U.S. Labor Dep. Reports Price Decreases for Glass Products and Manufacturing

U.S. glass and glass product manufacturing prices decreased by 0.2% in April following a 0.2% increase in March, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The bureau released its monthly Producer Price Index (PPI) on Thursday. Year-over-year glass and glass product manufacturing prices are up 10.7%.

PPI is a key measure of U.S. inflation that monitors the wholesale prices producers receive for goods and services. Overall, April’s PPI advanced by 0.2%, seasonally adjusted. BLS cites the index’s increase to a 0.3% jump in prices for final demand services. This follows a 0.4% decrease in March.

Glass and Glazing Material Prices

Flat Glass – Flat glass prices decreased by 0.1% in April. The segment’s price fell by the same percentage in March. This follows a revised 3.5% increase in February. Flat glass prices have declined in four of the past five months. Year-over-year flat glass prices are up 9.3%.

Flat Glass Manufacturing – Prices for flat glass manufacturing remained unchanged in April. Flat glass manufacturing prices decreased by a revised 0.4% in March. The segment’s prices have declined or remained unchanged for the fifth consecutive month. Year-over-year, the segment’s prices are up 9.8%.

Fabricated Structural Metal Products – Prices for this segment decreased by 0.1% in April, compared to a revised 0.6% increase in March. Year-over-year, prices for fabricated structural metal products are up 0.1%.

Ornamental and Architectural Metalwork – The segment’s prices remained unchanged in April, following a 0.1% revised increase in March. Year-over-year, the segment’s prices are up 1.4%.

Metal Windows – Metal window prices remained unchanged in April. This follows a 0.1% increase in March. The segment’s prices have only increased by 0.1% in the past five months. However, the price for metal windows is up 7.1% compared to a year ago.

Metal Doors and Frames – Metal door and frame prices increased by 0.8% in April. The segment’s prices remained unchanged in March, following a 0.4% increase in February. Prices for metal doors and frames have not decreased over the past six months. Year-over-year, prices for the segment are up 4.6%.

Builders’ Hardware – Builders’ hardware prices increased by 0.1% in April. The segment’s prices remained unchanged in March. This follows a revised price decline of 1.9% in February. Builders’ hardware prices remain 4.3% higher than a year ago.