Paraffin price: the maximum a shop may charge

The paraffin price at the shop is capped at R35.48 a litre until 1 December, the single maximum national retail price. Enter what you buy in a month.

Example: 20 litres a month· change a figure to see yours

Most you can be charged a month

R710

R35.48 a litre, single maximum national retail price until 1 December 2026

From 2 December 2026 (estimate)R635
Wholesale price, GautengR27.22 a litre
In October 2026R636
How this is computed

Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimate is made

Illuminating paraffin, used for cooking, heating and light in many South African homes, has two regulated prices. The wholesale price, R27.22 a litre in Gauteng and R26.17 at the coast since 4 November 2026, is what depots charge traders. The single maximum national retail price (SMNRP), R35.48 a litre, is the most any shop in the country may charge a household. Both rose sharply in 2026: the maximum went from R15.29 in February to R37.10 in May, because paraffin carries no fuel levy, so the levy relief granted on petrol and diesel did not apply to it. The Central Energy Fund sheet of 11 November 2026 shows an over-recovery of +174c so far on paraffin. Carried to the close of the window, the wholesale price would fall by about +281c, and the shop maximum by about +374c to R31.74 from 2 December 2026. Twenty litres a month would cost up to R635 instead of R710.

Paraffin price in 2026, statement by statement

Each statement of the Central Energy Fund sets the change in the wholesale price of illuminating paraffin and the new single maximum national retail price. The table lists both for every change of 2026.

CEF media statements of 2026. Wholesale change in cents a litre; maximum retail price per litre, national.
Change ofWholesale changeMaximum retail priceRand to the dollar
7 January 2026-110cR15.98R16.85
4 February 2026-53cR15.29R16.31
4 March 2026+44cR15.87R16.00
1 April 2026+1,167cR31.47R16.64
6 May 2026+422cR37.10R16.65
3 June 2026-596cR29.15R16.52
1 July 2026-523cR22.18R16.38
5 August 2026+152cR24.21R16.46
2 September 2026+213cR27.05R16.21
7 October 2026+358cR31.82R16.21
4 November 2026+275cR35.48R16.55

From the wholesale price to the shop maximum

The maximum retail price is built on the wholesale price and adds the margins allowed to the distributor and the retailer. Illuminating paraffin is zero-rated for VAT. In each statement from February to November 2026 the maximum moved by more than the wholesale change. Over the statements of 2026 where both moved, the maximum changed by 1.33 times the wholesale change on average. That ratio is what this site uses for December: it is a rule of thumb read in the statements, not a published formula.

The wholesale price is R27.22 in Gauteng, R26.17 at the coast. It carries no fuel levy, no Road Accident Fund levy and no slate levy. The landed cost accounts for R24.48 of it this month, the rest being margins, storage and transport.

Paraffin wholesale on 2 December

Example: illuminating paraffin (wholesale), levy relief ending as announced, CEF data to 11 November 2026· Change the fuel or the assumptions to see another estimate

Illuminating paraffin (wholesale), estimated from 2 December 2026 (Gauteng wholesale price)

R24.41

-R2.81 a litre (-281c) on today’s R27.22 · coast R23.36

Over-recovery so far (average from 30 October 2026)+174c a litre
Latest day (11 November 2026)+369c over
Window average projected to the close+281c over
A 20-litre tankR544 now, R488 then
Full calculator: December 2026 estimate →

Paying less than the maximum

The maximum is a ceiling, not a set price: a shop may charge less, and prices vary from one outlet to the next. Compare the price per litre, not per bottle, since bottle sizes differ. If a shop charges more than R35.48 a litre, it breaks the regulated maximum, and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources is the authority to report it to.

For other household fuels, the LPG gas page gives the maximum price of a cylinder refill, and the coast against inland page shows the zone gap on the wholesale price.

Questions drivers ask

Tap a question to see the answer.

What is the maximum price of paraffin per litre?

R35.48 a litre from 4 November 2026 to 1 December 2026, anywhere in South Africa. A shop may sell for less but not for more. The figure adds the margins of the distributor and the shop to the wholesale price, which is why it sits well above the wholesale price of R27.22 in Gauteng.

Why did paraffin go up in November when petrol stayed flat?

Petrol and diesel received a fuel levy relief in November; paraffin pays no fuel levy, so there was nothing to cut. It took its full under-recovery of +274c a litre for the window, and the shop maximum rose from R31.82 to R35.48.

Will paraffin be cheaper in December 2026?

On the CEF figures to 11 November 2026, yes. The wholesale price would fall by about +281c and, if the maximum retail price moves as it did in 2026, the shop maximum would drop to about R31.74 a litre. The end of the levy relief does not affect paraffin.

Next steps

LPG gas

The maximum price of LPG per kilogram inland and at the coast, and what a 9, 19 or 48 kg refill may cost.

Diesel

Diesel 500 ppm and 50 ppm wholesale prices, why diesel should rise on 2 December while petrol falls, and what it means for a bakkie.

December 2026 estimate

Next month’s petrol, diesel and paraffin prices from the Central Energy Fund figures to date, with every assumption you can change.

Basic Fuel Price and recoveries

How the Central Energy Fund measures over- and under-recovery each business day, and how the window average becomes next month’s change.

Central Energy Fund, Department and Reserve Bank documents behind this page (4)

Every price, levy and rate on this page was read in these documents on 13 November 2026.

Compiled by

Independent publisher of South African fuel price and interest rate calculators built on Central Energy Fund and Reserve Bank figures. Paid by no oil company, bank or lender: no commission, no affiliate link, no paid placement.

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Next month figures are estimates built from the latest Central Energy Fund data and stated assumptions; the official price is announced by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources a few days before the change. Diesel and paraffin prices are wholesale prices: your pump may charge more.