Bitumen price
Penetration grade 60/70, FOB and CFR levels in USD per tonne
Bitumen is priced per tonne at the loading port, and the number means little until three things are attached to it: the grade, the packing and the port. The table gives the latest level the desk has read, with its basis and the date. It is a market reference, not an offer: a cargo price depends on the refinery, the packing, the quantity, the shipment window and the payment terms.
A delivered price is the FOB level plus freight for the lane and insurance. Send the grade, packing, discharge port and quantity for a CFR or CIF figure.
Bitumen price levels, November 2026
| Product | USD per tonne | Basis | Applies to | Change | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitumen 60/70 | 650 (indicative) | FOB Jebel Ali, UAE; packing not stated (drum, jumbo bag or bulk) | week of 9 Nov 2026 | — |
Levels are published market references read on the dates shown, not CBIL offers. A line is removed 45 days after it was read.
FOB and CFR are two different prices
An FOB price is the cost of the bitumen loaded on the ship at the origin port. The buyer books and pays the freight. A CFR price includes freight to the buyer's port, and CIF adds insurance. Two offers can only be compared on the same term and to the same port.
Freight is a large part of a delivered bitumen price, larger than for most bulk commodities, because the cargo moves either in drums and bags inside containers or hot in specialised tankers. On long lanes and to ports with few sailings, a change in freight moves the CFR price more than a change in the refinery price does.
Packing changes the price per tonne
The same grade from the same refinery is sold at different prices by packing. Bulk bitumen, loaded hot into a bitumen tanker or a heated tank container, is the cheapest per tonne at the loading port, but the receiver needs heated storage and discharge equipment.
Drummed bitumen in new steel drums costs more per tonne, because the drum and the filling are in the price, and it is the form most African, island and smaller Asian buyers take, since it needs no special equipment at the port. Jumbo bags and other meltable packs sit between the two. A price quoted without the packing is not a usable price.
What moves the bitumen price
Bitumen is the heaviest product of crude oil refining, so its price follows crude oil and, more closely, high-sulphur fuel oil: a refinery can sell the same residue as fuel oil or as bitumen, and it makes whichever pays more.
Demand is seasonal. Road building stops in the monsoon in South Asia and in winter in the north, and prices at the main export points soften then and firm when paving restarts.
Origin matters as much as grade. Product with a named refinery and full documents is priced above product whose origin cannot be shown, and buyers working under bank finance or donor-funded road contracts can only take the first kind.
Prices by destination
Landed cost differs sharply by port once freight, duty and inland transport are added. The market pages below work through the declared import values, duties and delivery costs for the destinations the desk is asked about most: the UAE loading point, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Colombo, Chattogram, Lomé, Kigali and the landlocked markets of Zambia and Malawi.
Questions buyers ask
- What is the price of bitumen 60/70 per tonne today?
- The table on this page gives the latest level the desk has read in USD per tonne, with its loading basis and the date. It is a reference at the loading port; freight, insurance and any difference in packing are added for a delivered price.
- Why do bitumen prices from different sellers differ so much?
- Usually because they are not quoting the same thing. Check the grade, the packing (bulk, drum or bag), the term (FOB, CFR or CIF), the port and the origin refinery. Once those match, the remaining gap is small. An offer far below the others on the same basis normally has an origin or a document problem.
- How do I get from an FOB bitumen price to a CFR price at my port?
- Add freight for the lane and the packing: container freight for drums and bags, or the tanker rate for hot bulk, and insurance for CIF. Send the discharge port, packing, quantity and shipment month and the delivered figure is worked for that lane.
- Is drummed bitumen dearer than bulk?
- Yes, per tonne at the loading port, because the price includes the steel drum and the filling. Drums can still be the cheaper choice overall for a buyer without heated storage, since bulk needs a heated tank and discharge line at the receiving end.
- How often are these bitumen prices updated?
- The desk checks its price sheet every Monday and whenever an enquiry needs a current level. Each line shows the date it was read, and a line older than 45 days is removed from the page.