Cable prices going up. Anywhere to buy in bulk?

[HappyHippyDad]

I've had quite a bit of cable stored up so haven't had to buy any for a while. The prices look crazy!

I don't mind spending a few thousand on buying in bulk as you save hundreds. Is there anywhere that people use to buy in bulk? I'll try rexel on Monday but they're not usually the best for prices with twin and earth.

What sort of prices are you guys getting for 1mm - 6mm twin and earth?

Hope you're all having a relaxing Sunday! ?

 

[westward10]

I fear everyone is still ignoring your gentle push ?.
Q "Hi, where can I buy bulk cable?"
A "Get a tracker mortgage"
??

Unfortunately there are some people on here who could bore the arse off a corpse.

 

[SJD]

Personally I try not to have too much stock of cable, unless buying for a specific job, maybe 1 spare reel of common sizes in addition to the reel in use. Prices can go down as well as up. And I'd be wary of having a large stock somewhere waiting to be lifted by some low life.

So I buy one or two reels at a time, from whoever has the best price at the time, which right now seems to vary a lot, sometimes a wholesaler, sometimes Screwfix or Toolstation.

 

[Risteard]

Oddly my local CEF are hard to beat on price for T&E. Better than screwfix every time.

I took a punt that cable prices would be going high and staying high earlier in the year (to be fair, it looked an easy and obvious bet based on what way it was going), and bought a heck of a lot of it. 2.5 was £45+VAT, 1.5 was £29.50+VAT and 1.0 was £23+VAT. The savings are countered by the storage space taken up (and the risk if it comes down in price I'm stuck with more expensive cable). When I've exhausted this stock, I'll not be doing it again. I'm on a long term sabbatical from new builds or rewires (lifetime ban on occupied rewires), the amount of cable used on kitchens, refurbs, bathrooms isn't too epic in the scheme of things. Costs will just be passed on to customers.

I always find CEF best for cable too.

 

[Zerax]

I do believe mortgage lenders are meant to stress test you for rates at 5% when deciding affordability... Not sure if this is still done?

They currently use 5.5% for Buy-to-let mortgages.

 

[littlespark]

I’ll second Screwfix for good prices. 2 weeks ago I bought a drum of 1.5 t&e, 1.5 3 core and 2.5 t&e when I didn’t really need it… just as spare drums for the van…

Last weekend there was a 10% off everything offer, so I got another 6 drums, on top of a load of fittings for a job specced by the customer which I won’t need for about a month.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Bank of England governor hints at November rate rise

Andrew Bailey has given his clearest hint yet that the Bank of England is about to raise interest rates in an attempt to combat a jump in inflation.

uk.yahoo.com

 

[pc1966]

I would not bulk-buy "just in case" as you might lose out or get it stolen. However, if you have a big job costed and very likely to come up then advance-buying the cable at the prices you quoted is one option.

For projects / products that use a lot of copper, etc, it is not uncommon to give a quote based on the London Metal Exchange price being in a certain range of the value on the day the quote was done.

For smaller projects you might want to add a comment on the cable costs so the customer knows the basis of your pricing so any changes are fair. For example if you quote your price with cable separate (say using Screwfix T&E costs they can check up on) separately from labour, then you can let them know the labour is fixed but cable might change if it takes them weeks/months to decide.

 

[123]

If looking to bulk buy may want to get on with it soon, as looks like another price hike in cable isn't far off...price of copper per tonne is jumping up

 

[Dustydazzler]

Sod mable prices , this is far more alarming news...?

Price of pint to increase by 30p as supply shortages drive up costs

£6 pint set to become the norm in London, industry leaders say

uk.finance.yahoo.com

 

[LukeD]

I would not bulk-buy "just in case" as you might lose out or get it stolen. However, if you have a big job costed and very likely to come up then advance-buying the cable at the prices you quoted is one option.

For projects / products that use a lot of copper, etc, it is not uncommon to give a quote based on the London Metal Exchange price being in a certain range of the value on the day the quote was done.

For smaller projects you might want to add a comment on the cable costs so the customer knows the basis of your pricing so any changes are fair. For example if you quote your price with cable separate (say using Screwfix T&E costs they can check up on) separately from labour, then you can let them know the labour is fixed but cable might change if it takes them weeks/months to decide.

