Materials Costs Turn Gently Upward

摘要

In general, the prices of construction materials are advancing slightly, but until commercial construction is on the rise, prices for many materials will remain below the peaks of 2008. After falling precipitously from late 2008 through 2009, hot rolled steel bar is making an upwards correction of 20 percent. Despite this hefty increase, prices are not near the levels of early 2008. Look for moderate to flat increases for the rest of this year. For the past 18 months, concrete block (CMU) has been languishing with prices fluctuating in the 1 to 2 percent range.