Building materials made of steel, copper and other metals had some of the highest price growth rates in the U.S. in early 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.

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

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 10 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 53 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 58 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 three percentage points, indicating that labor costs have increased at a faster rate than the overall revenue of the industry.

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

Building construction price indexes (BCPI) by type of building and construction division. Quarterly data are available from the first quarter of 1981. The table presents data for the most recent reference period and the last four periods. The base period for the index is (2017=100).

The price expectations in the construction sector of the European Union started increasing slightly in the second half of 2024. That price growth, however, seems to be more moderate than previous price hikes. That happened after price growth expectations fell from its peak in 2022. In May 2025, the index reached a value of 3.1, which indicates that there were slightly more respondents expecting the price to keep rising than the ones expecting it to fall.

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 Commodity: Construction (Partial): New Office Building Construction (WPU80110301) from Jun 2006 to May 2025 about buildings, construction, new, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Construction (Partial): New School Building Construction (WPU80110201) from Dec 2005 to May 2025 about schools, buildings, construction, new, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

In 2021, the inflation rate of the cost of steel products in Australia was 30.8 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 18.4 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively.

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

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).

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.

The production price index (PPI) for construction materials and components in the United States decreased slightly in 2024. Up until 2020, construction prices had been rising fairly steadily. However, in the years after that construction producer prices have been very unstable. Production price index A PPI of *** in 2022, indicates that the real-world price has risen by *** percent in comparison to the base year - 1982 in this case. Similarly, under the same baseline, the PPI for construction machinery and equipment has also risen steadily until 2018. Like all prices, there are regional differences within the United States. The PPI acts as a measurement for the average changes in prices that domestic producers receive for their output. In the United States, the PPI is one of the oldest continuous statistical datasets published by the government. Common construction materials Some building materials are essential to construction work, and the decision on which to use is important for the life and the endurance of the building. Materials such as cement, steel, and sand are essential to many construction projects. The production of cement is tightly linked to the demand that comes from the construction industry. The durability and potency of steel gives it an advantage over wood and concrete, providing buildings with a higher resistance but a cheaper price tag. Sand is commonly used in buildings, but it is especially common in roads that require stones of various grades and granulation.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Construction (Partial): New Nonresidential Building Construction (WPU801) from Jun 2009 to May 2025 about nonresidential, buildings, construction, new, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Special Indexes: Construction Materials (WPUSI012011) from Jan 1947 to May 2025 about materials, construction, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

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.

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]

Netherlands - Construction cost index was EUR121.20 points in March of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Netherlands - Construction cost index - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Netherlands - Construction cost index reached a record high of EUR121.20 points in March of 2025 and a record low of EUR62.90 points in March of 2000.

From 2015 to 2024, the construction output prices of public and private housing increased by ***** percent in the United Kingdom (UK). Meanwhile, the prices of industrial buildings increased by ***** percent during that period, and infrastructure prices by ***** percent. Housing and industrial are the segments that increased the most during that period. Balfour Beatty ranked in the past years as the construction firm with the largest revenue in the UK.