Ever tried budgeting for a road project when the main ingredient changes price like a nervous weather vane? That’s bitumen in a nutshell. It’s the sticky black glue holding our highways, airport runways, and waterproof roofs together. When its price shifts by even a few dollars per tonne, contractors feel it in their margins almost immediately.
October is a particularly interesting month. Crews in colder regions are racing to finish their paving before winter, while buyers in parts of Asia are gearing up for a post-rain construction surge. Two very different demand stories collide at once. So let’s unpack what’s happening, what it means for your purchasing decisions, and how to approach suppliers like Aljabal Holding with sharper questions.
Think of October as the last call at the bar for northern paving seasons. Asphalt needs warm, dry conditions to lay properly. Once temperatures drop, contractors can’t do much until spring. That deadline pressure often tightens short-term demand and gives sellers a bit more confidence when quoting.
You’re probably searching for a specific number tied to Aljabal Holding. Here’s the honest picture: I couldn’t find a public, dated price list from Aljabal Holding itself. Plenty of traders publish open price boards, but this company doesn’t appear to be one of them. Anything claiming to be “Aljabal’s October price” without a source or a direct quotation should make you pause.
What you can do is use verified market benchmarks to judge whether any offer you receive is fair. That’s the real value of knowing the market. A quote only means something when you can compare it against what everyone else is charging.
Skip the vague emails. When you contact Aljabal Holding, or any supplier, spell out the details:
Specific requests get specific answers, and they make quotes much easier to compare.
Bitumen has no single global price. It’s a patchwork of regional markets, each with its own supply, demand, and logistics story. Here’s a snapshot of what recent data shows.
One industry guide put indicative global export prices between roughly USD 500 and USD 895 per metric tonne as of May 2026, depending on origin, grade, packaging, shipment method, and Incoterm. That’s a huge spread. It tells you straight away that “the bitumen price” depends heavily on where you stand and what you’re buying.
Mersin in Turkey is a widely watched loading point. One supplier’s board, updated in the second week of September 2026, listed 60/70 grade in drums at about $570 per tonne FOB, with jumbo bags around $560. The same supplier lists 80/100 at the same levels. Another trader’s board, which is roughly two months older, showed Mersin drum pricing noticeably higher at around $640 for 60/70 (Bitumen price list). The gap shows how quickly offers move and why the date on any quote matters.
Asia-Pacific is where the tightness is showing. Reports from early September described Singapore bitumen prices firming on tight supply, with one major trader lifting its bid from $655 to $660 per tonne FOB without attracting sellers. The same report warned that October supply could stay limited, with domestic September prices around $710 to $750 per tonne ex-refinery.
Put those pieces together and you get a clear contrast. Mediterranean and Turkish quotes look comparatively soft, while Singapore looks firm.
Bitumen is what’s left at the bottom of the barrel, so crude oil is the master driver. When crude falls, bitumen usually follows, though with a lag. A guide on 2025-2026 pricing noted that Brent dipped to $62 to $65 per barrel in October and November 2025, and bitumen prices in Northeast Asia and Europe fell with it. Crude has been volatile in 2026, so keep an eye on it before locking anything in.
Refinery behavior matters too. Many refiners now squeeze more valuable fuels out of each barrel, leaving less residue for bitumen. Lower output means tighter supply, even when demand isn’t spectacular.
According to one pricing guide, paving demand in the Northern Hemisphere peaks from April to October. By mid-October, buying slows in colder markets. Terminals start thinking about winter storage rather than fresh orders, which can soften European prices.
The same source points out that in South and Southeast Asia, the October to December rebound after the monsoon is a significant demand driver. Roadwork that sat idle for months suddenly restarts, and everyone wants material at once. That’s why Asian prices can climb while European ones drift.
Shipping rates, port congestion, and sudden outages can add or subtract serious money from a delivered price. Weather plays a part, too. In Malaysia, for instance, haze reportedly slowed demand by delaying roadwork. A buyer chasing cargo in that region might actually find a little more room to negotiate.
Not every tonne is equal. Here’s how the common categories compare, using 60/70 as the baseline:
Packaging matters just as much. Bulk shipments are the cheapest per tonne, but they need proper storage and unloading facilities. Jumbo bags and drums cost more, yet they suit smaller projects and remote sites. If you’re only buying a few hundred tonnes, the convenience of drums can easily outweigh the premium.
A price-tracking service covering July through September 2026 flagged bearish conditions for 60/70 grade at Augusta in Italy and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, stable pricing in Singapore, and a stable to mildly bearish picture in South Korea. Turkish refinery-gate prices at Izmit and Kirikkale were also marked bearish across several grades.
What does that mean for October? If those trends hold, Mediterranean and Turkish supply could stay competitive, while Asia may remain the tighter story. Still, markets turn quickly. A refinery outage or a crude spike can flip the script within days. Treat any outlook as a compass, not a map.
You can’t control the market, but you can control how you shop. A few habits make a real difference:
Buyers trip over the same stones again and again. Some chase the lowest sticker price and ignore freight, insurance, or payment terms. Others forget that quoted prices usually carry a tolerance. Many boards list figures with a plus or minus of a few dollars. And plenty of people skip supplier verification entirely, which is risky in a market with thousands of traders.
Be cautious about anyone who won’t put terms in writing. Reliable sellers are comfortable with documentation, inspection rights, and clear contracts. If a deal feels rushed, slow it down.
October 2026 looks like a month of contrasts. Mediterranean and Turkish export quotes appear relatively soft, with recent boards near $570 per tonne FOB for 60/70, while Singapore and parts of Asia-Pacific show firmer, tighter conditions. Seasonal demand is fading in the north and rebuilding in South and Southeast Asia, and crude oil remains the wild card behind everything.
For anyone dealing with Aljabal Holding, the smartest move is to ask for a dated, detailed quote and weigh it against the benchmarks above. Don’t rely on one number. Compare, verify, and keep your timing flexible, and you’ll be in a far stronger position than the buyer who simply takes the first price offered.
It depends on origin and packaging. A recent Mersin board showed roughly $560 to $570 per tonne FOB for jumbo bags and drums, while Singapore bids sat near $660 per tonne FOB in early September. Always request a fresh quote.
I couldn’t find a public, dated price list from Aljabal Holding. Contact the company directly with your grade, volume, packaging, Incoterm, and destination to get a current quotation.
Local supply, refinery output, freight costs, seasonal demand, and trade rules all vary by region. That’s why global export prices can span hundreds of dollars per tonne.
It can be. Northern demand is winding down, which may soften some European and Mediterranean prices, but Asian demand picks up after the monsoon. Your destination largely decides whether the timing helps you.
Compare it against several recent public price boards and check the date, grade, packaging, and Incoterm. Then ask the supplier to explain any large difference.
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