Some PPI Prices Improve Steadily, Others Just Steady

The seasonally unadjusted prices for materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing were mostly positive in April and in year-over-year price changes, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In April, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category inched up slightly – 0.6% – but rose 9.8% from April 2021. 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.”

The April index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification didn’t change from March, but rose 13.6% on a year-over-year basis.

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 were up from last month’s PPI report. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 34.7% from a year ago and increased 2.0% from March. The index for ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, also increased—3.0% from March and 35.7% from April 2021.

The PPI for metal windows increased 1.4% and climbed 29.6% compared to the April 2021 report. The price for metal doors and frames is also up, 0.6% from March and 35.6% on a year-over-year basis.

The cost of builders’ hardware, including glass and glazing, remained steady from last month’s report, and 16.3% from April 2021.