Short answer: a standard 40kg bag of Portland cement costs roughly ₱240–₱300 in the Philippines in 2026, with most hardware-store quotes in cities clustering around ₱260–₱280. AEDO's own 2026 estimating figure is ₱270 per bag — the number our published calculators and cost guides use. Island provinces and areas far from a cement plant can run 15–25% higher, and bulk (per-pallet or truckload) orders price below single-bag retail.
Typical retail: ₱240–₱300 · City hardware median: ₱260–₱280 · AEDO estimating figure: ₱270 · Island provinces: +15–25%
Almost every cement bag in a Philippine hardware store is one of two types, and the label matters more than the brand:
Type 1P — Portland-Pozzolan (Blended)
The standard general-purpose bag. Part of the clinker is replaced with pozzolanic material, which makes it slightly cheaper, more workable, and slower to gain early strength — but it reaches comparable long-term strength. For most residential concrete, CHB mortar, and plaster, Type 1P is what you'll be handed unless you ask otherwise, and it's fine for the job.
Type 1 — Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
Pure Portland cement, typically a bit more expensive per bag than 1P. It gains strength faster, which matters for early formwork stripping, precast work, and schedules that load concrete young. Some structural specifications call for it explicitly — if your drawings or your engineer specify a cement type, follow the specification rather than the price tag.
Common brands — Holcim, Republic, Eagle, Cemex (APO) — all sell within the same general price band; the spread between brands at the same store is usually smaller than the spread between regions. One practical warning: check the bag weight before comparing prices. Most bags are 40kg, but some brands also sell 25kg bags, and a "cheaper" quote sometimes turns out to be a smaller bag.
| What | Bag | Typical price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1P (blended, general purpose) | 40kg | ₱240–₱280 |
| Type 1 (ordinary Portland) | 40kg | ₱260–₱300 |
| Metro Manila / major city hardware | 40kg | ₱260–₱280 typical |
| Island provinces / remote areas | 40kg | +15–25% over city price |
| Bulk / truckload orders | 40kg | below single-bag retail — negotiate |
Cross-referenced from published 2026 Philippine hardware and supplier price lists. Cement is heavy and cheap per kilo, so hauling distance from the nearest plant or port drives most of the regional spread.
Pick what you're building, enter the size, and get bags of cement (plus sand and gravel where relevant) with indicative cost.
Standard Philippine estimating figures for 40kg bags — the same factors our free calculator above uses:
| Work item | Cement factor | Also needs |
|---|---|---|
| Class A concrete (1:2:4) — footings, columns, slabs | 9.0 bags/m³ | 0.5 m³ sand + 1.0 m³ gravel per m³ |
| Class B concrete (1:2.5:5) — non-structural | 7.5 bags/m³ | 0.5 m³ sand + 1.0 m³ gravel per m³ |
| Class C concrete (1:3:6) — lean concrete, fill | 6.0 bags/m³ | 0.5 m³ sand + 1.0 m³ gravel per m³ |
| CHB laying mortar — 100mm (4") wall | 0.50 bags/m² | mortar sand |
| CHB laying mortar — 150mm (6") wall | 0.65 bags/m² | mortar sand |
| Plastering, 16–20mm, one side | ≈0.22 bags/m² | plaster sand |
To put that in house terms: a 3-bedroom bungalow with 150–180 m² of 100mm CHB wall uses roughly 75–90 bags for masonry mortar alone — before any structural concrete or plaster. Structural concrete for the same house (footings, columns, beams, slab) typically adds several hundred bags' worth of cement if site-mixed. This is why a ₱20–30 per-bag difference between suppliers is worth chasing on anything bigger than a repair job.
Cement is perishable. Bags absorb moisture from air and lose strength within months even in "dry" storage — lumpy cement has already partially hydrated and should not go into structural concrete. Buy in phase-sized batches, store bags off the ground on pallets, wrapped, and use oldest stock first.
Prices are cross-referenced from published 2026 Philippine hardware and supplier price lists and AEDO's own estimating data. Cement moves slower than steel, but regional spreads are large — always confirm your local per-bag and truckload price before finalizing a budget.
How much is a bag of cement in the Philippines in 2026?
Roughly ₱240–₱300 per 40kg bag, with city hardware quotes clustering around ₱260–₱280. Island provinces can run 15–25% higher.
What's the difference between Type 1 and Type 1P?
Type 1 is pure ordinary Portland cement; Type 1P is blended Portland-pozzolan — slightly cheaper, more workable, slower early strength, comparable long-term strength. Type 1P is the standard general-purpose bag; follow your drawings if they specify a type.
How many bags of cement per cubic meter of concrete?
Class A (1:2:4): ~9.0 bags/m³. Class B (1:2.5:5): ~7.5 bags/m³. Class C (1:3:6): ~6.0 bags/m³ — each with ~0.5 m³ sand and ~1.0 m³ gravel per m³.
Is it cheaper to site-mix or order ready-mix concrete?
For small pours, site-mix with bagged cement is usually cheaper. For large or continuous pours, ready-mix becomes competitive once you count labor, mixing time, and quality consistency — see our ready-mix price guide for the comparison.
AEDO's design-build service includes material sourcing and quality control for cement and every other structural component — under one contract, for projects located in Negros Oriental. For projects elsewhere in the Philippines, AEDO provides complete design (architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing) with remote engineering oversight, and can refer you to a vetted local contractor for the actual construction.