October PPI Shows Slight Drop in Glass and Glazing Material Prices

Prices for many materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing dropped slightly in October after modest increases in September, 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 dropped 0.1 percent from the previous month, but is up 2.3 percent from October 2017. 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 fell 0.4 percent from September 2018, after an increase in August. It’s up 5.6 percent from October 2017. 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 grew 0.4 percent from the previous month. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 8.8 percent for the year. Ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, saw no change from September to October 2018, but has experienced a 10.3-percent increase since October 2017.

The PPI for metal windows slid 0.2 percent from its September level, after a modest increase from August. It’s up 12 percent from the October 2017 report. Metal doors and frames also dropped 0.2 percent from September, but the category is up 7.2 percent for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in glass and glazing, fell 0.3 percent in October after a 2-percent increase in September. That price is 3.3 percent higher than in October 2017.