Latest construction material prices

Each month the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) publishes construction material price indices (CMPIs), categorised under All Work, New Housing, Other New Work and Repair and Maintenance, as well as tracking a selection of building materials and components for the UK⁽¹⁾. BCIS data is used in the compilation of the DBT indices⁽²⁾.

Construction material prices see sustained growth in March

Construction material prices for All Work rose by 2.6% in the 12 months to March 2026, according to the latest provisional data published by DBT.

New Housing recorded a 2.9% increase, Other New Work rose by 2.5%, and Repair and Maintenance increased by 2.6% when comparing March 2026 with March 2025.

DBT’s CMPIs are compiled using a combination of resource cost indices produced and published by BCIS. These are based on BCIS Price Adjustment Formulae Indices (PAFI).

^{Source: Department for Business and Trade – Building materials and components statistics, Table 1a}

Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at BCIS, said: ‘March was the first month of data to fully account for the impact of the Iran war. While material prices increased across all work categories, there has not yet been a significant spike overall. Price movements are often uneven, and wider economic shocks can affect individual materials at different rates and over varying timescales.

‘Looking at individual materials prices provides a clearer picture of emerging trends. In March, there were notable price increases for aggregates (including the Aggregate Levy), fabricated structural steel and non-aqueous paint. These rises are not unexpected and may reflect energy cost pressures linked to ongoing disruption. However, it is still early days, and further data will provide a clearer indication of how the situation is developing.’

DBT data show that prices for gravel, sand, clays and kaolin (including the Aggregate Levy) recorded the greatest inflation in the 12 months to March 2026, up by 8.4%. This was followed by an 8.2% rise in prices for fabricated structural steel.

Prices for concrete reinforcing bars (steel) saw the steepest annual decrease of all resources measured with a 7.1% fall.

^{Source: Department for Business and Trade – Building materials and components statistics, Table 2. * DBT advises index values should not be relied upon for long-term contractual purposes, as they are based on relatively few quotes.}

On a monthly basis, the greatest price increase was a 6.2% rise in fabricated structural steel prices. The steepest decrease was a 1.9% fall in prices for precast concrete products, including blocks, bricks, tiles and flagstones.

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^{(1) Building materials and components statistics  - here}

^{(2) Building materials and components statistics: material price indices methodology  - here}