced off an import history.	per tonne	$940 – $1,300	21,593 NLe – 30,093 NLe	Estimated
Steel section (IPE, HEA)Sections imported through Tema or Takoradi. Real structural steel capacity at Tema, which lightens fabrication against a market without the trade: see steelFabricationFactor. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per tonne	$940 – $1,550	21,547 NLe – 35,835 NLe	Estimated
Cement block, 6 inch (150 mm)No credible retail listing for a 6 inch hollow block in Freetown: the marketplace entries carry placeholder prices. This is therefore a derivation from cement, as in Ghana: a 150 mm block takes about 0.02 of a bag, plus sand, moulding and the yard’s margin. Because Sierra Leonean cement is the dearest in West Africa, so is the block: it is the line on which the price of a bag passes most directly into the cost of a wall.	each	$1 – $1	14 NLe – 25 NLe	Derived
Cement block, 4 inch (100 mm)The same derivation as the 6 inch block, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	9 NLe – 16 NLe	Estimated
Cement block, 6 inch (150 mm)Derived from the sourced cement price, as above: material, moulding and the maker’s margin. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $1	13 NLe – 23 NLe	Estimated
Cement block, 8 inch (200 mm)Same derivation, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $1	17 NLe – 29 NLe	Estimated
Half block 15 × 20 × 20A half block, moulded in the same shortened mould and sold from the same yard. The price is derived from the full block of the same thickness at 60%: the material halves, but moulding, handling and curing cost the same per piece, so a half block never sells at half price. No direct survey confirms it yet; this is a reasoned order of magnitude, not an observed price. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	8 NLe – 14 NLe	Estimated
Half block 20 × 20 × 20A half block, moulded in the same shortened mould and sold from the same yard. The price is derived from the full block of the same thickness at 60%: the material halves, but moulding, handling and curing cost the same per piece, so a half block never sells at half price. No direct survey confirms it yet; this is a reasoned order of magnitude, not an observed price. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	10 NLe – 17 NLe	Estimated
Hollow block, 10 inch (250 mm)Same derivation, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $2	20 NLe – 34 NLe	Estimated
Solid block, 6 inch (150 mm)The same derivation as the 6 inch hollow block, with solid material in place of the voids. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $2	21 NLe – 34 NLe	Estimated
Stabilised compressed earth blockManual press, site soil, 5 to 8% cement. The price is mostly labour and cement: it follows the minimum wage and the bag. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	5 NLe – 13 NLe	Estimated
Fired brickOne name for two products: artisanal kiln brick and factory brick, which share neither price nor strength. The band covers both, which makes it unusable as it stands: override the line if the project uses one or the other. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	2 NLe – 14 NLe	Estimated
Mud brickMoulded on site and sun dried, common in the North. It does not travel: the price is labourer’s time at the minimum wage. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $0	1 NLe – 3 NLe	Estimated
Structural timberNo published Sierra Leonean price. The timber market there has been repeatedly upended by export bans and moratoria, on rosewood among others, which makes a price history uninstructive. The trade also sells by the plank and the section (2×4, 2×6, by length) rather than by the m³, so a volume rate has to be rebuilt from piece prices. Ghana’s band lifted: the same Guinean forest and the same pressure, but a far smaller sawmilling trade.	per m³	$190 – $390	4,365 NLe – 8,959 NLe	Estimated
Galvanised sheet (2.40 × 0.90 m)No published price for Freetown. The city’s hardware merchants do sell corrugated galvanised sheet, “zinc” in local usage, but no indexed page gives a price. The band is Ghana’s lifted for the port: Ghana profiles locally at Tema from imported coil, Sierra Leone imports the finished sheet. State the gauge, sold locally as 28, 30 and 32: it moves this price more than geography does.	per sheet	$14 – $26	322 NLe – 597 NLe	Estimated
Fibre-cement corrugated sheetFibre-cement sheet, dimensions to be confirmed with the seller: with no length and no width, a price per sheet never becomes a price per m². No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per sheet	$10 – $19	230 NLe – 432 NLe	Estimated
Roof tile (stone-coated)Stone-coated metal tile, imported. Confined to the top of the Freetown market where it is an ordinary choice on new houses in Accra: the Sierra Leonean market lacks the depth that makes this product ordinary.	each	$1 – $3	25 NLe – 64 NLe	Estimated
