Glass and Glazing Materials Prices See Major Jump in December

The prices for materials (seasonally unadjusted) used in glass and glazing manufacturing saw a large jump in December compared to November 2020, while year-over-year price changes also increased, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In December, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category is up 2.6% from the previous month, and 3.9% from December 2019. 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 December index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification rose 5.4% from November 2020. It’s up 6.1% 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 increase 1.9% from last month’s PPI report. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 2.6% from a year ago. The index for ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, moved slightly, increasing 0.2% from November to December 2020. However, it has experienced a 1.4% jump since December 2019.

The PPI for metal windows increased 1% in December. However, it has climbed 3.8% compared to the December 2019 report. The price for metal doors and frames is also up slightly, 0.1%, from November. The category is up 1.2% for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, including that used in glass and glazing, was unchanged from the November 2020 report and experienced a 0.3% decrease compared to the December 2019 report.

Monthly and Yearly Change in Glass and Glazing Material Prices