Germany sees sharp rise in building material prices

In May 2026, German building‑material costs jumped sharply compared with the same month a year earlier. Bitumen on an oil base, used for road work and waterproofing, rose 31.2%, while other energy‑intensive products such as flat glass increased 15.4%. Wood items also saw notable hikes: roof battens (+11.8%), cut‑to‑size timber (+11.4%) and construction timber (+7.5%). Metals climbed 11.1% overall, with cold‑rolled sheets up 9.9% and reinforcement steel (+5.0%). Plastics‑based building supplies, including window and door trims, rose about 3‑4%, and mineral materials such as lime, gypsum, sand and fresh concrete each rose between 2.5% and 4.3%.

The overall producer‑price index for commercial goods grew 2.2% in May 2026 versus the previous year, excluding energy price effects (2.3%). Compared with pre‑energy‑crisis levels in 2022, most material prices remained above those of 2021, with cement up 57.7%, sand up 42.6% and fresh concrete up 35.3%. The data were released by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).