Floor tilingNo retail or wholesale price found for Freetown. Customs records do show a Freetown building-material importer bringing in ceramic tile from India under headings 6907 and 6908, which confirms the trade without pricing it. Ghana’s band lifted for the port. It is wide because it covers everything from the cheapest to porcelain.	per m²	$8 – $31	172 NLe – 712 NLe	Estimated
Tile adhesive (25 kg bag)Imported or locally formulated adhesive. Confirm the bag weight, 25 kg being assumed here: that is the usual sticking point on this line. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per bag	$6 – $14	129 NLe – 317 NLe	Estimated
Tile groutImported product, sold in bags of 1 to 5 kg according to the make. Confirm the packaging before turning it into a price per kg. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per kg	$2 – $4	37 NLe – 92 NLe	Estimated
Emulsion paint (20 L tin)Imported paint, with no local formulating industry unlike Ghana’s: that is what puts this line above. Confirm the drum volume: paint is sold by the bucket without the volume being stated, and a price per bucket becomes a price per m² only once the litres and the spreading rate are known.	per tin	$31 – $81	712 NLe – 1,861 NLe	Estimated
Polythene damp-proof membrane (300 µm)Sheet by the roll, made locally. EN 13967 is a product standard: it binds the supplier, not the site. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$1 – $1	13 NLe – 32 NLe	Estimated
Damp-proof course roll (23 cm)Bituminous roll, EN 14967. Essential on the coast, where the water table is high and the air salty. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per linear metre	$1 – $3	23 NLe – 57 NLe	Estimated
SBS bitumen membrane 4 mmImported membrane, EN 13707. Torch-applied, labour not included in this price. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$9 – $19	201 NLe – 432 NLe	Estimated
Liquid waterproofing (per coat)Imported or locally formulated resin. Two coats at least, which the measurement counts separately. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m² per coat	$2 – $6	52 NLe – 129 NLe	Estimated
Cementitious tanking slurry, per kgImported water-resistant mortar, EN 14891, for wet rooms and light tanking. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per kg	$2 – $5	52 NLe – 115 NLe	Estimated
PVC ceiling panellingSold by the board or the pack and never by the m²: confirm the board dimensions and how many are in a pack. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$6 – $14	129 NLe – 317 NLe	Estimated
Plasterboard / POPImported board, or POP moulded on site. A plywood ceiling remains very common in low-cost building and costs less than either. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$8 – $20	172 NLe – 459 NLe	Estimated
SkirtingSkirting in tile or PVC. Always laid and almost never measured, which is exactly why it has a line here. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$3 – $9	57 NLe – 201 NLe	Estimated
Metal door with frameLocal workshop door or imported security door, two very different products under one name. State whether the price covers the frame, the lock and the fitting. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per door	$75 – $220	1,723 NLe – 5,031 NLe	Estimated
Timber door with frameHollow-core or solid timber: two products, two prices, and the same name at the joiner’s. Solid timber is more within reach here than in the importing markets. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per door	$40 – $160	919 NLe – 3,744 NLe	Estimated
Glazed aluminium windowLocal workshop joinery from imported sections, glazing and fitting included. The aluminium slider dominates new urban building. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$81 – $200	1,868 NLe – 4,594 NLe	Estimated
Louvre windowIt ventilates continuously, which counts when air conditioning is paid at the ECG tariff. It remains the ordinary window outside the top of the market. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$30 – $73	689 NLe – 1,665 NLe	Estimated
Burglar barIronwork from a local workshop, per m² of opening protected. Fitted to virtually every reachable opening. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per m²	$25 – $69	574 NLe – 1,580 NLe	Estimated
Stair balustradeIronwork, timber or stainless. EN 1991-1-1 §6.4 gives it a horizontal load: it is a structural element and not a finish, which is the reason this line exists. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$38 – $150	861 NLe – 3,446 NLe	Estimated
GutterThe line not to undersize in this product. Freetown takes over 3,000 mm of rain a year, one of the highest totals in West Africa, concentrated between May and October and falling on a city built against a mountainside. It is not only a roofing question: water badly led away from a roof is a direct cause of the landslides that have marked the city. Sized to EN 12056-3 at the local intensity, which is extreme.	per metre	$7 – $18	149 NLe – 413 NLe	Estimated
Rainwater downpipeø 100 PVC, made locally, clips and bends included. The diameter follows the flow calculation, not the catalogue. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$4 – $14	101 NLe – 317 NLe	Estimated
