Material Price Pulse

Firm-to-rising — makers pushed through monsoon price hikes after a soft Q1; watch for ₹10–20/bag swings.

Dearest in the South and the North-East (logistics); keenest in the cement-belt of MP, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Tracks OPC, usually ₹10–25/bag cheaper; preferred for most RCC and plaster work in housing.

Widely the default bag in the South and West; OPC still leads in parts of the North.

Stable; a finishing material, not structural — priced per kg, dominated by two national brands.

Little regional spread — branded and bag-sold nationwide.

Easing — softer global and domestic steel through mid-2026, though anti-dumping moves could firm primary brands.

Secondary mills (₹/kg lower) cluster in the South and East; primary brands (Tata/JSW/SAIL) command a premium everywhere.

Stable; small line item (~1% of steel weight) but worth carrying in the BOQ.

Minimal spread; follows the steel cycle with a lag.

Tight and rising — mining bans and NGT restrictions keep legal river sand scarce and volatile.

Most expensive and most restricted in the South (TN, Karnataka); relatively easier in parts of the North and East.

Steady and now the default where river sand is banned; quality varies by crusher — insist on IS 383 grading.

Cheapest near quarry clusters (Karnataka, TN, Telangana); a touch dearer in alluvial-plain states with fewer crushers.

Stable; 40 mm a little cheaper, 12 mm a little dearer. Diesel and royalty changes are the swing factors.

Cheapest near hard-rock quarries; dearest in the deltaic East and far North-East where stone is railed in.

Rising — labour, coal and topsoil curbs lift kiln costs; many states are nudging projects toward fly-ash/AAC.

Cheapest in the kiln-dense Gangetic belt (UP, Bihar, WB); dearest in the South and West where clay is scarcer.

Steady; lighter dead load and better insulation increasingly win it over red brick on RCC-framed work.

Plant-dependent — cheapest near AAC clusters in the South and West; freight adds up beyond ~150 km.

Stable and policy-favoured near thermal plants; uniform size cuts plaster — check compressive strength before bulk orders.

Cheapest in the thermal-power belts (NCR, MP, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh).

Edging up with cement; M20 ~₹400–600/cum less, M30 ~₹400–700/cum more. Pumping and small-load charges are extra.

Best rates within metro plant radius; rural pours fall back to site-mix as cartage erodes the RMC advantage.

Firm — LME aluminium and powder-coat/anodising costs keep façade and window sections elevated.

Branded systems (façade) carry a steep premium over generic sliding-window sections everywhere.

Softening with the broader steel cycle; fabrication and primer add ₹15–35/kg over the raw section.

Cheapest near steel hubs (Eastern belt, parts of the West); freight-led premiums in the South and North-East.