Sawblades and retipping costs are surging. It will get worse.

Sawmillers and woodworkers across South Africa are already experiencing sharp increases in sawblade and retipping costs. But speakers at the South African Saw Doctors Education Association (SASDEA) conference, echoed by Sawmilling South Africa Executive Director Roy Southey, warn that this is not temporary. It marks the start of a sustained structural rise.

Suppliers and sharpening services are not the cause. While mark-ups apply, they do not explain the steep increases since January 2026. The message is clear: prices will continue to rise.

The real drivers are two key materials: tungsten carbide and silver.

Tungsten carbide, essential for cutting tips, is the main culprit. As global tungsten prices rise, these increases flow directly into blade manufacturing and repairs, further impacted by currency volatility.
At the same time, silver that is used to braze carbide tips to steel blades is also volatile, influenced by oil prices and US inflation expectations.

The impact is evident. Robert Welsh, Director of Saw Specialists in Durban, says over the past several months, the global cost of tungsten carbide has continued to rise significantly, with a 60% increase in February, and an additional 10% increase already this March.

Tungsten is heavily used in modern munitions, where it is consumed and removed from supply. Ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, along with stockpiling by major powers, are accelerating demand.

SASDEA’s new committee, led by Stefan Botha of Tekwani Sawmills, emphasises that this is not a short-term spike but a structural shift. Global supply constraints are tightening the market. Chinese export controls, war-driven demand, and years of underinvestment in mining are limiting tungsten availability.

China holds 80% of the world’s tungsten supply and has imposed export controls since 2024, banning the export of all dual-use commodities, including tungsten, antimony, and gallium, to US military end-users and for military applications. Global defence forces are outbidding commercial users for the remaining supply.

In a letter to Saw Specialist customers, Robert says the latest price for APT (Ammonium Paratungstate) in Europe has reached 2500 USD/MTU (R5,000 per kg).

“Our suppliers are now adjusting prices every fortnight with surcharges applicable at shipment. Current expert opinion suggests that prices will continue to rise through 2026, with new mines coming online in 2027 to bring the market back to stability. This increase directly affects the manufacturing cost of many of the products in our range that rely heavily on this raw material”, Robert explains.

The forestry and woodworking sectors are directly exposed, and any operation using tungsten-tipped tools will be affected. Bandsaw blade pricing is not affected.