Glass and Glazing Material Prices Increase Across the Board

Prices for materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing increased in all categories in January 2019 according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category grew 1 percent from the previous month, and is up 1.6 percent from January 2018. 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 index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification increased 2.3 percent from December 2018, reversing a trend of decline over several months. The index is up 2.9 percent from January 2018. 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 increased 0.4 percent from the previous month. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 7.7 percent for the year. Ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, grew 0.7 percent in January after a slight decrease in December. It has experienced an 8.4-percent increase since January 2018.

The PPI for metal windows is up 1.3 percent from its December 2018 level. It’s up 12.1 percent from the January 2018 report. Metal doors and frames showed an increase of 0.2 percent in January after no change from the November to December 2018 reports. The category is up 6.1 percent for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in glass and glazing, rose 0.2 percent in January. That price is 3.8-percent higher than in January 2018.