The numbers a rate sheet runs on.
The rand, the repo and prime rates, diesel at the Gauteng wholesale gate, Brent, copper: each read from its source by the procurement engine, with the day it was checked next to it. Nothing here is typed from memory; where an indicator has not been checked it is not shown. Below them, two pieces of arithmetic worth doing before a meeting rather than after.
Checked, dated, sourced
Rand per US dollar
SARB daily rates / any bank screen · daily
moves The envelope: roof, walls, windows, waterproofing, Electrical, HVAC, fire and building services, Fit-out and finishes and 2 more
16,37 ZAR/USD
checked 05 Nov 2026
xe.com mid-market 16.36589941 (16.3659) at 08:37 UTC 5 Nov 2026; 0.7% firmer than the 4 Nov read, arithmetic.
Source ↗Repo rate
SARB MPC statement · per MPC meeting
moves all
7,25 %
checked 24 Sept 2026
Decision: MPC 23 Sept 2026 raised the policy rate 25bp to 7.25%, unanimous, effective 25 Sept 2026; CPI 4.4%; growth 2026 revised to 1.2%; next meeting 19 Nov 2026.
Source ↗Prime lending rate
SARB / the bank · per MPC meeting
moves all
10,75 %
checked 24 Sept 2026
Prime 10.75% from 25 Sept 2026 after the 23 Sept +25bp (The Citizen, 23 Sept 2026, in corpus: 'As of Friday, the repo rate will be 7.25%, while the prime lending rate will be 10.75%')
Source ↗Diesel 0.05% wholesale, Gauteng
DMRE monthly fuel price adjustment · monthly, first Wednesday
moves Ground and bulk, Concrete and cement, Masonry, steel and timber
30,85 R/litre
checked 03 Nov 2026
OFFICIAL November 2026, effective Wed 4 Nov: inland 0.05% R31.95 -> R30.85 (-R1.10)
Source ↗Brent crude
any market screen · weekly
moves Ground and bulk, Plumbing, water and sanitation
97,44 USD/bbl
checked 05 Nov 2026
Brent US$97.44, 5 Nov 2026 intraday (Trading Economics commodity page): +2.82 (+2.98%) on a 4 Nov close of 94.62
Next monthly fuel adjustment, indicated under(+)/over(-) recovery, diesel 0.05%
Central Energy Fund daily under/over-recovery; DMPR monthly statement · weekly in the run-up to the first Wednesday
moves Ground and bulk, Concrete and cement, Masonry, steel and timber
-110,00 c/litre
checked 03 Nov 2026
OFFICIAL November 2026 adjustment, effective 4 Nov: diesel 0.05% -R1.10/l, 0.005% -R1.20/l, petrol 93 and 95 -1c, net of the temporary levy cut (diesel -R3.00/l, petrol -R1.50/l) (BusinessTech, 3 Nov…
Source ↗PPI final manufactured goods, y/y
Stats SA P0142.1 · monthly release
moves all
5,00 %
checked 30 Sept 2026
August 2026: 5.0% y/y (July 5.7%), -0.4% m/m
Source ↗LME copper
LME / market screen · weekly
moves Electrical, Plumbing, water and sanitation
14 201 USD/tonne
checked 05 Nov 2026
LME copper cash settlement US$14 201.00/t on 4 Nov 2026; +0.6% on 3 Nov (14 110.50); 2 Nov 14 380.00; -1.7% on 30 Oct (14 449.00), arithmetic.
LME aluminium
LME / market screen · weekly
moves The envelope: roof, walls, windows, waterproofing
3 114 USD/tonne
checked 31 Oct 2026
LME aluminium cash settlement US$3 114.00/t on 30 Oct 2026; +1.4% on 29 Oct (3 071.00); 28 Oct 3 101.00, arithmetic.
Iron ore 62% Fe CFR China
market screen · weekly
moves Concrete and cement, Masonry, steel and timber, The envelope: roof, walls, windows, waterproofing, Fencing and perimeter
89,40 USD/tonne
checked 27 Oct 2026
Iron ore US$89.40/t, -1.2%, at 10:45 Singapore 27 Oct 2026, 'two-year low as demand outlook weakens' (Moneyweb/Bloomberg, 27 Oct 2026, in corpus, read). Intraday
What retention costs to carry
Retention held, times your borrowing rate, for the months it is held. The half release at practical completion is the JBCC Principal Building Agreement’s pattern.
Held across the works
R150 000
Still held after practical completion
R75 000
under a JBCC-style half release
What carrying it costs you
R12 094
R150 000 at 10,75% for 9 months. Prime was 10,75% when the engine last checked; most contractors borrow above it. How long it may be held, and the three moves when it is held past its date: how long retention can be held.
What diesel does to a fixed price
The move in diesel, times the share of your rate that is fuel, is the move in your rate. On a contract without an escalation clause, that is the amount you carry.
Diesel moved
+17,7%
Your rate moved
+2,12%
On a fixed price, that is yours to carry
R21 190
Gauteng wholesale diesel was 30,85 R/litre on 03 Nov 2026 (DMRE monthly fuel price adjustment). The share is yours to set: plant-heavy civils sits high, fit-out low. Which contracts can move and which cannot: fuel escalation on a fixed price.
Hiring?
Every quote through the panel is priced against a measured scope, with the indicators on this page behind the rate. A number a trustee can read is a number that survives the meeting.