Eucalyptus Pole Prices in Uganda (Dated Ranges)
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
The only dated pole price we could verify is a consultant range of UGX 15,000 to 50,000 per building pole (August 2026), which is indicative and unsourced. It gives no figure for utility-grade poles. A separate 2024 report put a mature 10-year-old tree at UGX 20,000 to about 30,000. We found no transaction data, so all figures here are asking or reported prices.
- Building pole, indicative range
- UGX 15,000-50,000 per pole (EUCA Eco Consults, August 2026)
- Utility-grade pole
- No figure published; "substantially above" building poles (same source)
- Mature 10-year-old tree, reported
- UGX 20,000 to about 30,000 (InfoNile, August 2024)
- Our listings
- No forest listings yet (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026)
How much is a eucalyptus pole in Uganda?
There is no official price list for eucalyptus poles in Uganda, and we found no 2025 or 2026 survey of transaction prices. What exists is a handful of ranges from consultants and news reports. We list each with its date and say how much weight it can bear. If you are told a pole costs a single number, ask the length, top diameter, whether it is treated, and where it is delivered, because those four things move the price more than the month.
| Item | Range (UGX) | Date | Source and caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eucalyptus building pole | 15,000 to 50,000 per pole | August 2026 | EUCA Eco Consults price note. The page cites no source and says the ranges reflect transactions it works with. Indicative, not an offer. |
| Large or transmission-grade pole | No figure | August 2026 | Same note: "substantially above" building poles, depending on length class, treatment and specification. |
| Mature 10-year-old eucalyptus or pine tree (standing) | 20,000 minimum; about 30,000 average | August 2024 | InfoNile, quoting growers after the timber export ban. About 200 trees to an acre; acre as low as UGX 6 million. |
| Eucalyptus seedling, seed-grown | 300 to 900 | August 2026 | EUCA Eco Consults; clonal seedlings UGX 800 to 2,500. |
All of these are asking or reported prices, not recorded sales. None is a guarantee of what your trees will fetch.
Why do the published figures conflict?
They describe different things. The August 2026 range is per cut building pole, the 2024 figure is per standing tree, and a standing tree may yield one utility pole, several building poles or only firewood depending on its grade. The 2024 price was also reported after the timber export ban, when demand from veneer mills had stopped; see Uganda Timber Export Ban and Pine Prices. Older figures may describe a different market, so use dated, recent evidence.
- Standing or cut? A standing tree must still be felled, cross-cut and hauled by the buyer.
- Treated or raw? Treated poles carry the plant's costs and margin.
- Delivery point: a pole at the farm gate is worth less than one in a Kampala market.
- Grade mix: a woodlot sold by the acre mixes poles, small poles and firewood.
What is the difference between transmission and building poles?
Trade usage differs from the standard. A building or fencing pole is a smaller, straight stem sold to builders and traders. A utility pole must meet EAS 322:2002, which sets seasoning, preservative and size requirements. The power distribution classes in that standard run from 9 to 14 m, with minimum diameters 1.5 m from the butt of 200 to 340 mm. The detail is in Utility Poles and EAS 322: Specs Explained. Buyers and sellers often say "transmission pole" for any large utility pole; no Act we found defines the term.
| Pole type | Typical age to reach it (consultant view) | What the buyer measures |
|---|---|---|
| Firewood or charcoal | 3 to 5 years | Volume and weight |
| Scaffold or formwork poles | 4 to 6 years | Length and straightness |
| Building poles | 5 to 8 years | Top diameter at a stated length |
| Transmission or utility poles | 8 to 12 years | Length class, top diameter, straightness, treatability |
The ages come from an EUCA Eco Consults guide of August 2026 for E. grandis and GU clones on a good, weeded central Uganda site. It cites no external sources, so treat them as one consultant's view. Poor sites add years.
How does this differ from pine timber prices?
Eucalyptus poles are sold by the piece and by class. Pine is sold by the cubic metre or by log grade, and its value lies in sawlogs and boards. They are different markets with different buyers and rotation lengths, so we keep them on separate pages. See pine timber price for sawlog and sawn evidence.
What do our own listings show?
Nothing yet. The Land & Property snapshot of 3 November 2026 holds 93 published listings, none of them forest listings (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026). Forest listings on our site sell the trees only, land not included, and show acreage planted, price per acre, estimated number of trees, price per tree and tree age. Once sellers publish them, we will report the spread of asking prices by tree age, with the number of listings behind each figure, in the same way our Uganda Property Price Index (Our Listings, Dated) does for land.
That is the method we intend to use for a tree price index: dated asking prices from our own verified listings, no averaging of unrelated sources, and a stated sample size beside every figure. With zero listings the sample size is zero, so we publish no index now. Anything calling itself a "monthly price index" without a sample count should be read as an opinion.
How should I use these ranges?
- Treat them as a starting point for a question to a buyer, not a price to accept.
- Count and measure your trees. A buyer will price the grade mix, not the average.
- Test your numbers with the Eucalyptus Pole Yield Calculator and compare with Who Buys Eucalyptus Poles in Uganda?
- If you want to sell, list your trees for sale, land not included. Agree the harvesting deadline with the buyer; it is negotiable.
A 2025 Makerere undergraduate study of the Bwaise, Nateete and Nsangi markets found selling poles more profitable than selling firewood, although its abstract gives no per-pole prices. This page is information, not financial advice, and no yield or return is guaranteed. You can browse forest and tree listings and see Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda for how trees-only sales work.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a eucalyptus pole?
A consultant range published in August 2026 puts building poles at UGX 15,000 to 50,000 each, and gives no figure for utility-grade poles. It is indicative, cites no source and is not an offer. Length, diameter, straightness, treatment and delivery point all change the price.
Why do pole prices vary?
Published figures describe different things: cut poles, standing trees, treated or raw, farm gate or city market. Prices also vary by district, season, fuel cost and road access. A stand sold by the acre mixes grades, so the average per tree is lower than the price of a good pole.
What was a mature eucalyptus tree worth after the export ban?
InfoNile reported in August 2024 that a 10-year-old eucalyptus or pine tree sold for as little as UGX 20,000, around UGX 30,000 on average, and an acre of about 200 mature trees for as little as UGX 6 million. These are reported figures, not recorded sales.
Is there an official eucalyptus pole price list?
We found none. Treatment plants, traders and other buyers set their own prices. Be careful with anyone presenting a single national price as official.
Can I rely on old newspaper prices?
Not on their own. Prices moved sharply after the 2023 export ban, so a figure from before 2023 may not describe today's market. Use dated figures from the last year or two and always ask a buyer for a written offer before relying on any figure.
Sources
- Tree prices in Uganda (indicative ranges, August 2026), EUCA Eco Consults (accessed 2026-11)
- Eucalyptus rotation age in Uganda (August 2026), EUCA Eco Consults (accessed 2026-11)
- Museveni timber export ban bites, technocrats blame Chinese veneer processors, InfoNile (accessed 2026-11)
- EAS 322:2002 Wood poles and blocks for power and telecommunication lines - Specification, East African Community / law.resource.org (accessed 2026-11)
- A comparative financial analysis of selling eucalyptus as construction poles or firewood in Wakiso and Kampala, Makerere University dissertations repository (accessed 2026-11)