Contents
- The recipe: 73 six-inch blocks from one bag of cement
- Bricks, blocks and our block size
- Our assumptions
- Cost per 6-inch block in Harare and Bulawayo
- Selling price and profit per block
- Profit by machine size in Harare
- 25 mm or 30 mm shells: what is the difference?
- The Zimbabwean market
- Which machine for which volume?
- What this calculation does not include
- Sources for the prices
- Frequently asked questions
Short answer: yes. In Harare a machine-made 6-inch hollow block (400×200×150 mm) with 25 mm shells costs about $0.39 to make, and in Bulawayo about $0.44. At small-yard prices of about $0.62–0.82 in Harare and $0.60–0.75 in Bulawayo, well below what the big block factories charge, the margin is 27–53%. In Harare a BLOCKMASTER 4 making 5,000 blocks a day earns about ≈US$23,600 a month, even at the low end of the price range.
We use the method of our general guide is a block making business profitable, as in our guides for Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda. Figures are in US dollars, as most merchants and quarries quote.
The recipe: 73 six-inch blocks from one bag of cement
One of our customers made 7,500 hollow blocks of 400×200×150 mm with 30 mm shells from 120 bags of cement, 55.5 m³ of sand and 37 m³ of 3/4 quarry stone: 62.5 blocks per bag. With 25 mm shells the same block needs about 14% less concrete, so one bag makes about 73 six-inch blocks. The machine vibrates and presses a stiff mix; hand moulds give far fewer.
Bricks, blocks and our block size
Most houses in Zimbabwe are built with common bricks of about 220×105×72 mm, burnt clay or cement. Harare block factories sell 4.5-, 6- and 9-inch blocks with a 440×220 mm face; a 6-inch block costs $1.50–1.70 including VAT. Our moulds make a 400×200 mm face, so we compare per square metre of wall:
- A factory 6-inch block wall needs about 9.7 blocks per m², $14.5–16.4. Our block (11.6 per m²) would match that at $1.25–1.41; we use far lower small-yard prices.
- A 230 mm common brick wall takes about 106 bricks per m², $8.5–9.5 even with the cheapest cement commons ($0.08–0.09). Our 6-inch blocks at $0.62 cost about $7.20 per m², with far less mortar and laying time.
Ask your council which block walls it approves for load-bearing outer walls; tested blocks make approval easier.
Our assumptions
- A BLOCKMASTER 4 or CBM 12 with a crew of 8, making 5,000 6-inch blocks a day at full capacity, 26 days a month, and selling its full output.
- 32.5 cement bought by the truckload, below the shop price of about $12 a bag; sand and 3/4 stone delivered by truck; general hands at about $10 a day.
- A generator burning about 45 litres of diesel a day at the ZERA ceiling price (US$2.04 a litre in Harare, a little more elsewhere); 6% added for water, curing, maintenance and breakage.
- Monthly profit is cautious: the low end of the price range, 5% material waste, 30% higher pay for skilled operators, 10% other costs and about US$1,500 a month of fixed costs (manager, security, rent).
- Prices in US dollars. Wages are often set in dollars but paid in ZiG at the official rate (about ZiG 26.7 to the dollar); if you trade in ZiG, use the rate you actually get.
Cost per 6-inch block in Harare and Bulawayo
| City | Cement (50 kg) | Sand per m³ | 3/4 stone per m³ | Labour per day | Diesel per litre | Cost per block |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harare | $11.00 | $14 | $22 | $10 | $2.04 | ≈$0.39 |
| Bulawayo | $11.50 | $16 | $28 | $10 | $2.10 | ≈$0.44 |
In Harare cement is about $0.15 of this, sand $0.09, stone $0.09, labour and diesel only $0.03. An 8-inch hollow block (400×200×200 mm, 4,000 a day) costs about $0.45 in Harare and $0.50 in Bulawayo.
Selling price and profit per block
| City | Our 6-inch block (small-yard price) | Cost per block | Profit per block | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harare | $0.62–0.82 | ≈$0.39 | $0.23–0.43 | 37–53% |
| Bulawayo | $0.60–0.75 | ≈$0.44 | $0.16–0.31 | 27–42% |
A Bulawayo yard advertises machine-pressed 400×200 mm blocks at $0.65 delivered; the Harare range is our estimate, about half the factory price for the same wall area. In Bulawayo a BLOCKMASTER 4 would make about ≈US$14,100 a month on the same cautious basis.
