
Bitumen price by country depends on three things, and only one of them is the bitumen itself. This page publishes indicative CFR prices for more than forty destination markets, built from our FOB Mersin base price plus route-specific ocean freight. Each entry shows the grade that market actually specifies, the discharge port, and — the part most price pages leave out — the conformity certificate your shipment needs before it sails.
How bitumen price by country is calculated
| Component | Typical share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| FOB base price | 70–90% | Crude and vacuum bottom feedstock, with a lag of a few weeks |
| Ocean freight | 5–30% | Trade lane volume, vessel availability, port congestion — not distance |
| Documentation and inspection | ~$5 / MT | Third-party inspection, certificate of origin, conformity scheme fees |
Freight follows trade volume, not distance. Shipping to Shanghai — roughly 8,000 nautical miles — often costs less per tonne than shipping to Pointe-Noire, which is closer. Asian lanes carry enormous volume in both directions, so capacity is cheap. West and Central African lanes carry thin backhaul cargo, so the same tonne costs three to five times as much to move. That single fact explains most of the spread below.
| Trade lane | Indicative freight |
|---|---|
| East and Southeast Asia | $19–90 / MT |
| Mediterranean and Black Sea | $42–110 / MT |
| Gulf and Red Sea | $60–140 / MT |
| Americas | $60–120 / MT |
| West, Central and East Africa | $112–325 / MT |
Jump to your market
Gulf and Middle East
🇦🇪 UAE · 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 🇶🇦 Qatar · 🇰🇼 Kuwait · 🇴🇲 Oman · 🇧🇭 Bahrain · 🇮🇶 Iraq · 🇾🇪 Yemen · 🇯🇴 Jordan
Mediterranean and Black Sea
🇹🇷 Turkey · 🇸🇾 Syria · 🇱🇧 Lebanon · 🇪🇬 Egypt · 🇲🇦 Morocco · 🇹🇳 Tunisia · 🇩🇿 Algeria · 🇱🇾 Libya · 🇬🇷 Greece · 🇷🇴 Romania · 🇬🇪 Georgia · 🇺🇦 Ukraine
West and Central Africa
🇳🇬 Nigeria · 🇬🇭 Ghana · 🇸🇳 Senegal · 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire · 🇹🇬 Togo · 🇧🇯 Benin · 🇲🇷 Mauritania · 🇬🇳 Guinea · 🇱🇷 Liberia · 🇨🇲 Cameroon · 🇨🇬 Congo · 🇨🇩 DR Congo
East and Southern Africa
🇰🇪 Kenya · 🇹🇿 Tanzania · 🇪🇹 Ethiopia · 🇩🇯 Djibouti · 🇸🇩 Sudan · 🇲🇿 Mozambique · 🇿🇦 South Africa · 🇳🇦 Namibia · 🇦🇴 Angola · 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Asia
🇮🇳 India · 🇨🇳 China · 🇻🇳 Vietnam · 🇮🇩 Indonesia · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇹🇭 Thailand · 🇵🇭 Philippines · 🇧🇩 Bangladesh · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · 🇲🇲 Myanmar
Americas
🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇵🇪 Peru · 🇲🇽 Mexico · 🇨🇱 Chile
🇦🇪 Bitumen Price in UAE
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Jebel Ali |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Jebel Ali serves both local construction and re-export across the GCC, so volumes are large and sailings frequent. The re-export flow means packing choice matters more than usual: drummed product moves on to inland destinations far more easily than bulk.
🇸🇦 Bitumen Price in Saudi Arabia
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $696–708 / MT |
| Discharge port | Jeddah, Dammam |
| Conformity | SABER / SASO registration required before shipment |
Vision 2030 infrastructure keeps demand steady across Jeddah, Dammam and inland distribution. The critical point is procedural: SABER registration must be completed before the goods ship. A cargo arriving without it sits at the port, and the registration cannot be issued retroactively.
🇶🇦 Bitumen Price in Qatar
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Hamad Port |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Road and infrastructure work specifies 60/70 almost exclusively. Hamad Port handles direct calls, so transhipment through Jebel Ali is no longer necessary on most services.
🇰🇼 Bitumen Price in Kuwait
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Shuwaikh, Shuaiba |
| Conformity | KUCAS conformity scheme applies |
Summer surface temperatures make 60/70 the floor rather than the default; on port aprons and truck corridors where loads stand, 40/50 performs better. KUCAS certification is arranged at origin before loading.
