Manufacturers of roofing materials are ready for possible surge in demand for the reconstruction of houses saying none of their highly underutilized plants has been affected by the typhoon that they can produce GI sheets at pre-calamity price levels.

Salvio Perez, president of the Filipino Galvanizers’ Institute, said this in light of the inclusion of roofing materials as among the construction materials placed by the Department of Trade and Industry under the list of basic and prime commodities, which prices are placed under price freeze.

“There is no supply problem and I don’t see why prices of roofing materials should increase,” Perez said.

Under a state of calamity, prices of products covered by the price control order should remain at their pre-calamity level. Based on the suggested retail prices of basic and prime commodities published by the DTI for NCR, prices of corrugated GI sheet 0.4 mm width Z125 (gauge 26x32x8) is P51 (Apo brand), P24 (Galvalume), P56 (Galvamet). The corrugated GI sheet with 0.2 width Z125 (gauge 31x32x8) is P51 (Galvalume brand).

Roofs are most common housing components that get easily destroyed during typhoons. Corrugated GI sheets are also the most commonly used kind of roofing material for mass housing.