# Rebar Cost Calculator

Material, fabrication, fixing and the all-in cost per tonne.

- Page: https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/rebar-cost
- Category: Costing (https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/c/costing)
- Chinese version: https://jianzhujisuan.com/zh/rebar-cost.md
- Data checked: 2026-10-25

## Quick result

With the default inputs (Rebar tonnage 100 t, Rebar price 4200 CNY/t, Fabrication 350 CNY/t, Fixing labour 800 CNY/t, Waste 3%): **Total rebar cost 55.10 10k CNY**

## Inputs

| Parameter | Type | Default | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebar tonnage | number | 100 | t |  |
| Rebar price | number | 4200 | CNY/t |  |
| Fabrication | number | 350 | CNY/t | Straightening, cutting, bending |
| Fixing labour | number | 800 | CNY/t |  |
| Waste | number | 3 | % | 2-5%, higher at complex nodes |

## Formula

- **Tonnage with waste**: total × (1 + waste%)
- **Material**: tonnage × price
- **Fabrication**: tonnage × rate
- **Labour**: tonnage × fixing rate
- **Total**: material + fabrication + labour
- **All-in per tonne**: total ÷ tonnage

## Worked example

100 t of rebar at 4200, fabrication 350, fixing 800 and 3% waste: 103.00 t, 432,600 in material, 36,100 fabrication and 82,400 labour — 551,100 in total, or 5350 per tonne.

## Questions

### Why does fixing cost so much more than fabrication?

Because fixing is manual, and output depends on complexity and access. A gang fixes 0.6-0.8 t a day on slab steel but only 0.3 t at congested beam-column nodes — 600-1000 per tonne. Fabrication can be mechanised and centralised down to about 300. The way to save is more off-site work, not squeezing the fixing rate.

### Is factory-cut bar actually cheaper?

On repetitive floors it clearly is. Site fabrication wastes 3-5% against 1-2% for factory bar, so 1000 t saves 20-30 t of steel — 80,000-130,000 at 4200 — which covers the delivery premium. Projects with many irregular members or frequent changes are the wrong fit, because cut bar cannot be re-cut, and a change turns it into scrap.

### How do you fix the rebar price?

Three routes: a contractual adjustment clause tied to the published monthly average for the size, adjusted beyond ±5%; a fixed-price purchase, which ties up cash and carries downside risk; or an annual framework with a mill or major trader, trading volume commitment for a better rate. The adjustment clause is the usual compromise.

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