Supply pipework (PPR ø 25)PPR or pressure PVC, made locally, fittings included and fitting excluded: the data layer counts fitting with the other trades. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$2 – $6	52 NLe – 144 NLe	Estimated
Waste pipework (PVC ø 110)ø 110 PVC, made locally, fittings included. The metres of waste pipe are what a per-point price leaves out, since it pays only for the fixtures. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$4 – $11	86 NLe – 260 NLe	Estimated
Plumbing point (WC + basin)Fitted point, fixtures included. State whether the labour is inside it: the data layer counts labour separately, and an all-in price entered as it stands would pay the plumber twice. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per point	$140 – $240	3,308 NLe – 5,421 NLe	Estimated
Sanitary ware (WC, basin, taps)Imported suite, from the cheapest Chinese to European sanitary ware. Above Ghana: the Freetown market is far less well stocked than Accra’s, so less competition and a narrower range.	per set	$110 – $390	2,412 NLe – 8,959 NLe	Estimated
Electrical point (socket or light)Fitted point, wiring included. The same caution as the plumbing about labour, which is counted elsewhere in the data layer. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per point	$9 – $15	201 NLe – 345 NLe	Estimated
Distribution board, per wayIEC 60364-4-41 requires automatic disconnection of supply, so it requires the protective devices. State whether the 30 mA residual current device is inside the price of the way. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per way	$13 – $38	287 NLe – 861 NLe	Estimated
Earth electrodeIEC 60364-5-54. It is the line most often absent from a house, and without it the residual current device has nothing to measure a fault against. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per installation	$50 – $160	1,149 NLe – 3,744 NLe	Estimated
Supply cable (4 × 10 mm²)Cable entirely imported, with no national cable works unlike Ghana, whose Tema plant holds that line below the purely importing markets. It follows the copper price: to be re-checked more often than the rest of the pack.	per metre	$6 – $15	138 NLe – 345 NLe	Estimated
Storage tank, per litreImported polyethylene tank. Above Ghana, which makes them: Sierra Leone imports its own. Essential here: Guma Valley draws over 90% of Freetown’s water from a single dam, and the city has long outgrown what that dam can deliver in the dry season.	per litre	$0 – $0	2 NLe – 6 NLe	Estimated
Submersible pumpImported pump. The rating follows the designWater calculation: head, drawdown and tower included, not the catalogue. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$160 – $650	3,744 NLe – 14,931 NLe	Estimated
Tank tower, per metre of heightSteel tower from a local workshop. The height is what makes the pressure at the tap, which is the only reason to pay for it. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the Ghanaian band brought to the Sierra Leonean labourer’s wage, a factor of 1.15. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it does not pay the port uplift.	per metre	$98 – $330	2,244 NLe – 7,672 NLe	Estimated
Electric water heater, per litreImported storage heater, 50 to 200 L, sold by the cylinder and not by the litre: the price per litre is our conversion. Expensive to run at the ECG tariff. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per litre of capacity	$1 – $4	32 NLe – 86 NLe	Estimated
Solar water heater, per litreImported thermosiphon. A poor yield for six months of the year under the rainy-season cloud, and a limited case for it anyway: mains water already comes out warm. It is one of the few markets in this product where the solar water heater is hard to argue for.	per litre of capacity	$3 – $9	69 NLe – 207 NLe	Estimated
Instantaneous gas water heaterImported appliance, sold by flow rate in L/min. LPG is widely distributed in bottles, which makes this cheaper to run than a storage heater. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	each	$110 – $340	2,435 NLe – 7,764 NLe	Estimated
Generator, per kVAThe tightest generator market in this product. Freetown’s generation rests largely on a chartered floating power plant whose output fell to 5.6 to 6 MW in early 2026 against a 45 MW dry-season contract, over a debt dispute with the state; and maintenance on the Bumbuna hydro in May 2026 additionally took Freetown, Makeni and Magburaka off supply for nearly a fortnight. In this market a generator is not standby: it is the supply. Sustained demand holds prices above Ghana’s, where load-shedding is cyclical rather than structural.	per kVA	$220 – $1,400	5,054 NLe – 32,160 NLe	Estimated
Solar PV, per WpPanel, inverter and fitting. Sierra Leone’s resource is the weakest on the Atlantic front in this product: Freetown takes over 3,000 mm of rain a year, concentrated into six months of more or less continuous cloud. Solar produces well from November to April and badly the rest of the time, which forces oversizing the storage rather than the array. Few installers, so fitting is dear.	per Wp	$1 – $2	21 NLe – 38 NLe	Estimated