🇴🇲 Bitumen Price in Oman
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Sohar, Muscat, Salalah |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Salalah sits outside the Strait of Hormuz, which sometimes makes it the cheaper discharge option despite the inland leg. Worth comparing both routings at quotation stage.
🇧🇭 Bitumen Price in Bahrain
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Khalifa Bin Salman |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
A compact network with modest volumes, usually served on the same service as Dammam. Consolidating with a Saudi parcel often improves the freight rate.
🇮🇶 Bitumen Price in Iraq
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Umm Qasr, or overland via Turkey |
| Conformity | Certificate of conformity via the national scheme |
Iraq is one of the few markets where the overland route from Turkey genuinely competes with sea freight, particularly for northern destinations. For Basra and the south, Umm Qasr is normally cheaper. Reconstruction demand is substantial and tender-driven.
🇾🇪 Bitumen Price in Yemen
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Aden |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Reconstruction demand via Red Sea ports. Confirm current port operability and insurance position at booking, since both change.
🇯🇴 Bitumen Price in Jordan
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $650–720 / MT |
| Discharge port | Aqaba |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Aqaba is the single maritime gateway, and it also serves as a transit route into Iraq. Short Red Sea haul keeps freight moderate.
🇹🇷 Bitumen Price in Turkey
| Grade | 50/70, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Basis | FOB or ex-works — this is our load port |
| Load port | Mersin, İskenderun |
| Conformity | EN 12591; CE marking for construction products |
Turkey is our origin, so there is no ocean freight component. Domestic buyers take FOB or ex-works terms with the shortest lead time of any market on this page. EN grades rather than the ASTM penetration naming used further south.
🇸🇾 Bitumen Price in Syria
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Latakia, Tartus |
| Conformity | Confirm current sanctions and banking position before contracting |
Short haul from Mersin keeps freight among the lowest here, and overland routing is also possible. Reconstruction demand is significant. The commercial constraint is banking rather than logistics.
🇱🇧 Bitumen Price in Lebanon
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Beirut, Tripoli |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
Short Mediterranean haul with frequent sailings. Payment structure usually needs more attention than the shipping itself.
🇪🇬 Bitumen Price in Egypt
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $630–700 / MT |
| Discharge port | Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said |
| Conformity | GOEIC exporter registration may apply — confirm before contracting |
Large domestic market with substantial new city and road programmes. The GOEIC registration requirement catches out first-time exporters to Egypt, because it attaches to the supplier rather than the shipment.
🇲🇦 Bitumen Price in Morocco
| Grade | 35/50, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Casablanca, Tangier Med |
| Conformity | EN 12591 grades; French documentation advisable |
Moroccan tenders usually cite EN grades rather than the ASTM penetration naming. A 60/70 offer against a 35/50 specification is not equivalent — check the equivalence chart before quoting.
🇹🇳 Bitumen Price in Tunisia
| Grade | 60/70, 35/50 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Rades, Sfax |
| Conformity | French documentation advisable |
Among the shortest hauls on this page, which puts freight at the bottom of the Mediterranean band.
🇩🇿 Bitumen Price in Algeria
| Grade | 40/50, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $625–695 / MT |
| Discharge port | Algiers, Oran, Skikda |
| Conformity | Import licensing regime; French documentation required |
Saharan projects push toward 40/50 while the coastal strip works with 60/70. The import licensing regime is the main planning constraint, not freight.
🇱🇾 Bitumen Price in Libya
| Grade | 60/70, 40/50 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $625–695 / MT |
| Discharge port | Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata |
| Conformity | Confirm port operability and payment route at booking |
Reconstruction demand across multiple ports. Desert interior temperatures favour 40/50 for trunk routes.
🇬🇷 Bitumen Price in Greece
| Grade | 50/70, 70/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Piraeus, Thessaloniki |
| Conformity | EN 12591 and CE marking required |
An EU market, so construction product regulation applies. CE marking and a declaration of performance are required, which is a different documentation set from most markets on this page.
🇷🇴 Bitumen Price in Romania
| Grade | 50/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Constanta |
| Conformity | EN 12591 and CE marking required |
Constanta also serves as the entry point for Serbia and other Balkan destinations by road and barge.
🇬🇪 Bitumen Price in Georgia
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Poti, Batumi |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
A destination market and a transit gateway in equal measure — cargo for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia routes through Poti. Transit cargo needs a separate customs declaration arranged before arrival, and drums rather than bulk.
