Preço do vergalhão de GFRP por pé e por kg nos EUA (detalhamento de custos para 2026)

When U.S. contractors, distributors or future plant owners talk to us, the first question is almost always the same:

“What is the real GFRP rebar price per foot – and how much does it actually cost to produce?”

Most public sources only show retail prices. In this article we go one step deeper and show a transparent cost example for the most popular size in the U.S. market:
#3 (3/8″) GFRP rebar, roughly equivalent to 10 mm diameter.

• We’ll convert everything into feet and pounds for the U.S. audience.
• We’ll use realistic, verifiable weights and market prices.
• And we’ll show why the true material cost per foot is only a few cents, which explains why a well-run plant can be extremely profitable.

Quick snapshot: current #3 GFRP rebar prices in the U.S.

Public pricing in late 2025 / early 2026 shows a fairly consistent picture:

• A typical U.S. supplier lists 3/8″ fiberglass rebar at about $0.30 per foot (sold in 20-foot bars). 
• Composite-Tech’s own market survey of distributors and fabricators shows retail prices for #3 fiberglass rebar in the range of $0.70–$0.90 per foot, with wholesale project pricing typically around $0.55–$0.65 per foot depending on volume and region.

So for a realistic U.S. project in 2026 you can think of #3 GFRP rebar price per foot as landing roughly in the $0.55–$0.85/ft bandwidth, once discounts and freight are taken into account.

That’s the selling price. Now let’s look at what’s actually inside each bar.

Step 1 – How much does #3 GFRP rebar weigh?

Different manufacturers publish slightly different weights for #3 / 10 mm GFRP bars, but they all sit in the same narrow corridor.

A typical GFRP rebar weight chart gives: 

• 10 mm GFRP rebar: about 0.150–0.150 kg per meter (we will use 0.157 kg/m as a conservative value from Composite-Tech’s engineering data)
• Converted to U.S. units, that’s roughly 0.10–0.11 lb per foot.

We will work with:

• Weight per meter: 0.157 kg/m
• Weight per foot: 0.157 kg/m × 0.3048 m/ft ≈ 0.048 kg/ft
• Converting to pounds: 0.048 kg × 2.205 ≈ 0.105 lb/ft

This is consistent with public #3 fiberglass rebar datasheets that quote ~0.10 lb/ft. 

For comparison, #3 carbon-steel rebar weighs about 0.376–0.38 lb/ft – nearly four times heavier. 

Step 2 – What is the bar made of?

To understand cost, we need to look inside the composite.

For structural GFRP rebar, it is common to have:

• Glass fiber: 70–80% by weight
• Resin (vinyl ester, polyester, epoxy): 20–30% by weight 

To keep the math simple and conservative, we’ll work with:

• 80% glass
• 20% resin

You asked to use the following realistic industrial prices:

• Resin: $3.00 per kg
• Glass fiber rovings: $0.50 per kg

These are representative bulk prices for large-volume buyers and they are reasonable for a plant operating at scale.

Step 3 – Raw material cost per kilogram of GFRP

We now calculate the blended material cost for 1 kg of finished GFRP composite.

Add them together:

$0.60 + $0.40 = $1.00 per kg of GFRP composite (≈ $0.45 per pound)

This is already a very low number: the “stuff” inside the bar costs about the same as a bottle of water per kilogram.

Step 4 – Raw material cost per meter of #3 GFRP rebar

We know:

• Weight per meter: 0.157 kg/m

To get the material cost per meter:

1. Multiply weight by composite cost per kg:
   • 0.157 kg/m × $1.00/kg = $0.157 per meter

So one meter of #3 GFRP rebar contains only about 15–16 cents of glass and resin.

Step 5 – Raw material cost per foot (for U.S. pricing)

Now convert this to cost per foot, which is what most American buyers care about.

1. One foot is 0.3048 m.
2. Weight per foot we already computed: ≈0.048 kg/ft.
3. Multiply by $1.00/kg:

0.048 kg/ft × $1.00/kg = $0.048 per foot

So the raw materials in one foot of #3 fiberglass rebar cost just under five cents.

Even if we assume more expensive resin or glass (say $4/kg resin and $0.80/kg glass), the matéria-prima cost would still be well under $0.08 per foot. The order of magnitude does not change: the physical ingredients are remarkably cheap.