Battery, per nominal kWhFrom flooded lead-acid to lithium. The depth of discharge changes the sizing more than the price does: a lead battery sized on the raw demand is flattened within a season. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per kWh	$190 – $480	4,319 NLe – 10,911 NLe	Estimated
Hand-drilled borehole, per metre (to 40 m)No Sierra Leonean driller’s rate obtained. The Freetown peninsula is a gabbro and granite massif: an auger does not go far, and the useful water is in the footslope weathering rather than under the upper town. Above Ghana for the rock and for the port.	per metre	$60 – $150	1,378 NLe – 3,331 NLe	Estimated
Rig-drilled borehole, per metre (beyond 40 m)The same caution as the hand-drilling line. The hand-to-machine ratio is taken from the UNICEF/pS-Eau guide for want of a Ghanaian equivalent: it is the ratio that is borrowed, not the price. No Sierra Leonean figure obtained: the band is the Ghanaian one, lifted 25%. Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Quay handles a fraction of Tema’s tonnage and the Sierra Leonean market is a tenth of Ghana’s, which the published regional cement comparison confirms in direction if not in size. Replace it with a Freetown merchant’s price.	per metre	$140 – $350	3,170 NLe – 8,040 NLe	Estimated
LabourerThe floor is the legal minimum, calculated rather than approximated: the Minister of Employment announced on 12 December 2025 that the national minimum wage would rise from NLe 800 to NLe 1,200 a month from April 2026. Over 22 to 26 working days that is NLe 46 to 55 a day, USD 2.00 to 2.40 at 23 NLe/USD. The top is the observed rate, a Freetown site labourer being paid above the minimum. This is the cheapest labourer in this product after Tanzania’s, in the country with the dearest cement in West Africa: labour does not offset the material, it makes the material weigh more in the bill.	per day	$2 – $5	46 NLe – 103 NLe	Derived
MasonNo published Freetown site rate. Searches for labour-based public works schedules, NGO cash-for-work rates and tender schedules of rates returned nothing dated. About two daily minimums, the ratio observed on West African sites. The easiest gap in this pack to close: one schedule of rates from a Sierra Leonean public contract would settle this line and the eight that depend on it.	per day	$5 – $9	103 NLe – 207 NLe	Estimated
Carpenter / formworkerThe same grade as the mason. Sierra Leonean roofing is sheet on a timber frame, so the carpenter is a site trade in his own right, and under 3,000 mm of rain a year the quality of his frame decides how long the roof lasts.	per day	$5 – $9	103 NLe – 207 NLe	Estimated
SteelfixerThe same grade as the mason. Steel being imported and dear, steelfixing is the item where a take-off error costs quickest, and the one where the temptation to drop a diameter is strongest.	per day	$5 – $9	103 NLe – 207 NLe	Estimated
ElectricianAbove the mason: a regulated trade, personal tools, and expensive to put right. A Freetown installation is more complicated than elsewhere in this product: it normally carries a mains-generator changeover and often an inverter, which most markets here ask for only at the top of the range.	per day	$6 – $11	126 NLe – 253 NLe	Estimated
PlumberThe same grade as the electrician: a skilled trade, and an expensive one to put right when a leak appears in finished work.	per day	$6 – $11	126 NLe – 253 NLe	Estimated
PainterBetween the labourer and the mason: the movement is learned quickly but the finish shows, so the rate sits above the labourer.	per day	$3 – $7	69 NLe – 149 NLe	Estimated
TilerThe same grade as the mason: the difficulty is in the setting out and the flatness, not in the strength.	per day	$5 – $9	103 NLe – 207 NLe	Estimated
Site foremanSupervision, about twice a mason. It is the item the productivity factor moves most: without one, labour costs 35% more in days.	per day	$9 – $18	207 NLe – 413 NLe	Estimated

Importing: what the border adds

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.

MaterialSupplier’s CIF quotationper tonneClaim the reduced VAT rate (1%)Cement inputs and materials for public infrastructure.

With no quotation entered, the local price stands in as a worked example.

CIF value (before the border)	$1,150
Customs duty (10%)	+ $110
Maritime freight levy	+ $65
Import quality inspection	+ $23
Industrial Promotion Fund	+ $23
Clearing agent and file charges	+ $34
VAT (16%)	+ $200
Landed cost, charges included	$1,600

Once cleared, importing costs more than the local market.

Landed cost, charges included: $1,600 · Local market: $1,150

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.

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Importing: what the border adds

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