Italian construction sector faces cost crisis, 150,000 firms at risk

construction costs CNA Lombardy material price hikes 150,000 firms

The Confederation of Italian Industry (CNA) warns that rising material prices are squeezing the profitability of construction firms across Italy. In Lombardy alone, more than 150,000 companies – about 90,000 of them micro‑artisanal firms – could face a new phase of difficulty as the cost of key inputs climbs sharply. CNA reports price jumps of roughly 50 % for bitumen, around 30 % for PVC and PEAD, and about 20 % for concrete, which now costs €145 per cubic metre. Similar pressures are felt in other regions; in Marche, concrete has risen 20 % and travertine over 50 %. Geopolitical tensions, especially instability in the Middle East, are expected to further lift prices, echoing the post‑Ukraine‑war surge. While 2025 saw a 3.7 % increase in turnover, the share of firms planning to invest fell from 33 % to 26 %. CNA calls for stronger price‑revision mechanisms, stable incentives, tax and bureaucratic relief, and support for energy and fuel costs. Small contractors, according to CNA regional president Antonio Dinuzzi, cannot absorb extra cost increases of 15‑20 % month‑to‑month.

Entities: Antonio Dinuzzi · CNA · CNA Agroalimentare · Confartigianato Cesena · Francesca Petrini · Giovanni Bozzini · Italian artisan manufacturers · Italian construction firms · Italian olive oil sector · Lombardy

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Small firms cannot absorb extra cost increases of 15‑20 % month‑to‑month. (Antonio Dinuzzi)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Travertine price rose over 50 %. (CNA)
[● 2 SOURCES] CNA calls for price‑revision mechanisms, stable incentives, tax and bureaucratic relief, and support for energy and fuel costs. (CNA)
[● 2 SOURCES] 2025 turnover grew 3.7 % while firms planning to invest fell from 33 % to 26 %. (CNA)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Concrete price increased roughly 20 % to €145 per cubic metre. (CNA)
[● 2 SOURCES] More than 150,000 construction firms in Lombardy risk a new phase of difficulty. (CNA)
[● 2 SOURCES] Bitumen prices have risen about 50 % and PVC/PEAD about 30 %. (CNA)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Construction sector represents 16 % of Lombardy's entrepreneurial fabric and about 40 % of the regional artisan sector. (CNA)