Material and labour prices

Market ranges, in US dollars and local currency.

UgandaBuilding in Kampala1 USD = 4,229 USh (Live exchange rate)Data updated August 30, 2026

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Item	Unit	USD	USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per circuit	$3 – $10	14,380 USh – 43,139 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per valve	$6 – $17	23,346 USh – 70,207 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$6 – $15	23,346 USh – 62,171 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$1 – $3	4,652 USh – 13,618 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per set	$55 – $180	233,460 USh – 778,199 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m² formed	$3 – $9	14,380 USh – 39,544 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per kg	$1 – $3	5,371 USh – 12,603 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per weep hole	$2 – $6	7,190 USh – 25,165 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m²	$1 – $3	4,314 USh – 12,603 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m² of surface	$1 – $1	2,157 USh – 5,752 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per metre	$3 – $7	10,785 USh – 28,760 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per way	$17 – $53	70,207 USh – 225,001 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$3 – $9	13,618 USh – 38,149 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$6 – $23	27,237 USh – 98,121 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$1 – $4	5,075 USh – 16,325 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per metre	$4 – $14	16,917 USh – 57,519 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per drum	$39 – $97	163,253 USh – 408,555 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per drum	$20 – $57	85,433 USh – 241,073 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per set	$7 – $30	31,128 USh – 128,572 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per point	$5 – $9	21,570 USh – 35,949 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$6 – $11	23,346 USh – 46,523 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per box of 100	$9 – $23	38,910 USh – 97,275 USh	Estimated
Grey cement (50 kg bag)A Kampala construction-cost practice’s 2025 material price table gives the 50 kg bag of ordinary Portland at UGX 29,000 to 34,000, converted at 3,750 UGX/USD. Uganda does not import its cement: Hima at Kasese and Tororo Cement produce in country, which is why it is cheaper here than in neighbouring Rwanda despite a larger and more scattered market. It is still a landlocked country’s price for the imported clinker and gypsum behind it.	per bag	$8 – $9	32,989 USh – 38,487 USh	Estimated
Scaffolding, erect and hireDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (2.5 to 5.0 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m² of elevation	$0 – $2	1,510 USh – 7,190 USh	Estimated
Slab proppingDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (2.5 to 5.0 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m² of soffit	$1 – $2	2,229 USh – 9,981 USh	Estimated
Setting outDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (2.5 to 5.0 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per metre of perimeter	$0 – $1	753 USh – 3,595 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m³ of concrete or mortar	$0 – $1	1,117 USh – 6,006 USh	Estimated
Hand excavation, ordinary groundDerived from this pack’s labourer wage (2.5 to 5.0 a day) at the usual output for hand digging in ordinary ground, 1.5 to 2.5 m³ per worker-day: 5.0 ÷ 1.5 at the top of the band, 2.5 ÷ 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per m³	$1 – $3	3,595 USh – 11,969 USh	Estimated
Washed crushed sand (0/5)This market has no separate survey for crushed sand. Derived from this pack’s natural sand (20.0 to 38.0) 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m³	$28 – $52	116,730 USh – 221,618 USh	Estimated
SandKampala sand is sold by the tonne or the lorry, never by the m³, and the two published figures that exist do not reconcile. A Kampala supplier quotes building sand at UGX 21,875 a tonne and river sand at 25,000, delivery outside Kampala extra; converted at a loose bulk density of 1.4 to 1.6 and at 3,750 UGX/USD that gives the bottom of the band. The top comes from the truckload prices, which imply markedly more once the body is divided into m³. Ask the lorry’s capacity before comparing: it is the capacity, not the price, that makes the per-m³ figure.	per m³	$9 – $24	38,064 USh – 101,504 USh	Estimated