Profit by machine size in Harare
6-inch blocks with 25 mm shells, at $0.62 a block, 26 days a month, cautious costs as above:
| Machine | 6-inch blocks a day | Crew | Fixed costs a month | Profit per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLOCKMASTER 4 / CBM 12 | 5,000 | 8 | US$1,500 | ≈US$23,600 |
| BLOCKMASTER 8 / CBM 20 | 10,000 | 11 | US$2,500 | ≈US$50,600 |
| BLOCKMASTER 10 / CBM 25 | 12,000 | 14 | US$3,000 | ≈US$61,300 |
We assume about 45, 70 and 70 litres of diesel a day.
25 mm or 30 mm shells: what is the difference?
| 6-inch block | Blocks per bag | Cost in Harare | Margin | Cost in Bulawayo | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mm shells | 73 | ≈$0.39 | 37–53% | ≈$0.44 | 27–42% |
| 30 mm shells | 62.5 | ≈$0.45 | 28–45% | ≈$0.50 | 16–33% |
Thinner shells use less cement, sand and stone, so 25 mm shells are more profitable. A 30 mm shell gives a stronger block and some contractors ask for it; offer both and price the 30 mm block higher.
The Zimbabwean market
- Demand: the housing backlog is estimated at 1.5 to 2 million homes; Harare's waiting list is close to 300,000, Bulawayo's above 100,000, and the national plan targets one million new homes in five years.
- Competing with bricks: cheap farm bricks are often weak and councils want approved materials in outer walls; sell tested strength and a lower cost per square metre.
- Cement: in last year's shortage a bag jumped from about $12 to $17 or more; shop prices are back at about $11.50–13 and a new 800,000-tonne plant at Chegutu should add supply. Buy by the truckload.
- Electricity: power was steadier for much of this year, but long daily outages are back in many suburbs. Our costs assume a diesel generator, so the yard runs whatever ZESA does.
- Gweru and Mutare: we found too few current prices for a table; one Gweru seller advertises blocks at $0.85.
Which machine for which volume?
- About 5,000 a day: BLOCKMASTER 4 or CBM 12; the egg-laying MBM4 works without pallets.
- About 10,000 a day: BLOCKMASTER 8 or CBM 20, the class of our CBM 20-2 installation in Kampala, Uganda.
- About 12,000 a day: BLOCKMASTER 10, or the CBM 25, which also makes paving blocks.
İBAR already ships to Zimbabwe: we have shipped a CPM 1400 PRO concrete pipe machine to Zimbabwe for pipes of 300 to 1,400 mm (about the project). Our nearest block machine installations are in Kampala and in Kolwezi, DR Congo (BLOCKMASTER 4). Plan your output with block machine capacity calculation; for mix design, see concrete block mix proportions.
What this calculation does not include
Land, buildings, delivery trucks, depreciation, taxes, permits, loan repayments, unsold stock and slow rainy-season months.
Sources for the prices
- Cement: Halsteds, Electrosales, PG Centre, The Herald, CemNet. Sand, stone, blocks and bricks: HomeStyle Bricks and ZBMS price lists, classified ads in Harare and Bulawayo.
- Diesel: ZERA. Wages: construction NEC rates, minimum wage notice. Exchange rate: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Housing: Ministry of National Housing, The Herald.
- Delivered sand and stone, the wage and the Harare block price are our estimates; check them locally.
Frequently asked questions
How much profit per block in Zimbabwe?
On a 6-inch hollow block with 25 mm shells: $0.23–0.43 in Harare and $0.16–0.31 in Bulawayo, using the prices in this guide.
Are blocks cheaper than bricks in Zimbabwe?
Per square metre of wall, often yes: about $7.20 of our 6-inch blocks at $0.62, against $8.5–9.5 for a 230 mm wall of the cheapest cement commons, with less mortar and faster laying.
Does İBAR MAKİNA install the machine in Zimbabwe?
Yes. We build our machines in our own factory in Çerkezköy, Türkiye, with more than 45 years of experience and installations in more than 30 countries. Installation and operator training are included in the price, machines carry a 2-year warranty and spare parts ship from stock the same day.
Send us your town, the blocks you want to make and your target daily output on WhatsApp, and we will recommend a machine and run these numbers with your local prices.