🇺🇦 Bitumen Price in Ukraine
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $617–685 / MT |
| Discharge port | Odesa, or via Constanta and road |
| Conformity | Confirm routing and insurance at booking |
Reconstruction demand is large. Routing via Constanta with an overland leg is sometimes more reliable than direct Black Sea discharge.
🇳🇬 Bitumen Price in Nigeria
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Lagos, Apapa, Onne |
| Conformity | SONCAP certificate mandatory — arrange before shipment |
West Africa’s largest import market, driven by federal and state road tenders. SONCAP requires inspection at origin and cannot be issued after the goods have sailed — the most common and most expensive documentation failure on this lane. Lagos congestion also makes free time at the port worth negotiating.
🇬🇭 Bitumen Price in Ghana
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Tema, Takoradi |
| Conformity | Conformity assessment programme applies |
Steady government infrastructure demand. Tema handles most volume; Takoradi suits western region projects and avoids Tema congestion.
🇸🇳 Bitumen Price in Senegal
| Grade | 35/50, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Dakar |
| Conformity | Pre-shipment verification; French documentation |
Dakar also serves Mali by road. French tender documents usually cite EN grades, so confirm whether 35/50 or 60/70 is actually specified.
🇨🇮 Bitumen Price in Côte d’Ivoire
| Grade | 35/50, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Abidjan, San Pedro |
| Conformity | VOC programme applies; French documentation |
One of the more active West African markets, and a transit corridor to Burkina Faso and Mali. High rainfall in the south means stripping rather than rutting is often the failure mode, which argues for the softer grade.
🇹🇬 Bitumen Price in Togo
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Lomé |
| Conformity | No pre-shipment scheme; French documentation |
Lomé is the transit gateway for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, so a large share of cargo landing there never stays in Togo. If your destination is inland, specify drums and arrange the transit declaration before arrival. Full detail on our Togo page.
🇧🇯 Bitumen Price in Benin
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Cotonou |
| Conformity | French documentation; transit gateway to Niger |
Cotonou competes directly with Lomé for Niger transit traffic. Comparing both at quotation stage is usually worth the effort.
🇲🇷 Bitumen Price in Mauritania
| Grade | 40/50, 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Nouakchott, Nouadhibou |
| Conformity | French documentation |
Saharan conditions push the grade harder than the West African default. Detail on grade selection for the heat is on our Mauritania page.
🇬🇳 Bitumen Price in Guinea
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Conakry |
| Conformity | French documentation |
Mining haul roads generate demand alongside the national network. Very high rainfall makes adhesion the binding constraint.
🇱🇷 Bitumen Price in Liberia
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Monrovia |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
English-language documentation, which removes a friction point common across the rest of the region.
🇨🇲 Bitumen Price in Cameroon
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Douala, Kribi |
| Conformity | PECAE programme; French documentation |
Kribi is the deep-water alternative to Douala and usually faster to clear. Cameroon also serves as a transit route to Chad and the Central African Republic.
🇨🇬 Bitumen Price in Congo
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $687–821 / MT |
| Discharge port | Pointe-Noire |
| Conformity | French documentation |
Pointe-Noire is the main deep-water Atlantic port for the region and handles onward cargo to Brazzaville and beyond.
🇨🇩 Bitumen Price in DR Congo
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $783–795 / MT |
| Discharge port | Matadi, or Walvis Bay for the Copperbelt |
| Conformity | French documentation |
Two routings compete and they serve different halves of the country. Matadi suits the west; for the southern Copperbelt, Walvis Bay with the Trans-Caprivi corridor is often faster despite the longer road leg. Either way, drums rather than bulk.
🇰🇪 Bitumen Price in Kenya
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Mombasa |
| Conformity | PVoC / KEBS certificate mandatory before shipment |
Mombasa serves Kenya plus transit traffic to Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. PVoC requires inspection at origin, so it must be arranged before loading — the certificate cannot be obtained once the cargo is at sea.
🇹🇿 Bitumen Price in Tanzania
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–737 / MT |
| Discharge port | Dar es Salaam |
| Conformity | PVoC / TBS certificate required |
Dar es Salaam handles domestic demand plus transit to Zambia, Malawi, Burundi and the DRC. Transit volumes are substantial, so packing should suit the final destination rather than the port.
🇪🇹 Bitumen Price in Ethiopia
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–785 / MT |
| Discharge port | Djibouti, then road to Addis |
| Conformity | Transit declaration at Djibouti |
Landlocked, so every tonne moves through Djibouti and then roughly 900 km by road. Drums are effectively mandatory — inland sites have no heated discharge. The highland plateau also runs cooler than the coastal figures suggest, which affects grade choice.