Crushed stoneNo delivered per-m³ price is published for Kampala. The only usable local figure is a Daily Monitor survey of the Kampala market: graded aggregate (6, 12 and 19 mm) at UGX 40,000 a tonne and 38 mm all-in at 30,000. Uprated about a third for the gap in dates and converted at 1.4 to 1.6 t/m³. Stone is crushed in the quarries of the centre of the country and the haul weighs more than the rock: in Gulu the same aggregate comes a great deal further.	per m³	$20 – $32	84,587 USh – 135,339 USh	Estimated
Rubble stoneNo published survey. Uncalibrated quarry stone, much used in foundations and in retaining walls on Kampala’s sloping sites. Set below crushed gravel in the same ratio as elsewhere in this product.	per m³	$14 – $26	59,211 USh – 109,963 USh	Estimated
Reinforcement barThe most self-contradictory line in this pack, and it is carried as it stands. Ugandan bar is sold by the 12 m length; the Kampala table gives Y12 at UGX 46,000 to 52,000 a piece, which at 10.66 kg a bar and 3,750 UGX/USD is USD 1,150 to 1,300 a tonne. But Uganda rolls its own steel, at Namanve and at Tororo: a line like this ought to sit below the markets that import everything, and it sits above Kenya and close to Rwanda. The Daily Monitor’s survey at Tororo and Mbale, at UGX 38,000 a bar, runs the other way and points at the real explanation: Kampala retail is not the mill price. This is the first line to re-check, and with a roller rather than a hardware merchant.	per tonne	$900 – $1,300	3,806,410 USh – 5,540,441 USh	Estimated
Steel section (IPE, HEA)Sections imported through the Northern and Central corridors. Little local structural steel capacity, so fabrication weighs heavily: see steelFabricationFactor. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per tonne	$850 – $1,400	3,578,025 USh – 5,836,495 USh	Estimated
Concrete block 150 mmThe Kampala practice’s 2025 table gives the 8 inch hollow block at UGX 2,200 each; block-yard listings in Kawempe start at UGX 1,600. A 6 inch (150 mm) block normally sits below the 8 inch, hence UGX 1,700 to 2,300, converted at 3,750 UGX/USD. Well below Rwanda, where the same block is derived from a much dearer cement: this is the line where the Ugandan cement advantage shows clearest.	each	$0 – $1	1,945 USh – 2,622 USh	Estimated
Concrete block 100 mmThe same derivation as the 150 mm block, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	1,633 USh – 2,648 USh	Estimated
Concrete block 150 mmDerived from the estimated cement price, as above: material, moulding and the maker’s margin. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $1	2,411 USh – 3,891 USh	Estimated
Concrete block 200 mmSame derivation, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $1	3,502 USh – 5,625 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	1,446 USh – 2,335 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	2,102 USh – 3,383 USh	Estimated
Hollow block 250 mmSame derivation, in proportion to the volume of material used. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $2	4,086 USh – 6,555 USh	Estimated
Solid block 150 mmThe same derivation as the 150 mm hollow block, with solid material in place of the voids. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $1	3,891 USh – 6,217 USh	Estimated
Stabilised compressed earth blockManual press, site soil, 5 to 8% cement. A more serious trade here than elsewhere in this product: Rwanda has backed compressed earth in several housing programmes, the resource is good and cement is dear, which makes the comparison favourable. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$0 – $1	935 USh – 2,258 USh	Estimated
Fired brickOne name for two products: artisanal kiln brick and factory brick. It is an ordinary walling material in Uganda, not a curiosity: the artisanal kilns of the centre and the south-west supply a real share of building, including in town. The band covers both products and so cannot be used to price anything until you have said which.	each	$0 – $0	381 USh – 1,692 USh	Estimated
Mud brickMoulded on site and sun dried. Still present in rural building, particularly in the north and east, but absent from formal urban work: the price is a labourer’s time, and the Ugandan labourer is among the cheapest in this product.	each	$0 – $0	169 USh – 423 USh	Estimated
