Building materials made of steel, copper and other metals had some of the highest price growth rates in the U.S. in the first half of 2025 in comparison to the previous year. The growth rate of the cost of several construction materials was slightly lower than in late 2024. It is important to note, though, that the figures provided are Producer Price Indices, which cover production within the United States, but do not include imports or tariffs. This might matter for lumber, as Canada's wood production is normally large enough that the U.S. can import it from its neighboring country. Construction material prices in the United Kingdom Similarly to these trends in the U.S., at that time the price growth rate of construction materials in the UK were generally lower 2024 than in 2023. Nevertheless, the cost of some construction materials in the UK still rose that year, with several of those items reaching price growth rates of over **** percent. Considering that those materials make up a very big share of the costs incurred for a construction project, those developments may also have affected the average construction output price in the UK. Construction material shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there often were supply problems and material shortages, which created instability in the construction market. According to a survey among construction contractors, the construction materials most affected by shortages in the U.S. during most of 2021 were steel and lumber. This was also a problem on the other side of the Atlantic: The share of building construction companies experiencing shortages in Germany soared between March and June 2021, staying at high levels for over a year. Meanwhile, the shortage of material or equipment was one of the main factors limiting the building activity in France in June 2022.

Building construction price indexes (BCPI), percent change, by type of building and construction division. Quarterly data are available from the first quarter of 1982. The table presents quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year percentage changes for various aggregation levels. The base period for the index is (2017=100).

In 2021, the inflation rate of the cost of steel products in Australia was **** percent. This was the highest inflation rate of all construction materials in the country. On the other hand, construction materials like timber and metal products saw a inflation of **** percent and **** percent, respectively.

Between 2022 and 2025, the construction price of residential and non-residential buildings in Canada has grown at the same pace. The price of both types of buildings was roughly ***** percent higher in the last quarter of 2025 than in 2024, which is the year when the index base was set at 100. Nevertheless, that only considers the cost of buildings in 15 selected metropolitan areas in Canada. Toronto was by far the metropolitan region with the highest construction costs in Canada.

What determines construction costs? The growth rate of the construction price of different types of buildings tends to follow similar trends to some extent. For example, price growth rates in Canada for most types of buildings were more moderate in 2024 than in previous years. However, those figures show a lot of disparity, with the cost of building a high rise apartment building growing much faster than that of other types of buildings. This might be because the construction costs depend on elements such as the location, materials, and complexity of the building, which tend to be quite different for each type of building.

Lumber building materials in Canada In 2024, Canada was the world’s second-largest exporter of wood building materials such as veneer sheets, parquet flooring, particleboard, laminated wood, and builders’ joinery and carpentry. Forestry, logging, and processing wood into ready-to-use materials are important industries in the Canadian economy. High price growth rates of building materials impact negatively the construction industry as their activities become more expensive. However, the forestry and logging industry benefited from the cost of lumber rising in 2020 and 2021. In the past years, the price of lumber, however, has fallen again.

Construction Output Price Indices (OPIs) from January 2014 to December 2024, UK. Summary.

The construction output price in the United Kingdom has reached an annual growth rate of two percent in September 2024. Construction costs have been increasing at a lower rate than in 2022 and 2023. The year-over-year growth rate reached over ** percent in May and June of 2022. Public and private housing was the construction segment with the highest output price increase. How have material costs developed over the years? Several factors influence construction material costs, including supply and demand, regulatory requirements, and transportation logistics. Manufacturing efficiency and global trade policies also play a big part, along with economic factors like inflation and currency fluctuations. In June 2022, the price of construction materials for new houses in the UK were ** percent higher than in 2015. What is the largest component of those costs? Labor costs are often one of the largest expenses in construction projects. That is due to the skilled nature of the work, which has a high demand for specialized trades. The construction sector's labor costs accounted for around ** percent of the sector's earnings in the United Kingdom in 2023. In the past years, the size of labor costs as a share of the construction sector rose by more than ***** percentage points, indicating that labor costs have increased at a faster rate than the overall revenue of the industry.

Building construction price indexes (BCPI) by type of building. Quarterly data are available from the second quarter of 1982. The table presents quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year percentage changes for various aggregation levels. The base period for the index is (2017=100).

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Industry: New School Building Construction (PCU236222236222) from Dec 2005 to May 2025 about schools, buildings, construction, new, PPI, industry, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Industry: Building Material and Supplies Dealers (PCU44414441) from Dec 2003 to Jun 2025 about dealers, materials, supplies, buildings, PPI, industry, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Construction Cost Index: Urban Infrastructure: Delhi data was reported at 143.260 Oct2007=100 in Jul 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 143.240 Oct2007=100 for Jun 2021. Construction Cost Index: Urban Infrastructure: Delhi data is updated monthly, averaging 141.015 Oct2007=100 from Oct 2007 (Median) to Jul 2021, with 166 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 143.260 Oct2007=100 in Jul 2021 and a record low of 100.000 Oct2007=100 in Oct 2007. Construction Cost Index: Urban Infrastructure: Delhi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Construction Industry Development Council. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.EB020: Construction Cost Index: Construction Industry Development Council: Delhi.

Germany - Construction cost index was EUR120.50 points in March of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Germany - Construction cost index - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Germany - Construction cost index reached a record high of EUR120.50 points in March of 2025 and a record low of EUR62.60 points in March of 2000.

In March 2024, Mumbai had the highest construction cost index at 129, while Chennai had the lowest at 124. During the presented period, the construction cost reached its peak in March 2022.