🇩🇯 Bitumen Price in Djibouti
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $785–797 / MT |
| Discharge port | Djibouti |
| Conformity | Standard customs documentation |
A small domestic market attached to a major transhipment hub. Most volume through Djibouti is destined for Ethiopia.
🇸🇩 Bitumen Price in Sudan
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $675–687 / MT |
| Discharge port | Port Sudan |
| Conformity | Confirm current sanctions and banking position before contracting |
Short Red Sea haul keeps freight low relative to the rest of Africa. Interior temperatures are extreme, which argues against the softer grade on trunk routes.
🇲🇿 Bitumen Price in Mozambique
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Maputo, Beira, Nacala |
| Conformity | Portuguese documentation advisable |
Three ports serving three different corridors — Maputo for the south and South Africa, Beira for Zimbabwe, Nacala for Malawi. Choose by final destination, not by price alone.
🇿🇦 Bitumen Price in South Africa
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth |
| Conformity | SANS 4001-BT1 commonly specified rather than ASTM; SACU tariff |
Tenders frequently cite SANS rather than ASTM or EN. The grades are broadly comparable but the test regime and reporting differ, so confirm the equivalence before quoting rather than after the certificate arrives.
🇳🇦 Bitumen Price in Namibia
| Grade | 60/70, 50/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Walvis Bay, Lüderitz |
| Conformity | SANS standards; SACU tariff |
Walvis Bay anchors three transit corridors to Botswana, Zambia, the DRC Copperbelt and southern Angola, so much of the cargo is not destined for Namibia. The Namib interior also has an extreme day-to-night temperature range, where the hardest grade is the wrong answer — detail on our Namibia page.
🇦🇴 Bitumen Price in Angola
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Luanda, Lobito |
| Conformity | Portuguese documentation required |
Lobito connects to the rail corridor toward the DRC Copperbelt and Zambia, which is increasingly used for inland cargo.
🇲🇬 Bitumen Price in Madagascar
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $725–900 / MT |
| Discharge port | Toamasina |
| Conformity | French documentation |
Island routing usually involves transhipment, which lengthens transit and adds handling. Cyclone season affects both port operations and the construction calendar.
🇮🇳 Bitumen Price in India
| Grade | VG-30, VG-40 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $629–641 / MT |
| Discharge port | Mundra, Kandla, Chennai |
| Standard | IS 73:2013 — viscosity grade, not penetration grade |
The single most common specification error on this page. India grades by viscosity at 60 °C, not penetration at 25 °C, and the two systems are not directly convertible. A 60/70 offer against a VG-30 tender is normally rejected at technical evaluation regardless of how the material would actually perform.
🇨🇳 Bitumen Price in China
| Grade | 60/70, 70/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $594–606 / MT |
| Discharge port | Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao |
| Standard | JTG F40 specification common |
The lowest freight band on this page, because the lane carries enormous volume in both directions. Bulk shipment suits the larger buyers; drummed product for smaller parcels.
🇻🇳 Bitumen Price in Vietnam
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $596–608 / MT |
| Discharge port | Ho Chi Minh, Haiphong |
| Standard | TCVN specification |
Heavy infrastructure investment and consistent import demand. Monsoon rainfall means adhesion and stripping resistance matter as much as rut resistance.
🇮🇩 Bitumen Price in Indonesia
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $594–665 / MT |
| Discharge port | Jakarta, Surabaya, Belawan |
| Standard | SNI specification |
Archipelago geography means multiple discharge points and frequent domestic transhipment. Specify the final island, not just the first port.
🇲🇾 Bitumen Price in Malaysia
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $596–608 / MT |
| Discharge port | Port Klang, Penang |
| Standard | JKR specification |
Port Klang is one of the best-served discharge points in the region, which keeps freight at the bottom of the Asian band.
🇹🇭 Bitumen Price in Thailand
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $594–606 / MT |
| Discharge port | Laem Chabang, Bangkok |
| Standard | TIS specification |
Domestic highway demand plus regional re-export within Southeast Asia.
🇵🇭 Bitumen Price in Philippines
| Grade | 60/70, 85/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $662–674 / MT |
| Discharge port | Manila, Cebu, Davao |
| Standard | DPWH specification |
Island infrastructure programmes across multiple regional ports. Typhoon season affects both delivery scheduling and the paving calendar.
