Glass and Glazing Material Prices Mixed in March

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

In March, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category fell 0.7 percent from the previous month, but is up 0.4 percent from March 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 dropped 0.6 percent from February 2019, and is unchanged 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 are unchanged from February 2019, following a 0.6-percent increase from January to February. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 5.9 percent for the year. Ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, grew 0.1 percent in March. It has experienced a 6.5-percent increase since March 2018.

The PPI for metal windows is up 0.3 percent from its February 2019 level. It’s up 10.8 percent from the March 2018 report a year ago. Metal doors and frames showed an increase of 0.3 percent in March. The category is up 5.4 percent for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in glass and glazing, dropped 0.2 percent in March. However, that price is 4.1-percent higher than in March 2018.