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FeatureMaterials prices

Materials pricesProducer Price IndexSeptember 2026, preliminary

Construction materials prices rose 11.0% in the year to September, the largest gain since May 2022

The BLS construction materials index rose 11.0% in the 12 months to September 2026, to a record 378.6, led by copper, steel and aluminum.

12-month change
+11.0%Largest since May 2022
Index, September
378.610Record, series from 1947
From August
+0.7%August revised to 375.792
Fig. 1 The index has risen in every month since November 2025
PRELIMINARY320330340350360370380390SEP 2024JAN 2025JAN 2026SEP 2026NOV 2025338.556RECORD378.610SEP 2026INDEX, 1982 = 100PRELIMINARY320340360380SEP 20242026SEP 2026NOV 2025338.556RECORD, SEP 2026378.610INDEX, 1982 = 100

Producer Price Index for construction materials (WPUSI012011), index 1982 = 100, not seasonally adjusted, monthly, September 2024 to September 2026. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS via FRED.

Prices for construction materials rose 11.0% in the 12 months to September 2026, the largest 12-month increase since May 2022, according to the Producer Price Index the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on October 15. The construction materials index, a BLS measure of the prices producers receive for goods that go into buildings and roads, reached 378.610 (1982 = 100). That is the highest reading in a series that starts in January 1947. The September figure is preliminary and not seasonally adjusted, meaning BLS has not removed the usual seasonal swings from it.

From August the index rose 0.7%. BLS revised August down to 375.792, from the 375.908 it first published. The index has risen in every month since November 2025, when it stood at 338.556.

MetalsCopper rose 30.0% over the year, steel 27.6% and aluminum 25.2%

29Copper and brass mill shapes+30.0%+1.4% from August
26Steel mill products+27.6%+2.2% from August
13Aluminum mill shapes+25.2%−0.1% from August

Metal products showed the largest increases. Copper and brass mill shapes rose 30.0% over the year and steel mill products 27.6%, the steepest 12-month rise for steel since May 2022. Aluminum mill shapes rose 25.2%. Nonferrous wire and cable rose 23.0%.

Fig. 2 Metals led the 21 product indexes, and cement fell 1.2%
METALSCopper and brass mill shapes30.0+1.4Steel mill products27.6+2.2Aluminum mill shapes25.2−0.1Nonferrous wire and cable23.0+0.3Hot rolled bars, plates and structural shapes15.0+3.0Prefabricated metal buildings9.0+0.1Sheet metal products6.7+0.6Fabricated structural metal5.8+2.4WOODSoftwood lumber14.2−2.0Plywood12.6+1.8CONCRETE, STONE AND MASONRYPrecast concrete products10.5+1.2Paving mixtures and blocks7.1+0.1Sand, gravel and crushed stone6.3+0.2Ready-mix concrete2.30.0Gypsum products1.4+0.8Brick and structural clay tile1.00.0Cement−1.20.0FINISHES AND INSULATIONPrepared paint5.0−0.2Plastics construction products4.6−0.1Insulation materials2.7+1.6Asphalt roofing and siding products2.7−2.0−505101520253035CONSTRUCTION MATERIALSINDEX, 11.0%12-MO %ON AUG% CHANGE, 12 MONTHSMETALSCopper and brass mill shapes30.0Steel mill products27.6Aluminum mill shapes25.2Nonferrous wire and cable23.0Hot rolled bars, plates and structural shapes15.0Prefabricated metal buildings9.0Sheet metal products6.7Fabricated structural metal5.8WOODSoftwood lumber14.2Plywood12.6CONCRETE, STONE AND MASONRYPrecast concrete products10.5Paving mixtures and blocks7.1Sand, gravel and crushed stone6.3Ready-mix concrete2.3Gypsum products1.4Brick and structural clay tile1.0Cement−1.2FINISHES AND INSULATIONPrepared paint5.0Plastics construction products4.6Insulation materials2.7Asphalt roofing and siding products2.70102030MATERIALS INDEX11.0%12-MO %

Percent change in producer price indexes for construction products, September 2025 to September 2026, not seasonally adjusted. Copper bars are metal products, gray bars the rest. The dashed line marks the construction materials index, up 11.0%. Each index has its own base period, so compare the percentage changes. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS Producer Price Index, series in the table below.