🇧🇩 Bitumen Price in Bangladesh
| Grade | 60/70, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $629–675 / MT |
| Discharge port | Chittagong |
| Standard | Penetration grade; BSTI registration may apply |
Large and growing import market. Chittagong congestion is the main scheduling risk, so build free time into the contract.
🇱🇰 Bitumen Price in Sri Lanka
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $629–675 / MT |
| Discharge port | Colombo, Hambantota |
| Standard | RDA specification |
Colombo is a major transhipment hub, so direct calls are frequent and freight is competitive for the distance.
🇲🇲 Bitumen Price in Myanmar
| Grade | 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $594–665 / MT |
| Discharge port | Yangon |
| Standard | Penetration grade |
Expanding road network with growing import demand. Confirm the current banking and sanctions position before contracting.
🇧🇷 Bitumen Price in Brazil
| Grade | CAP 30/45, CAP 50/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $635–647 / MT |
| Discharge port | Santos, Suape, Paranaguá |
| Standard | ANP specification; CAP nomenclature, not pen grade naming |
Brazil uses CAP grading under ANP regulation. CAP 50/70 is the volume grade and CAP 30/45 the harder option for heavy traffic. Quoting a 60/70 against a CAP tender creates the same problem as quoting pen grade into India. Detail on our Brazil page.
🇵🇪 Bitumen Price in Peru
| Grade | PEN 60/70, 85/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $683–695 / MT |
| Discharge port | Callao, Paita |
| Standard | Spanish documentation required |
Pacific routing means longer transit. Andean altitude projects have a wide day-to-night temperature range, where the hardest grade is not the right answer.
🇲🇽 Bitumen Price in Mexico
| Grade | PG grades, 80/100 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $635–695 / MT |
| Discharge port | Veracruz, Altamira, Manzanillo |
| Standard | Performance grading common on federal work; Spanish documentation |
Federal contracts often specify PG grades under the Superpave system, which is a third grading framework again — distinct from both penetration and viscosity grading.
🇨🇱 Bitumen Price in Chile
| Grade | CA-24, PEN 60/70 |
|---|---|
| Indicative CFR | $683–720 / MT |
| Discharge port | Valparaíso, San Antonio |
| Standard | Viscosity grading on some contracts; Spanish documentation |
CA grades are viscosity-based. Chile’s north-south extent means specification varies substantially between the Atacama and the south.
Which grade your market needs, whatever the bitumen price by country
| Climate | Typical markets | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme heat, above 48 °C | Gulf, Sahara, inland Sudan, Iraq | 40/50 or PMB | Rutting governs; softer binders deform under standing loads |
| Hot, 40–48 °C | Most of Africa, South Asia, Middle East | 60/70 | The global volume grade |
| Hot days, cold nights | Namib, Kalahari, Andes, highland Ethiopia | 60/70 or PMB | The hardest grade cracks under nightly contraction |
| Temperate | Mediterranean, Black Sea, EU | 50/70, 35/50 | EN 12591 grades |
| High rainfall | West Africa, Southeast Asia, coastal Brazil | 80/100 | Where stripping rather than rutting is the failure mode |
| Different grading system | India, Brazil, Chile, Mexico | VG, CAP, CA, PG | Not interchangeable with penetration grades |
Conformity certificates: the cost buyers forget
A shipment arriving without the required conformity certificate does not clear. It sits accruing demurrage until the paperwork is resolved — and in most of these schemes the certificate cannot be issued retroactively, because it requires inspection at origin.
| Scheme | Markets | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| SONCAP | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Before shipment — inspection at origin |
| PVoC | 🇰🇪 Kenya, 🇹🇿 Tanzania and others | Before shipment |
| SABER / SASO | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Product and shipment registration before arrival |
| KUCAS | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | Before shipment |
| CE marking | 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇷🇴 Romania and EU markets | Declaration of performance with the shipment |
| No scheme | 🇹🇬 Togo, 🇳🇦 Namibia, 🇦🇪 UAE, 🇶🇦 Qatar and others | Standard customs documentation only |
These schemes change. Confirm the current requirement with your customs broker before contracting, not after booking. We arrange inspection at loading through SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or any surveyor named in your contract, and supply the full documentation set covered in our export documentation guide.
Bitumen price by country — frequently asked questions
How is the bitumen price by country calculated?
Each indicative CFR figure is the FOB Mersin base price plus route-specific ocean freight plus documentation and inspection costs of around $5 per MT. The FOB component tracks crude and vacuum bottom feedstock with a lag of a few weeks. Freight creates most of the spread between markets.
