Tag Archive for ‘Building Materials’

Building Materials Prices Increase 1.5% in December, Lumber Volatility at 75-Year High

The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 1.5% in December (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index was driven higher by large price increases for wood products. Building materials prices increased 15.9% in 2021 and have risen 18.6% since December 2020. Since declining 1.8% between July… Read More ›

Paint, Steel, and Services Prices Set Records, Drive PPI for Residential Construction Inputs Higher

The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 1.8% in November (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The monthly increase was driven by price increases in nearly every product category. Building materials prices have increased 14.1% year-to-date, more than tripling the November YTD increase of… Read More ›

Falling Lumber, Concrete Prices Offset Steel Increases in September

Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy decreased 0.8% in September (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The decrease was largely driven by lower lumber and concrete products prices and was the second monthly decline since the start of the last recession.  The price index of… Read More ›

Building Materials Prices Climbing at Record Year-To-Date Pace

Prices paid for goods used in residential construction ex-energy rose 0.2% in July after climbing 3.0% in June (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Building materials (i.e., inputs to residential construction less food and energy) prices have declined just twice since December 2019 and have increased 19.4% over the… Read More ›

Most Common Exteriors On New Homes are Stucco and Vinyl in 2020

According to the data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), stucco was the most common principal exterior material on new single-family homes started in 2020 (28 percent),  followed by Vinyl siding (26 percent), fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard (21 percent), brick or brick veneer (19 percent). Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last year had wood… Read More ›

Price of OSB Up More Than 500% Since January 2020

Framing lumber prices garnered more attention than any other building material over the past year as prices quadrupled between April 2020 and May 2021.  But even as lumber prices decline, the spotlight on lumber continues to crowd out the story of meteoric price increases of another wood product integral to the integrity of a building’s structure—oriented strand board (OSB). The… Read More ›