Step 6 – Comparing cost and market price

Let’s put these numbers side by side:

• Raw material cost:
  ~$0.048 per ft (#3 GFRP, 80% glass, 20% resin)
• Typical wholesale selling price:
  ~$0.55–$0.65 per ft for large U.S. orders, depending on supplier and volume 
• Typical retail price:
  ~$0.70–$0.90 per ft in many U.S. building supply outlets, and in some cases around $0.30/ft at aggressive regional suppliers. 

Even conservatively, there is a 10–15× multiplier between raw material cost and retail price. That gap is what has to pay for:

• electricity and gas for ovens;
• labor;
• depreciation of equipment;
• plant overhead and maintenance;
• quality control and testing;
• packaging, freight and distribution;
• and finally, profit for the producer and dealer.

The key message, though, is simple:

The glass and resin inside a foot of #3 GFRP rebar cost only a few cents.
Everything else is process, efficiency and business model.

Step 7 – How does this compare with steel?

To understand why GFRP looks attractive, we should at least briefly compare it with traditional steel rebar.

Peso

• #3 steel rebar weighs about 0.376–0.38 lb/ft. 
• #3 GFRP rebar is about 0.105 lb/ft, roughly ¼ of the weight.

Isso significa:

• cheaper and easier handling on site
• lower shipping costs
• less dead load in the structure for some applications

Market prices

Steel rebar prices are extremely volatile and vary by location, size, and coating. Epoxy-coated or galvanized bars for aggressive environments are significantly more expensive than bare black bar. In many real-world bids that we see, #3 GFRP rebar ends up in the same price bucket as #3 epoxy-coated steel per foot – and sometimes lower once logistics and labor savings are counted.

When you combine:

• similar (or slightly higher) price per foot,
• much lower weight per foot, and
• no corrosion over the structure’s life,

GFRP becomes very interesting both for contractors and for owners thinking in life-cycle terms.

Step 8 – Why production on modern lines can be extremely profitable

Low raw-material cost by itself is not enough; you still need efficient production. This is where modern equipment, such as Composite-Tech lines, makes a big difference.

A few practical points from real plants:

• High throughput
  A typical Composite-Tech CT-6 line can produce on the order of tens of thousands of feet of #3 rebar per shift. That spreads fixed costs (labor, rent, basic overhead) over a huge volume of product.
• Reasonable power consumption
  Well-designed GFRP rebar lines for small diameters usually draw tens of kilowatts, not hundreds. In most U.S. regions, electricity becomes a relatively small fraction of cost per foot compared to resin, glass and logistics.
• Low labor per ton
  With proper automation, a small crew can run an entire line, which keeps labor cost per ton of rebar under control.

When you combine:

1. Raw material cost ≈ $0.048/ft,
2. Efficient production with modest energy and labor,
3. Wholesale selling price around $0.55–$0.65/ft,

you can see why serious investors are now looking at GFRP plants as an attractive business, not just a technical curiosity.

Step 9 – Context: the FRP rebar market is growing fast

All of this sits inside a rapidly growing global market.

Recent industry reports forecast that the FRP rebar market will grow from about $0.69 billion in 2025 to $1.19 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of roughly 11.5%. 

Key drivers are:

• the need for corrosion-free reinforcement in marine and coastal environments;
• water and wastewater infrastructure, where chemical exposure destroys steel;
• and the push for low-maintenance, long-life bridges and parking structures.

In other words, demand is not theoretical. It is being written into specifications by DOTs, utilities and large private owners.

What this means if you’re buying or producing GFRP rebar

If you’re a contractor or engineer:

• When you see GFRP rebar price per foot in a quote, remember that the material inside that bar is only a few cents.
• The premium you pay over steel is buying you corrosion resistance, lower weight and longer life, not “exotic materials”.

If you are a future plant owner or investor:

• There is a huge gap between raw material cost (~$0.048/ft) and market price (~$0.55–$0.85/ft) for #3 GFRP rebar.
• With the right equipment and quality system, that gap can translate into very healthy margins, even when you price aggressively to win projects.
• The global market is projected to keep growing through 2030 and beyond, driven by real infrastructure needs, not fashion.

Conclusão

Saber mais:

• Lucratividade do negócio de produção de vergalhões e telas de PRFV nos EUA
• Por que as barras de reforço de PRFV estão substituindo o aço em projetos de infraestrutura nos EUA?