Why does the bitumen price differ so much between countries?
Ocean freight, and it follows trade lane volume rather than distance. East and Southeast Asian lanes run roughly $19 to $90 per MT because those routes carry enormous volume in both directions. West, Central and East African lanes run $112 to $325 per MT because backhaul volume is thin and direct services limited. Shipping to Shanghai can cost less per tonne than shipping to a nearer West African port.
Why do several countries show the same price?
Because they sit on the same trade lane. Ocean freight is priced by route, not by destination country, so neighbouring ports served by the same service carry the same rate. What genuinely varies country by country is the grade specified, the conformity certificate required and the transit time — which is why those are set out separately for each market.
Are these prices binding offers?
No. Every figure is an indicative market estimate in USD per metric tonne. Final pricing is confirmed in a proforma invoice and depends on quantity, packing, vessel booking and the freight rate prevailing at the time of shipment.
Which grade does my market need?
60/70 across most of Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. 40/50 or polymer modified binder above 48 °C ambient or where slow heavy loads apply. 80/100 in high-rainfall markets where stripping rather than rutting is the failure mode. 50/70 and 35/50 in Mediterranean and EU markets under EN 12591. India, Brazil, Chile and Mexico use entirely different grading systems.
Why can’t I offer 60/70 against an Indian VG-30 tender?
Because IS 73:2013 grades by viscosity at 60 °C, not by penetration at 25 °C. The two systems measure different properties and are not directly convertible. A 60/70 offer against a VG-30 specification is normally rejected at technical evaluation. The same applies to Brazilian CAP grades, Chilean CA grades and Mexican PG grades.
What conformity certificate does my country require?
Nigeria requires SONCAP, Kenya and Tanzania require PVoC, Saudi Arabia requires SABER registration, Kuwait requires KUCAS and EU markets require CE marking with a declaration of performance. Several markets including Togo, Namibia, the UAE and Qatar operate no pre-shipment scheme. Most of these certificates must be arranged before shipment because they require inspection at origin.
What is the minimum order quantity?
100 MT, roughly seven 20-foot containers of drummed product or five bulk bitutainers. Mixed grades in one shipment are accepted provided each grade reaches one full container. Packing options are 180 kg and 200 kg new steel drums, 300 kg jumbo bags and bulk bitutainer.
Which packing should I choose?
Steel drums where the cargo moves inland or across a border, because sites without heated discharge cannot handle bulk. Jumbo bags where a forklift or crane is available. Bulk bitutainer only where an asphalt plant with heated storage sits near the discharge port. Drums cost more per tonne but remove the equipment requirement at the far end.
What if my market is not listed?
Send us the destination port and we will quote a route-specific CFR estimate. The markets here are the ones we ship to most frequently, not the limit of where we ship. Our global supply guide covers the wider network.
What are your payment terms?
30% by TT in advance with the balance settled against a copy of the bill of lading, and an irrevocable letter of credit at sight for repeat contracts. The balance falls due only once the cargo is on the water and documented.
How often is this bitumen price by country page updated?
Weekly. Freight moves more often than the FOB base, so the CFR bands change more frequently than the underlying bitumen price. For a figure you can act on, request a proforma invoice rather than relying on the indicative bands here.
Related pages
Pricing and supply: current bitumen prices and global supply guide.
Country guides: Togo, Namibia, Mauritania, Brazil, South Africa and Iraq.
Grades: 60/70, 80/100, 50/70, 40/50, VG grades, polymer modified, oxidized, emulsion and cutback.
Reference: grade equivalence chart, export documentation guide and shelf life and storage guide.
Request a binding quotation
The figures above are indicative bands. For a proforma invoice matched to your grade, quantity, packing and discharge port, send us those four plus the standard your tender names — ASTM, EN, SANS, IS, ANP or a project specification. We confirm what the certificate of analysis will state before you commit, and flag any conformity certificate your market requires before shipment.
Dubai +971 4 566 4998 · Ankara +90 507 246 9520
All prices are indicative weekly market estimates in USD per metric tonne, built from our FOB Mersin base price plus route-specific ocean freight. They are not guaranteed offers and do not constitute a binding quotation. Final price is confirmed via proforma invoice and depends on order quantity, packing type, vessel availability and prevailing freight rates at the time of booking. Conformity scheme requirements change; confirm the current position with your customs broker before contracting.
