Glass and Glazing Prices Barely Edge Down in February

Material prices for the glass and glazing industry were slightly down in February, according to USGNN.com™ analysis of Producer Price Index (PPI) data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The PPI program measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. The prices included in the PPI are from the first commercial transaction for many products and some services.

The monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category was unchanged in February at 132.8, following a 0.2-percent price increase from December 2016 to January 2017. Those prices were up 2 percent from a year ago. According to the BLS, the commodity classification “organizes products and services by similarity or material composition, regardless of the industry classification of the producing establishment.”

However, the index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification stands at 103.7, indicating a 0.3-percent price decrease for the month but a 2.9-percent increase from February 2016. The BLS notes that the industry classification measures “changes in prices received for the industry’s output sold outside the industry (that is, its net output).”

Prices for fabricated structural metal products, which includes glazing systems, decreased 0.6 percent over the month following a 0.2-percent increase from December to January. That index, in the commodity and service grouping, is 217.1, representing a 1.7-percent price increase year-over-year.

Overall construction materials prices increased 0.5 percent in February and 3.2 percent for the year. Construction input prices rose 0.3 percent on a monthly basis and 4.8 percent on a year-over-year basis.