In the fiscal year 2023, the Japanese construction cost deflator for buildings stood at ***** index points, increasing from ***** points in the previous year. The construction cost deflator is a weighted index estimating the inflation-adjusted price development of construction in Japan, considering expenditures for materials, labor, and investment. What are features of the construction cost deflator? Since 1951, the government has been compiling a deflator for construction costs. It helps, for example, to determine contract prices for public works like roads. Today’s version includes various sub-indices, such as the one for buildings; they may be residential or non-residential, and their structural frames may be either wood, steel, or reinforced concrete. While the deflator considers all of Japan, other price indices give more detailed insight into specific buildings, materials, and regions. Rising energy-prices have spilled over to materials Japan has not been spared by recently inflating energy prices. Accordingly, the domestic construction industry is monitoring the monthly construction material price index. Unlike the deflator, it also provides regional-specific data, showing that although inflation impacted all materials throughout the country, some materials and places were more affected than others. In Tokyo, cement prices have increased by over ** points since fiscal year 2021 – in Osaka, by around **.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Industry: New Industrial Building Construction (PCU236211236211) from Jun 2007 to Jun 2025 about buildings, construction, new, PPI, industry, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Spain - Construction cost index was EUR119.30 points in March of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Construction cost index - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Spain - Construction cost index reached a record high of EUR119.30 points in March of 2025 and a record low of EUR19.10 points in March of 1980.

In 2024, the price of building materials in Mexico increased at a significantly lower rate than in 2021 and 2022. The annual growth rate of salaries in 2024 was much higher than that of the other types of construction costs. Salaries had an annual growth rate from around ***** to **** percent until 2016, since then they have been rising at a faster pace. Building construction, along with transport and urbanization, were the segments that made up most of the production value in the industry.

Indonesia Business Survey: Inflation Expectation: Construction data was reported at 3.778 % in Dec 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.680 % for Sep 2022. Indonesia Business Survey: Inflation Expectation: Construction data is updated quarterly, averaging 3.646 % from Jun 2013 (Median) to Dec 2022, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.298 % in Sep 2013 and a record low of 3.180 % in Jun 2021. Indonesia Business Survey: Inflation Expectation: Construction data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Business and Economic Survey – Table ID.SD008: Business Survey: Inflation Expectation. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

The Construction sector has expanded over the past five years; nonresidential construction activity has been particularly strong, and a surge in materials costs has driven up contractors' rates. Contractors in the sector construct buildings and engineer projects across a wide range of industries and applications, so construction sector revenue tends to correlate with broader macroeconomic conditions. Volatile interest rates, specifically, have impacted sector activity in recent years, with high rates having cooled residential construction activity since 2022. Sector revenue has risen at a CAGR of 4.1% to reach an expected $3.7 trillion in 2025, including an estimated increase of 1.5% in 2025 alone as recent interest rate cuts encourage investment. In recent years, contractors have benefited from easing supply chain issues, with the price of construction materials having slowly fallen from its May 2022 peak (though remaining well above pre-pandemic prices). This more predictable business environment has only had a limited positive effect on the average sector profit margin, however, as the construction sector's perennial labor shortage has kept wage costs high. In 2025, the second Trump administration's policies have disrupted this previously stabilizing business environment, with ever-shifting tariff policies making it harder to plan for the future. A mounting trade war has the potential to disrupt supply chains and drive up the cost of materials, while plans for mass deportations threaten to further limit the sector's labor pool. Still, potential interest rate cuts in the coming years stand to spur increased investment in construction activity. Contractors are set to continue to benefit from increasing commercial and infrastructure construction activity, aided by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The Trump administration has looked to disrupt some of the funding included in these bills, particularly that which targets the previous administration's climate goals, however. Basic macroeconomic drivers, including population growth, will continue to expand the construction sector. Areas of the country with lower regulatory burdens, namely the Southeast, will continue to outpace the country as a whole in both construction activity and population growth. Overall, sector revenue is set to climb at a CAGR of 2.0% to reach $4.1 trillion in 2030.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Intermediate Demand by Production Flow: Inputs to Stage 4 Construction Producers, Services (WPUID5432) from Nov 2009 to Dec 2021 about intermediate, flow, construction, production, commodities, services, PPI, inflation, price index, price, indexes, and USA.

Building contractors and developers depend on various socio-economic factors, including property values, underlying sentiment in the housing market, the degree of optimism among downstream businesses and credit conditions. All of these drivers typically track in line with economic sentiment, with recent economic shocks spurring a difficult period for building contractors and developers. Nonetheless, the enduring need for building services, particularly to tackle housing shortages across the continent, ensures a strong foundation of work. Revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.3% to reach €1.3 trillion over the five years through 2025. Operational and supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic reversed the fortunes of building contractors and developers in 2020, as on-site activity tumbled and downstream clients either cancelled, froze or scaled back investment plans. Aided by the release of pent-up demand and supportive government policy, building construction output rebounded in 2021. Excess demand for key raw materials led to extended lead times during this period, while input costs recorded a further surge as a result of the effects of rapidly climbing energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Soaring construction costs and the impact of interest rate hikes on both the housing market and investor sentiment led to a renewed slowdown in building construction activity across the continent. However, falling inflation and the start of an interest rate cutting cycle have spurred signs of a recovery in new work volumes, supporting anticipated revenue growth of 2.3% in 2025. Revenue is forecast to increase at a compound annual rate of 6.7% to €1.7 trillion over the five years through 2030. Activity is set to remain sluggish in the medium term, as weak economic growth and uncertainty surrounding the impact of the volatile global tariff environment on inflation and borrowing costs continue to weigh on investor sentiment. Contractors and developers will increasingly rely on public sector support, including measures to boost the supply of new housing, as countries seek to tackle severe housing shortages. Meanwhile, the introduction of more stringent sustainability requirements will drive demand for energy retrofits.