Structural timber (eucalyptus, pine)No per-m³ price is published for Kampala. What exists does not convert without assumptions better not hidden: the National Forestry Authority yard at Bugolobi quotes by the piece, “depending on the size”, with no section. The band is therefore Rwanda’s brought down an eighth: the same plantation species, eucalyptus and pine, but a larger resource and bigger logs, so structural sections are easier to find. Treatment against termites is not in this price and is not optional.	per m³	$180 – $350	740,135 USh – 1,480,271 USh	Estimated
Profiled galvanised sheetThe Kampala table gives roofing sheet at UGX 35,000 to 48,000 each without stating either length or gauge, and the ordinary retail unit in Uganda is a 3 m sheet in gauge 28 to 32. Converted at 3,750 UGX/USD and widened downwards for plain galvanised gauge 30 to 32. State the gauge before anything else: it is the variable that moves this price more than geography does, and Uganda profiles locally from imported coil, which makes the spread between gauges wider than elsewhere.	per sheet	$8 – $13	33,835 USh – 54,981 USh	Estimated
Roof tileConcrete or clay tile, the latter having a long-established local production. Used in better housing. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$1 – $2	2,918 USh – 7,021 USh	Estimated
Floor tilingA Kampala hardware merchant lists Ugandan-made 400 × 400 floor tile in cartons at UGX 35,000, 45,000 and 60,000; a 400 × 400 carton normally covers 1.44 to 1.6 m². Ugandan tile is made in the country, which puts this line well below Rwanda, which imports its own through Mombasa or Dar with a double inland haul. The merchant’s page carries no date, which is its weakness.	per m²	$6 – $13	25,376 USh – 54,981 USh	Estimated
Emulsion paint (20 L tin)Imported from East Africa or Asia, with a few local formulators. Confirm the drum volume before turning it into a rate. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per tin	$29 – $72	124,343 USh – 303,667 USh	Estimated
PlasterboardImported board, grid included. At 1,500 m, insulating the ceiling has a real thermal purpose here that the coastal markets in this product do not have. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$6 – $17	27,237 USh – 70,207 USh	Estimated
Louvre windowLouvre window. Far more used than in Rwanda: Kampala is at 1,200 m rather than 1,500, on the lake, and its nights are not cool. It ventilates continuously, which counts in a climate where the humidity rather than the heat is what makes a closed room hard work.	per m²	$28 – $66	118,422 USh – 279,137 USh	Estimated
GutterFolded sheet or PVC, sized to EN 12056-3 at the local intensity. Kampala takes about 1,200 mm a year in two rainy seasons, March to May and September to November, with short violent storms off Lake Victoria: it is the peak that sizes the gutter, not the total. The north, around Gulu, has one season only.	per metre	$6 – $16	25,376 USh – 67,670 USh	Estimated
Storage tank, per litrePolyethylene tank, rotomoulded in the region and partly in Uganda itself, which puts this line below Rwanda. The tank is the rule: the NWSC network is extensive in Kampala but pressure drops during the day on the hills, and a power cut stops the booster pumps.	per litre	$0 – $0	296 USh – 930 USh	Estimated
Solar water heater, per litreImported thermosiphon. A good yield at altitude where the radiation is strong, and a real purpose since the nights are cool: the combination is better here than in most markets in this product. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per litre of capacity	$3 – $9	12,434 USh – 36,964 USh	Estimated
Generator, per kVAFrom a Chinese set to a European one, imported through the Northern Corridor. Below Rwanda: Kampala is the deepest market in the region after Nairobi, one inland haul fewer, and has enough importers for competition to work.	per kVA	$200 – $1,250	845,869 USh – 5,286,680 USh	Estimated
Solar PV, per WpPanel, inverter and fitting. Uganda sits on the equator: the resource is good and steady all year, without the two marked seasons of a Sahelian country. The off-grid trade is long-established and well stocked, which holds the fitting price down; the equipment pays the corridor.	per Wp	$1 – $1	3,299 USh – 6,133 USh	Estimated
Hand-drilled borehole, per metre (to 40 m)No Ugandan driller’s rate obtained. Well below Rwanda: the Precambrian basement is the same, but a far thicker weathered mantle covers much of the country, so an auger often reaches water without meeting sound rock. Around Lake Victoria the water is shallow; in Karamoja, in the east, the opposite.	per metre	$70 – $150	296,054 USh – 634,402 USh	Estimated
