Construction Material Prices Increase in March and Up 5.8% Year-Over-Year

Construction material price index continued its steady upward climb and reached a new record high of 226.2 (the index is based on June 1986 = 100 and is not seasonally adjusted). This climb that started in March 2016 after previously peaking at 221.7 in August 2014.

The overall increase in the index has been muted by the relatively steep decline in natural gas prices. Softwood lumber prices and various forms of metal have seen steep increases and will likely go higher should trade wars materialize (e.g. tariffs on Chinese imports, a repeal of NAFTA, etc.).

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