Hot rolled bars, plates and structural shapes rose 15.0% over the year and 3.0% from August alone, the largest one-month gain in the table. Fabricated structural metal rose a smaller 5.8% over the year but 2.4% in September. BLS names fabricated structural metal products among the indexes that moved higher in its September release.

SteelSteel's 27.6% rise was its steepest since May 2022

Fig. 3 Steel's 12-month change peaked at 142.8% in November 2021
−250255075100125150201820192020202120222023202420252026STEEL, NOV 2021+142.8%MAY 2022STEEL +32.8%, INDEX +15.4%STEEL MILL PRODUCTS+27.6%MATERIALS INDEX+11.0%% CHANGE FROM 12 MONTHS EARLIER−25257512520182020202220242026STEEL +142.8%STEEL+27.6%INDEX+11.0%% CHANGE FROM 12 MONTHS EARLIER

Percent change from the same month a year earlier in the producer price indexes for construction materials and steel mill products (WPU1017), not seasonally adjusted, January 2018 to September 2026. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS Public Data API.

The steel index remains below its 2021 peak. Steel mill products reached 449.711 in December 2021 and stood at 388.580 in September 2026.

Steel stands below its December 2021 peak
DEC 2021, PEAK449.711SEP 2026388.580DEC 2021, PEAK449.711SEP 2026388.580

Producer price index for steel mill products (WPU1017), not seasonally adjusted. Source: BLS Public Data API.

Wood, concrete and finishesLumber rose 14.2% and cement fell 1.2%

Softwood lumber rose 14.2% over the year and plywood 12.6%. Lumber fell 2.0% from August, one of the few declines in September.

Concrete and masonry moved much less. Precast concrete products rose 10.5%, but ready-mix concrete rose 2.3%, gypsum products 1.4% and brick 1.0%, and cement fell 1.2%. Insulation and asphalt roofing products each rose 2.7% over the year, and asphalt roofing fell 2.0% in September. Paving mixtures and blocks rose 7.1%, and sand, gravel and crushed stone 6.3%.

Inputs by type of buildingNonresidential inputs rose 11.2% and residential inputs 9.7%

BLS also groups the goods bought for each kind of construction. Its index of goods used as inputs to nonresidential construction rose 11.2% in the year to September, to 184.909 (June 2010 = 100). The matching index for residential construction rose 9.7%, to 355.225. For both, it was the largest 12-month increase since November 2022.

Fig. 4 Nonresidential inputs ended September 11.2% above a year earlier
95100105110SEP 2024JAN 2025SEP 2025JAN 2026SEP 2026NONRESIDENTIAL+11.2%RESIDENTIAL+9.7%EACH INDEX, SEP 2025 = 10095100105110SEP 2024SEP 2025SEP 2026NONRES.+11.2%RES.+9.7%EACH INDEX, SEP 2025 = 100

BLS producer price indexes for inputs to nonresidential and residential construction, not seasonally adjusted, September 2024 to September 2026, each divided by its own September 2025 value so the two share a scale. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS Public Data API.

Diesel fuelDiesel stood 115.2% above September 2025

Diesel is not part of the materials index, but it runs the excavators, trucks and generators on every site. The producer price index for No. 2 diesel fuel stood at 675.626 in September, 115.2% above September 2025 and 24.2% above August. It is about 2.5 times its January 2026 level of 266.645.

Fig. 5 Diesel producer prices more than doubled over the year
PRELIMINARY0100200300400500600700800SEP 2024JAN 2025JAN 2026SEP 2026JAN 2026266.645SEP 2025+115.2%OVER 12 MONTHSSEP 2026675.626+24.2% FROM AUGINDEX, NO. 2 DIESEL FUELPRELIMINARY0200400600800SEP 20242026SEP 2026JAN 2026266.645SEP 2025+115.2%SEP 2026675.626INDEX, NO. 2 DIESEL FUEL

Producer Price Index for No. 2 diesel fuel (WPU057303), not seasonally adjusted, monthly, September 2024 to September 2026. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS Public Data API.