Tile groutImported product, sold in 1 to 5 kg bags according to the make. Confirm the packaging before turning it into a price per kg. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per kg	$1 – $3	6,217 USh – 13,999 USh	Estimated
Polythene damp-proof membraneSheet by the roll. EN 13967 is a product standard: it binds the supplier, not the site. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$1 – $1	2,140 USh – 5,075 USh	Estimated
Damp-proof course rollBituminous roll, EN 14967. Rising damp is the commonest durability defect and the cheapest to prevent. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per linear metre	$1 – $2	3,891 USh – 9,347 USh	Estimated
SBS bitumen membrane 4 mmImported membrane, EN 13707. Torch-applied, labour not included in this price. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$8 – $16	33,073 USh – 65,978 USh	Estimated
Liquid waterproofing (per coat)Imported resin. Two coats at least, which the measurement counts separately. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m² per coat	$2 – $5	8,163 USh – 20,216 USh	Estimated
Cementitious tanking slurry, per kgImported water-resistant mortar, EN 14891, for wet rooms and light tanking. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per kg	$2 – $4	8,163 USh – 17,890 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$5 – $12	21,400 USh – 50,752 USh	Estimated
SkirtingSkirting in tile, timber or PVC. Always laid and almost never measured, which is exactly why it has a line here. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$2 – $7	10,108 USh – 31,128 USh	Estimated
Metal door with frameDoor from a local workshop, folded sheet on a welded frame. State whether the price covers the frame, the lock and the fitting: three answers circulate and the spread between them is wider than the spread between workshops. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per door	$66 – $180	279,983 USh – 757,053 USh	Estimated
Timber door with frameFlush panel or solid timber: two products, two prices, and the same name at the joiner’s. Establish which before accepting a figure. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per door	$39 – $140	163,253 USh – 583,650 USh	Estimated
Glazed aluminium windowLocal workshop joinery from imported sections, glazing and fitting included. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$75 – $170	318,893 USh – 702,071 USh	Estimated
Burglar barIronwork from a local workshop, per m² of opening protected. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per m²	$22 – $59	93,469 USh – 249,108 USh	Estimated
Stair balustradeIronwork or timber. 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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$35 – $130	148,027 USh – 545,585 USh	Estimated
Rainwater downpipeImported ø 100 PVC, clips and bends included. The diameter follows the flow calculation, not the seller’s catalogue. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$4 – $11	15,564 USh – 46,523 USh	Estimated
Supply pipework (PPR ø 25)Imported PPR, fittings included and fitting excluded: the data layer counts fitting with the other trades. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$2 – $5	7,782 USh – 21,781 USh	Estimated
Waste pipework (PVC ø 110)Imported ø 110 PVC, fittings included. The metres of waste pipe are what a per-point price leaves out, since it pays only for the fixtures. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$3 – $9	13,238 USh – 38,910 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per point	$130 – $200	541,356 USh – 845,869 USh	Estimated
Sanitary wareImported suite, from the cheapest Chinese to European sanitaryware. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per set	$92 – $310	389,100 USh – 1,323,785 USh	Estimated
Electrical pointFitted point, wiring included. The same caution as the plumbing about labour, which is counted elsewhere in the data layer. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per point	$7 – $12	31,128 USh – 52,444 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per way	$11 – $31	46,523 USh – 132,378 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per installation	$42 – $130	178,901 USh – 562,503 USh	Estimated
Supply cable (4 × 10 mm²)Follows the copper price, so it is to be re-checked more often than the rest of the pack. State whether it is armoured. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$5 – $12	19,455 USh – 50,752 USh	Estimated
