Prices for materials used in door and window manufacturing increased across the board from February 2021 to March 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 March, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category remained positive, increasing by 1.3% from the previous month and 3.2% 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 1.5% from February 2021, but up 4.9% 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 0.8% in one month, and increased 6.4% compared to the March 2020 report. Prices for metal doors and frames also increased from February to March, improving 2.4%, and growing 4.5% since last year. Prices for wood window units jumped 7.5% from February to March and was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Prices for wood doors for interior and exterior applications continued the trend of increasing numbers, up 1.3% over February 2021 and 8.1% over March 2020 pricing.

The price for thermoplastic resins and plastic materials saw some of the biggest increases, both in month-over-month at 11.7% over February 2021, and more than doubling that in a 30.5% increase compared to March 2020. Prices for fiberglass plastic products increased slightly from February to March, 0.3%, but showed a more significant increase of 4.1% over last year.

The cost of builders’ hardware, which includes hardware used in doors and windows, increased 1.2% from February to March, but rose by 2.3% from March 2020.

Monthly and Yearly Change in Door and Window Material Prices