Cost of Molding Blocks in Nigeria (2024)

Molding blocks is way cheaper than buying blocks if you are thinking of building a house or are in the building material business. The cost of moulding blocks in Nigeria depends on the quantity of blocks a contractor is expected to produce or the number of bags of cement used in mixing it with the sand provided.

In this article, we will answer how many blocks can a trip of sand produce in Nigeria plus how many blocks can a bag of cement mould. We would also include the prices of cement bag, sand to use in molding blocks and the labour fee so as to give you an understanding of the block making market and how they operate in the country.

MOULDING BLOCKS & BUYING BLOCKS IN NIGERIA: WHICH IS BETTER

Aside the stress that molding blocks causes, it is cheaper to mould blocks than to buy. This is true especially if the cost of cement in your region is average. It will be more profitable to have a block making machine than buying blocks but they are costly and require day to day attention that can be too much for some people.

However, when you take into consideration the cost of labour it takes for molding two or three bags as compared to actually buying it, there is close competition between the two options. In fact, both are not bad depending on how efficient you want your job done and what sort of project you’re working on.

If we talk about cement price, Nigeria’s cement market however has changed drastically over the years following global trends as well as local ones orchestrated by Nigerian cement manufacturers. Since blocks are very important in constructing walls, people either mold or buy molded blocks.

If you choose molding it manually, i.e by means of human labour, it could save you more money, especially when compared to the ones produced in block industries with the aid of machine. You would also need to be there in person to monitor the process as block molders are fond of stealing your cement or lessening the quality which is something you don’t want. Also, aside the stress of the manual process, you also need to be wetting the blocks regularly.

MATERIALS NEEDED TO MOLD BLOCKS IN NIGERIA & PRICES

Before we delve into the cost of molding blocks per cement bag, let’s first explain the various materials needed to mold 1000 blocks:

SHARP SAND

You would need two tippers of sharp sand to mold 1000 blocks. A tipper of sharp sand in Nigeria goes for ₦45,000, which means you would have to spend double the amount. Depending on your location, the price of a tipper of sharp sand might be higher or a little lower than the figure listed here. Sharp sand is well-sized and graded hard coarse sand with very little clay. The recommended range of size from manufacturer’s specification should be between 1/4 inch sieve size to 1 ½ minus sieve size.

HOW MANY BLOCKS CAN A TRIP OF SAND PRODUCE IN NIGERIA

If used appropriately, a trip of sharp sand should be used to mold over 450 to 500 blocks depending on owner’s preference.

CEMENT

This is another important material you would need to mold blocks for building your house. Cement normally comes in bags and are heavy. There are different types of cement brands and some of the most popular ones available in Nigeria include: Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, Elephant Cement, UNICEM Cement and Eagle Cement. As of writing this post, a bag of cement costs ₦4,200 and you would need over 25 bags to mold over 1000 blocks.

HOW MANY BLOCKS CAN A BAG OF CEMENT MOLD?

Normally, the number of blocks a bag of cement can mold is over 40 to 45 blocks, people prefer 35 blocks due to quality. In general, one bag of cement should be able to mold 40 solid blocks while 25 bags of cement can be used to mold over 1000 quality blocks in Nigeria.

WATER

This is also an important material needed in manufacturing your on blocks, as it would be used to mix both sand and cement. If you have a borehole, then you are at an advantage as you wouldn’t have to spend on buying water. If you do not have a water source, a truck of water in Nigeria (Lagos) goes for ₦12,000 to ₦15,000, especially in areas that lack access to water.

LABOUR

You would need to hire block molders who will make the blocks, which make them an integral part of block manufacturing process. Also note that they charge per cement bag for labour. How much do a block molder charge per cement bag? Depending on the block molder and location, they charge an average of ₦800 to ₦1,000 per bag.

COST OF MOLDING 1000 BLOCKS IN NIGERIA (2024)

We shall now calculate how much it would cost in total to mould 1000 blocks including all materials as listed above to make these block molding process possible.

The total breakdown that it would cost for molding 1000 blocks in Nigeria include:

₦4,200 x 25 bags of cement = ₦105,000

₦15,000 x 1 truck of water = ₦15,000

₦45,000 x 2 tipper of sharp sand = ₦90,000

₦1000 x 25 bags (labour) = ₦25,000

TOTAL COST = ₦235,000

Therefore, molding 1000 blocks will cost you ₦235,000 to ₦250,000 on average when you add the materials needed plus the price of labor needed to mould such blocks in Nigeria.