Submersible pumpImported pump. The rating follows the designWater calculation: head, drawdown and tower included, not the catalogue. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$140 – $550	583,650 USh – 2,334,598 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the Rwandan band brought to the Ugandan labourer’s wage, a factor of 0.85. This is a trade’s time rather than imported goods, so it follows the wage and not the corridor.	per metre	$85 – $290	359,494 USh – 1,222,281 USh	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, to be confirmed capacity by capacity. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per litre of capacity	$1 – $3	5,244 USh – 13,999 USh	Estimated
Instantaneous gas water heaterImported appliance, sold by flow rate in L/min. LPG is distributed in bottles in the larger towns. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	each	$92 – $280	389,100 USh – 1,167,299 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per kWh	$150 – $370	642,860 USh – 1,556,399 USh	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 local equivalent: it is the ratio that is borrowed, not the price. No Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per metre	$160 – $350	680,924 USh – 1,480,271 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per bag	$5 – $11	19,455 USh – 46,523 USh	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 Ugandan figure obtained: the band is the Rwandan one, brought down 8% because Kampala is 1,150 km from Mombasa against Kigali’s 1,500 and pays one border fewer. Replace it with a Kampala merchant’s price.	per sheet	$9 – $16	36,964 USh – 65,978 USh	Estimated
LabourerAn observed rate standing on nothing. A 2026 Ugandan salary guide gives casual workers on construction sites and farms at UGX 10,000 to 25,000 a day depending on skill and location; converted at 3,750 UGX/USD and tightened downwards, the upper half of that range already being an experienced labourer. There is no useful legal floor beneath it: the Ugandan statutory minimum is UGX 6,000 a month and dates from 1984, about USD 1.60 monthly. Elsewhere in this product a labourer’s bottom is the legal minimum; here it is an observation, and soft accordingly.	per day	$3 – $6	10,573 USh – 23,261 USh	Estimated
MasonThe Daily Monitor’s cost-of-building guide, national in scope and Kampala-centred, states that masons charge roughly UGX 15,000 to 25,000 a day, with electricians and plumbers at 30,000 to 50,000. Converted at 3,750 UGX/USD. The Ugandan mason is the cheapest in this product after Tanzania’s, at about twice the labourer where the ratio is two and a half to three elsewhere in East Africa: skilled labour is plentiful in Kampala.	per day	$5 – $10	21,147 USh – 42,293 USh	Estimated
Carpenter / formworkerThe same grade as the mason. The formworker works the slab and the roof: unlike the roof-terrace markets, Ugandan covering is sheet on a timber frame, so the carpenter here is a real site trade rather than a residual item.	per day	$5 – $10	21,147 USh – 42,293 USh	Estimated
SteelfixerThe same grade as the mason. A lighter item than in the universal-slab markets: the ordinary Ugandan house is sheet on a frame, and the reinforced concrete concentrates in the foundations and the ring beams.	per day	$5 – $10	21,147 USh – 42,293 USh	Estimated
ElectricianThe Daily Monitor survey gives electricians and plumbers at UGX 30,000 to 50,000 a day, converted at 3,750 UGX/USD. A markedly stronger ratio to the mason than elsewhere in this product: these are regulated trades and the number of genuinely qualified people is small, which pulls the rate up.	per day	$8 – $14	33,835 USh – 57,096 USh	Estimated
PlumberThe same survey and the same level as the electrician: the Daily Monitor quotes them together at UGX 30,000 to 50,000 a day.	per day	$8 – $14	33,835 USh – 57,096 USh	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	$4 – $8	14,803 USh – 31,720 USh	Estimated
TilerThe same grade as the mason: the difficulty is in the setting out and the flatness, not in the strength.	per day	$5 – $10	21,147 USh – 42,293 USh	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	$10 – $20	42,293 USh – 84,587 USh	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)	$1,100
Customs duty (10%)	+ $110
Maritime freight levy	+ $64
Import quality inspection	+ $22
Industrial Promotion Fund	+ $22
Clearing agent and file charges	+ $33
VAT (16%)	+ $190
Landed cost, charges included	$1,550

Once cleared, importing costs more than the local market.

Landed cost, charges included: $1,550 · Local market: $1,100

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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