PPI: Prices Solidly Mixed in June

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest Producer Price Index (PPI) for June, showing prices for materials used in door and window manufacturing continuing to fluctuate across the board. Prices varied not only from May to June 2024, but on a year-over-year basis as well.

In June, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category dropped slightly from May of this year, down 0.6% from the previous month, in line with the previous year. According to BLS, the commodity classification “organizes products and services by similarity or material composition, regardless of the industry classification of the producing establishment.”

The index for flat glass manufacturing in the industry classification continued the negative trend with a 0.8% drop from May 2024, and a 2.4% decrease 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).”

The PPI for metal windows showed no change from May to June, nor was there any change compared to the June 2023 report. Prices for metal doors and frames increased slightly from May to June, improving 0.4%, translating to an increase of 1.6% since last year. Prices for wood window units showed no change from the previous month, reflecting an improvement of 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Prices for wood doors for interior and exterior applications increased in June 2024, up 0.2% from May, and 2.9% over June 2023 pricing.

The price for thermoplastic resins and plastic materials went down, 0.7% below May 2024, a drop of 4% from June of last year. Prices for fiberglass plastic products decreased by 0.2% from the previous month but had an increase of 2% over the previous June.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in doors and windows, remained solid from May to June, but dropped by 0.9% from June 2023.