Bitumen for Zambia and Malawi
The landlocked end of the corridor, where landed cost is double the coast
Zambia declared 16,327 tonnes of bitumen imports in 2024, 71 per cent from the UAE and 18 per cent from Iraq, the latter landed at about USD 572 per tonne — the Dar es Salaam drum price plus rail. Malawi declared 9,432 tonnes: the UAE 52 per cent at about USD 987 per tonne, South Africa 21 per cent at nearly USD 2,000 for specialty and polymer-modified grades, Oman 13 per cent at USD 665, and Tanzania 5 per cent. Malawi's UAE drums land at double their Dar es Salaam value, which is what 1,500 to 2,000 kilometres of road and rail add. The Copperbelt on the Congolese side of the border is supplied the same way, largely through Zambia, and declares nothing.
CBIL brokers penetration 60/70, 50/70 and 80/100 in new steel drums for Zambian and Malawian road concessions, contractors, asphalt plants and the Roads Authority's supply tenders, delivered CFR Dar es Salaam, Beira or Nacala for onward transit, or delivered Lusaka, Ndola, Lilongwe or Blantyre through a corridor forwarder. Buyers this far inland are the least sensitive to the FOB price and the most sensitive to delivered reliability, so every cargo carries the refinery of origin on its certificate and an inspection certificate from the filling point. We quote against a named buyer's grade, quantity, basis and timing.
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The market in figures
- Zambia imports, 2024
- 16,327 t — UAE 71%, Iraq 18% at ~USD 572, Hong Kong 9%
- Malawi imports, 2024
- 9,432 t — UAE 52% at ~USD 987, South Africa 21% at ~USD 1,998, Oman 13% at 665, Tanzania 5%
- Ports of entry
- Dar es Salaam (rail and road), Beira, Nacala
- Inland delivery points
- Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Lubumbashi
- Form
- 180 kg drums; bulk only to plants with heated storage
Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.
Questions buyers ask
- Which port is best for Zambia?
- Dar es Salaam by rail or road for the Copperbelt and Lusaka; Beira and Walvis Bay serve the south and west. The choice is usually the forwarder's, on transit time and rail availability.
- Which port is best for Malawi?
- Nacala by rail for the north and centre, Beira by road for the south, Dar es Salaam for the north; landed cost differs by route more than by origin.
- Does the Roads Authority buy bitumen directly?
- In Malawi it holds its own drum stock and tenders for supply and delivery; in Zambia the concessionaires and contractors buy for their programmes. CBIL brokers to either against a named requirement.
- Can CBIL quote a delivered inland price?
- Yes, through a corridor forwarder, as the sea price CFR or CIF the port plus the inland leg, itemised so the buyer sees both.
Sources
- UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, reporter 894 (Zambia), 2024: 16,327 t; UAE 11,651 t; Iraq 2,874 t at USD 572; Hong Kong 1,415 t.
- UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, reporter 454 (Malawi), 2024: 9,432 t; UAE 4,876 t at USD 987; South Africa 1,975 t at 1,998; Oman 1,195 t at 665; China 597 t; Tanzania 451 t at 1,083.
- UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, reporters declaring exports to partner 180 (DR Congo), 2024: 7,174 t, Zambia 4,601 t.