2022 PPI Numbers Begin Positively for Glass Industry

The seasonally unadjusted prices for materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing were positive in January 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 January, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category was up 1.9% and 9.0% from January 2021. 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 January index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification also increased 1.3% from December 2021 and rose 12.8% 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 42.5% from a year ago and increased a slight 0.8% from December. The index for ornamental and architectural metal product manufacturing, in the industry category, also slightly increased 0.1% from December but 44.3% from January 2021.

The PPI for metal windows increased 2% and climbed 28.6% compared to the January 2021 report. The price for metal doors and frames is also up, 1.3% from December and 39.8% for the year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, including glass and glazing, increased a slight 0.8% from the December 2021 report, and 18.1% from January 2021.