THis ..... Since the beginning of this global farce .I have put in quotes that all materials that need to be provided will only be estimated and the actual cost will be made clear at each stage of purchase .Not only that but the extra time to source them needs to be mentioned . I know a few guys doing a refurb that got treated terribly by a client who insisted they kept the quote price despite it been national news that plaster etc was like gold dust . They ended up binning the job and went to work for more reasonable customers

 

[7029 dave]

Cain& Able prices are crazy

 

[Dustydazzler]

Time to start wiring sockets in 1.5 ?

 

[7029 dave]

Time to start wiring sockets in 1.5 ?

Dont be silly DD ??

 

[ferg]

How long is it before we go back to running a ring with a joint box for every socket.

 

[littlespark]

I'm using wet string... much cheaper

 

[Dustydazzler]

I'm using wet string... much cheaper

Bell Wire

 

[bigspark17]

I’ll second Screwfix for good prices. 2 weeks ago I bought a drum of 1.5 t&e, 1.5 3 core and 2.5 t&e when I didn’t really need it… just as spare drums for the van…

Last weekend there was a 10% off everything offer, so I got another 6 drums, on top of a load of fittings for a job specced by the customer which I won’t need for about a month.

Why are prople still
Using 1.5mm domestically lol

 

[Lister1987]

Tried direct to manufacturers? Doncaster, Eland etc

 

[mattg4321]

Why are prople still
Using 1.5mm domestically lol

Totally unnecessary for domestic lighting circuits in most cases and makes fitting things like dimmers a pain if 2 way etc

 

[LukeD]

Totally unnecessary for domestic lighting circuits in most cases and makes fitting things like dimmers a pain if 2 way etc

This... Yet is done so often

 

[littlespark]

The list would have been too long if I mentioned t&e and 3core in the 1.0 sizes as well.
1.5 for circuits other than lighting, running through insulation, etc….

That’s all by-the-by. The thread is about pricing not choice of whether 1.0mm can be used instead of 1.5……. Although it will be cheaper

 

[Dustydazzler]

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Time to start wiring sockets in 1.5 ?

I was going to suggest 2 core 1mm the cpc just gets in the way anyway, besides we all know as long as you have an RCD its kosher!

 

[Dustydazzler]

I was going to suggest 2 core 1mm the cpc just gets in the way anyway, besides we all know as long as you have an RCD its kosher!

We are getting into BellWire territory

 

[Lister1987]

We are getting into BellWire territory

Bellend Wire surely? You'd have to be a bellend to wire anything other than doorbells up with it? ?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Has mable price really gone up that much ? in the past 15 years

Doing some clearing out as I have this arvo off work and found this old wholesalers book from 2003/4 and 2.5 drums 100m were £38.75 + vat (£46 all in)

£71 quid today , thats not that big a price increase... Is it ?

 

[7029 dave]

When I first started a drum of 2.5 T&E inclusive of VAT was £25. ?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Yes , I recently threw out a bunch of old Eddies invoices and 2.5 was £20 + vat back when I started out self employed around 2000/2001

I remember working cards in before this and I think 2.5 was about 17 quid , I don't remember it being less that that but it probably was even cheaper in the 1980s

 

[7029 dave]

Yes , I recently threw out a bunch of old Eddies invoices and 2.5 was £20 + vat back when I started out self employed around 2000/2001

I remember working cards in before this and I think 2.5 was about 17 quid , I don't remember it being less that that but it probably was even cheaper in the 1980s

Cant remember in the 80's because was on the cards didnt buy much cable just took a bit lol, however did buy 100m of 1mm think it was under £6.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Cant remember in the 80's because was on the cards didnt buy much cable just took a bit lol, however did buy 100m of 1mm think it was under £6.

Yeah that probably sounds about right , I throw away some old invoices that showed I was paying around £8 + vat for 100m of 1mm t&e

I remember back when cards in and cable was so cheap that the boss knew we all would use cable for weekend homers but as it was so cheap he turned a blind eye to it

If anything thou I would say labourer rates have far out stripped cable rates in recent years

15 years ago I was invoicing my labour at £15 ph sometimes 20 if i could get away with it , you can't even get a cleaner for that now

most sparks are £70-80 per hour now if not more

even at todays materials prices 80% of the cost of a rewire will be labour ?