Crazy cable price rises

[Algarve Sparky]

The cable price rises here in Portugal are just plain mad, we use a lot of different cables but 4.00 mm singles ..OMG !

Look at the attached pictures, the same three drums of 4.0 mm cable purchased

1) January €126 for all three with tax.

2) 2 months later €155

for all three with tax.​

for all three with tax.

3)7 month later €210

for all three with tax.​

for all three with tax.

At one point when we were getting quotes on long runs of cable such as 10 mm or 16 mm 5 core the supplier would only give us a 2 day price guarantee !

Quoting rewires now is a challenge, have to make it clear about rising prices and not to delay on locking in the material cost.

How is it in the UK ??

 

[pc1966]

Need a new wholesaler at that price. Even CEF have it at 68+Vat on their website

£95.40 inc VAT for Prysmian:

H6242Y 2.5mm² PVC T+E Twin and Earth Cable Grey (100m Drum)

Supplied in a cardboard box for ease of use and transportation

www.cef.co.uk

I see CEF do have the stranded T&E! But not stocked in any branch near me. Funny how they never have anything I might want to buy?

 

[mattg4321]

Prysmian is carp anyway. That stupid box…

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

Prysmian is carp anyway. That stupid box…

A couple of years back, I had two 100m reels of Prysmian where the sheath was completely stuck to the insulation. Never again.

 

[nicebutdim]

A couple of years back, I had two 100m reels of Prysmian where the sheath was completely stuck to the insulation. Never again.

I like the stuff, but had problems with stripping a couple of drums. Never had a problem with Doncaster or Pitacs, but you take what is available.

 

[Teddy Lop]

its gone up +50% since B.C. by my receipts.

TBF though it's been inexpensive for years, probably hasn't even kept up with inflation

 

[Mike Johnson]

I do remember buying 2.5mm T&E at about £14.00 for 100M, and it was red and black and if I remember solid green, but like that reel of cable we are both now past our best before date.

 

[SJD]

I put a selection of prices I paid for reels of 2.5mm2 T&E into an Excel sheet over the last 8 or so years.

 

[LukeD]

I find Doncaster the nicest to work with . But prysmian the easiest to source from screwfix. I dont need to buy bulk and if I pay a extra £5 a roll ...the customer pays another £7-10 . I never lose out .

 

[Dustydazzler]

When I started out most sparks used Copper Cable Company or ABB Cable , probably as this is what the big wholesalers stocked like WF and Eddies who were the big hitters in my area back in the day.
Cable never came in a cardboard box , Not until Prysmain came about and then all the big wholesalers moved to Prysmain in the nice boxes

 

[UNG]

When I started out most sparks used Copper Cable Company or ABB Cable , probably as this is what the big wholesalers stocked like WF and Eddies who were the big hitters in my area back in the day.
Cable never came in a cardboard box , Not until Prysmain came about and then all the big wholesalers moved to Prysmain in the nice boxes

BICC were the biggest cable company at one time and were behind the booklet pricing of cables they also produced those handy Cables and Tables booklets and they if I remember correctly were the first to pack cable in boxes and called it Reelpac nearly all the "booklet" cables came in boxes at one time
Back then when cable went up a new booklet was printed and when it went down the discount went up, who remembers the late 80's when the booklet price of 2.5 T&E was closing £1200 / 100m and the discount was 98.5% on one large order we were given 99% discount by one wholesaler

 

[Dustydazzler]

BICC were the biggest cable company at one time and were behind the booklet pricing of cables they also produced those handy Cables and Tables booklets and they if I remember correctly were the first to pack cable in boxes and called it Reelpac nearly all the "booklet" cables came in boxes at one time
Back then when cable went up a new booklet was printed and when it went down the discount went up, who remembers the late 80's when the booklet price of 2.5 T&E was closing £1200 / 100m and the discount was 98.5% on one large order we were given 99% discount by one wholesaler

I remember me old WF invoices priced cable stupid like that

another stupid thing back then was 5 and 6 foot tubes , they are trade something stupid like £80 for one tube with a 97.5% discount

 

[pc1966]

another stupid thing back then was 5 and 6 foot tubes , they are trade something stupid like £80 for one tube with a 97.5% discount

I see that sort of thing on any Unitrunk stuff, disconuts of 80-90% off a stupidly inflated list price.