In its release, BLS says diesel fuel accounts for nearly half of the September rise in its index of processed goods for intermediate demand, which tracks goods that businesses buy to make other products.

For estimatorsWhat this means for your bids

A materials quote you priced in the spring may not hold for work that starts this winter. For the trades in the top half of the table, compare the change in your supplier's price since your last bid with the change in the matching index. Then decide how long to hold your own number. If a supplier's increase runs well above the index for that product, ask what is behind the difference.

For how this index fits with local jobs and permits, see construction jobs, permits and materials prices. For the national picture, see Construction Metrics. BLS has scheduled the October figures for November 13, 2026.

On public work, read the bid documents for any price adjustment or escalation clause before you price metals or fuel risk into a lump sum. PennDOT posts a monthly asphalt cement and diesel fuel price index in ECMS, its online contracting system, and its published bid packages link to the index for the month of the letting. Montgomery County is in PennDOT Engineering District 6, which falls in the asphalt index's Zone 1 with Districts 3, 4, 5 and 8. Whether an adjustment applies to your job depends on the contract, so ask the owner or your attorney when the documents are unclear. The public bids guide covers where local agencies advertise their work.

The dataAll 21 product indexes, September 2026

Producer price indexes for construction products, sorted by the change over 12 months
ProductBLS seriesSep 2025Aug 2026Sep 202612-month changeBar of the 12-month changeOn August
Copper and brass mill shapesWPU102502642.679823.438835.34230.0%+1.4%
Steel mill productsWPU1017304.579380.348388.58027.6%+2.2%
Aluminum mill shapesWPU102501295.898370.931370.48025.2%−0.1%
Nonferrous wire and cableWPU1026394.684483.958485.49223.0%+0.3%
Hot rolled bars, plates and structural shapesWPU101704277.952310.493319.69315.0%+3.0%
Softwood lumberWPU0811252.782294.506288.56214.2%−2.0%
PlywoodWPU083269.614298.353303.66012.6%+1.8%
Precast concrete productsWPU1334418.458457.007462.39210.5%+1.2%
Prefabricated metal buildingsWPU1079556.407606.127606.5659.0%+0.1%
Paving mixtures and blocksWPU1394403.862432.245432.6957.1%+0.1%
Sheet metal productsWPU1073338.491359.095361.1236.7%+0.6%
Sand, gravel and crushed stoneWPU1321529.585562.195563.0416.3%+0.2%
Fabricated structural metalWPU107405359.691371.452380.5445.8%+2.4%
Prepared paintWPU0621431.420453.979452.9045.0%−0.2%
Plastics construction productsWPU072106339.420355.346355.0514.6%−0.1%
Insulation materialsWPU1392285.809289.038293.6392.7%+1.6%
Asphalt roofing and siding productsWPU1361356.618373.881366.3722.7%−2.0%
Ready-mix concreteWPU1333386.267395.299395.3192.3%0.0%
Gypsum productsWPU137482.101484.844488.9361.4%+0.8%
Brick and structural clay tileWPU1342270.097272.819272.8191.0%0.0%
CementWPU1322360.462356.119356.209−1.2%0.0%

Each index has its own base period, so compare the percentage changes across rows. June through September 2026 are preliminary. Source: BLS Producer Price Index. Download the data: products (CSV), materials index (CSV), 12-month changes (CSV), inputs (CSV), diesel (CSV).

NotesCaveats

  1. The figures for June through September 2026 are preliminary. BLS says all PPI data are subject to revision up to four months after they are first published, and it revised May through August in this release.
  2. The PPI measures prices received by domestic producers for their output. A contractor in Conshohocken pays a distributor's or yard's price, which adds markup, delivery and local conditions, so a quote can move faster or slower than the index.
  3. These are national indexes and do not break out the Philadelphia area. They show the direction of the prices that local suppliers and yards pay producers.
  4. The indexes are not seasonally adjusted, so a change from one month to the next can include a seasonal swing. The 12-month change compares the same month in each year.