US: glass prices rise

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category increased 0.7% in October, and is up by the same amount from a year ago.

Prices for materials used in the door and window industry increased notably in October after months of stagnation, according to recently released Producer Price Index (PPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category increased 0.7% in October, and is up by the same amount 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.”

The index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification jumped 2.2%, and those prices have increased 2.7% since October 2016. 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 flat from September to October, but that index, in the commodity grouping, represents a 2.8% price increase year-over-year.

Ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, saw price increases of 0.1% for the month and 2.6% for the year.

The PPI for metal windows ticked down 0.5% from its September reading (2.2% above 2016’s levels), and metal doors and frames was unchanged for the month but up 4.6% from last year.

In a reflection of disruptions to chemical production along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the price of thermoplastic resins and plastic materials jumped 3.5% from September and is up 5.2% from last year. Prices for thermosetting resins and plastic materials rose 0.1% from September, and are up 1.1% since 2016. Fiberglass plastic product prices rose 0.5% since last month and are up 0.5% for the year.

Prices for wood window units were unchanged from September and are up 2.5% since October 2016. Prices for wood doors for interior and exterior applications rose 0.5% during the past month. They’re up 4.3% since last year.

Wood mouldings are up 1.1% from last October, and rose 0.2% from September.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in doors and windows, followed its 1.7% increase in September with a 2% decline in October, but are up 1.8% for the year.