 

[pc1966]

I find Doncaster the nicest to work with . But prysmian the easiest to source from screwfix. I dont need to buy bulk and if I pay a extra £5 a roll ...the customer pays another £7-10 . I never lose out .

It used to be easy to get Doncaster from Toolstation but not so much now, I also quite like it.

Yesss ought to be the obvious place to get it, but I have also been fobbed off with some unknown brand cable from them before and not the Doncaster stuff advertised (was some 4C SWA, not T&E, not bought much of that).

 

[UNG]

It used to be easy to get Doncaster from Toolstation but not so much now, I also quite like it.

Yesss ought to be the obvious place to get it, but I have also been fobbed off with some unknown brand cable from them before and not the Doncaster stuff advertised (was some 4C SWA, not T&E, not bought much of that).

Only used Yesss a couple of times and probably never again the way they charge they are worse than CEF IMO for overcharging the last time I went into one of their branches I left the stuff on the counter and went elsewhere a bit further from the job and got the stuff for close to a third of the price Yesss were charging

 

[Dustydazzler]

YESSS are a rip off

CEF not much better

Screwfix is best for cable , screws etc & TLC for other stuff

 

[loz2754]

disconuts

I do love a disconut

 

[Dustydazzler]

I see inflation is running very high (9-10%) in some of the main copper producing countries (Chilie being the big one) , I am guessing this will soon be felt here in the Uk as in what a drum of cable costs ?

I am thinking for buying a couple dozen rolls of 1mm and 2.5mm t&e

 

[Dustydazzler]

Screwfix selling 2.5 prysmain for £72 inc vat at the moment , just stocked up on afew few rolls

 

[Dustydazzler]

I see Nick Bundy reckons 2.5 t&E will soon hit £100 per 100m drum (inc vat) soon

What do we reckon ? are we soon going to be wiring sockets in cable that cost £1 a metre

 

[kropaske]

Wickes have 2.5T&E for £71.50, if you have trade account with them it's £64.
I've recken prices will stabilise in the next 6 months or so. All this is just manufacturers try to get some profit back that has been lost because of the covid

 

[SparkySy]

I don't think it will stabilise, with all the other things going on in the world!
An article I read said by November there will be a huge shortfall in all raw materials, (can't find it currently) this will only push prices up further.
I'm not a doomsayer but it's not looking good on all fronts atm!
Sy

 

[pc1966]

I have no immediate need for much cable, but part of me is wondering if I should buy enough for any jobs I might want to do in the next year (usual 2.5mm/6mm T&E for sockets/cooker and some 1mm T&E + 3&E for lights).

One good thing in Amendment 2 is 1mm usable for "power" now so no silliness of an alarm needing 1.5mm if dedicated 6A MCB but OK from 1mm if off light circuit, etc!

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have no immediate need for much cable, but part of me is wondering if I should buy enough for any jobs I might want to do in the next year (usual 2.5mm/6mm T&E for sockets/cooker and some 1mm T&E + 3&E for lights).

Some big wholesalers are limiting customers to a certain amount of drums of cable per purchase.
I know some big boy contractors who would buy cable by the pallet from the wholesalers but it sounds like they aren't being allowed to do this at the moment due to price volatility

 

[LukeD]

No matter what it costs the customer pays with a 30% mark up . Just keep the clients informed in quotes that any uplift in the cost of cable will be added between the date of the quote and start of works etc

 

[123]

Wickes have 2.5T&E for £71.50, if you have trade account with them it's £64.
I've recken prices will stabilise in the next 6 months or so. All this is just manufacturers try to get some profit back that has been lost because of the covid

Scrap copper etc is sky high so it's not all just profiteering.