Abu Dhabi: Steel and concrete prices in Abu Dhabi rose sharply last month as construction activity continued to expand.
In its monthly bulletin on the prices of building materials, Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) said the average price of steel in March increased by 6.6 per cent over February and steel bars rose 16.2 per cent. Concrete prices added an average of 12.8 per cent.
Overall, building materials prices show general stability, with the various types of cement shedding an average of 0.3 per cent and lumber edging up 0.1 per cent.
The increase in concrete prices was driven by a 13 per cent rise in Emirates standard ready-mixed concrete and 12.7 per cent in Emirates sulphate-resistant ready-mixed concrete.
The rise in the average price of steel was the result of a 2.5 per cent increase per ton of flat steel, 5.5 per cent for high tensile steel, 4.3 per cent for RBC mesh and 29.5 per cent for binding wire. In contrast, the prices of beam steel and angled steel fell 2.1 per cent and 1.1 per cent.
