December PPI Numbers Remain Positive for Glass Industry

The seasonally unadjusted prices for materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing were positive in December and in year-over-year price changes, 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 was up 1.1% and 7.3% from December 2020. 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 also increased 3.1% from November 2021 and rose 12.7% 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 were up from last month’s PPI report. That index, in the commodity grouping, is up 42.4% from a year ago and increased a slight 0.8% from November. The index for ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, also slightly increased 0.9% from November but 50.1% from December 2020.

The PPI for metal windows increased 1.7% and climbed 26.9% compared to the December 2020 report. The price for metal doors and frames is also up, 0.9% from November and 37.9% for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, including glass and glazing, did not change from the November 2021 report, but increased 17.7% from December 2020.