Glass and Glazing Spending Rises Again in October

The value of architectural glass-related nonresidential construction continued to increase in October compared to a year ago. Spending for glass and glazing activity increased 10% year-over-year on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to Key Media & Research (KMR), a leading information provider to the glass industry.

KMR’s glass and glazing activity figures are adapted and modified from private and public construction spending data, with proprietary weighting and models applied to industry-relevant subsectors.

On a month-to-month basis, overall nonresidential glass and glazing activity was flat from September.

“The increasing year-over-year figure, now in the double-digit percentage, is encouraging,” says Nick St. Denis, KMR’s director of research. “While the volume of work, in terms of square footage or other physical units, may be moderating or even slightly declining, the strong increases in nominal dollar value are starting to reflect price increases in glass and other key construction materials.”

Commercial glass and glazing-related spending increased by 13.5% year-over-year. While office construction has flattened, lodging and other commercial sectors saw large growth.

Upticks in healthcare building and educational construction resulted in institutional glass and glazing activity to increase by nearly 6%.

Nick St. Denis is the director of research for Key Media & Research, parent company of USGlass magazine and USGNN™. For more detailed insights, subscribe to his free quarterly glass and glazing update HERE.