Most prices for materials used in door and window manufacturing increased from March 2021 to April 2021, while also rising on a year-over-year basis, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In April, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category remained positive, increasing by 0.6% from the previous month and 4% over 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 to grow another 0.1% from March 2021, and remained up 5.2% 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 increased 0.2% in one month, and 6.3% compared to the April 2020 report. Prices for metal doors and frames also increased from March to April, improving 3.5%, and growing 7.6% since last year. Prices for wood window units was the first drop among prices for the door and window market, down 1% from March to April, but the same category remained up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Prices for wood doors for interior and exterior applications continued the trend for increasing, up 0.6% over March 2021 and 4.2% over April 2020 pricing.

The price for thermoplastic resins and plastic materials saw the biggest increases, both in month-over-month, coming in at 7.2% over March 2021, and more than quadrupling that year-over-year, with a 51.8% increase compared to April 2020. Prices for fiberglass plastic products increased from March to April by 2.2%, showing a more significant increase of 6.6% over last year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in doors and windows, was the second decrease of the month, dropping 0.1% from March to April, but rising by 2.5% from April 2020.

Monthly and Yearly Change in Door and Window Material Prices