The best way to find the cost of various construction materials is to consult local suppliers, hardware stores, and online platforms for up-to-date price lists. Additionally, networking with contractors, checking industry reports, and using construction cost estimation software can provide valuable insights into current market prices.
A unique price for a material does not exist. What is valid in one country is not valid in another. There are obvious reasons that explain this.
In the construction sector, on a chosen site, the practice of asking for at least 3 offers for the purchase of materials, products, systems, services or works is still the most widespread (and often mandatory) in many contracting bodies or companies, not only in Western economies. Obviously such a practice implies - especially for projects of large amounts and with a long completion time - the ability to technically specify what you wish to purchase, also taking into account a whole series of constraints (commercial, currency, regulatory, adherence to standards and international codes, financial codes, etc.). It is not uncommon that where public institutions are involved, there may be price lists developed by the country's civil engineering institutions, or chambers of commerce, to which these public institutions refer. Or it may be these same institutions (or enterprises) that directly develop over time, and through the history of their construction experiences, actual price lists (to be constantly updated) to evaluate the results of their tenders for the assignment of contracts. Sometimes there exists in these same institutions a rigid and severe procedure for the preparation of requests for offers and the evaluation of the results of the tenders carried out. It goes without saying that the more numerous the requests for offers, the less the result provided by the average price is affected by errors. The average price can also be obtained on the basis of a specific algorithm made known to bidders during the tender, which also provides for the exclusion of the bid with the highest price and the one with the lowest price, to limit the risks associated with the choice of an unsuitable supplier or contractor. This risk, however, can in fact be mitigated through a preventive analysis of the potential and capabilities of the supplier or contractor, even before inviting him to submit the offer in question.
Alternatively and in a completely theoretical way, a price analysis can be developed which takes into account at least the unit costs of labour, work equipment, raw materials, energy, production plants, transport, etc. But it would only be pure exercise without any reference to the price values that are actually charged on the local, national, regional and international market.
Have a look at this. (Its just an example, even if its in Italian).