According to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy (not seasonally adjusted) climbed 1.4% in March, following an upwardly revised increase of 2.2% in February and 4.1% in January. This adds up to an 8% jump in building materials prices since the start of 2022, National Association of Home Builders reported. Year-over-year, building materials prices increased 20.4% and have risen 33% since the start of the pandemic.
The price index of services inputs to residential construction registered even steeper increases, rising 3.2% in March, 5.1% in February, and 6.2% in January. As a result, the price index of services used in home building (including trade services, transportation and warehousing) went up 15.2% since the start of the year. Year-over-year, the index increased 18.5%. Counting since the start of the pandemic, services prices are now 39% higher.
The PPI for softwood lumber (seasonally adjusted) increased 6% in March following a 2.6% increase in February and 25.6% jump in January. As a result, the index increased 36.7% over the first three months of 2022. Since reaching its most recent trough in September 2021, prices have almost doubled, rising 90.4%.
