INSIGHT · COST & QUOTING
Which building materials are rising,
and which are falling, by the ABS count.
In the ABS input to house construction index for the June quarter 2026 (Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, released 31 July 2026), electrical equipment rose 7.4% in the quarter and 12.1% over the year, the largest percentage rise of the ten material groups (weighted average of six capital cities). Copper pipes and fittings rose 25.1% and electrical cable and conduit 16.3% over the year (our calculation from index numbers). Three items fell over the year: steel beams and sections, metal roofing and guttering, and paint and other coatings. All materials together rose 2.1% in the quarter and 3.8% over the year.
Analysed 27 October 2026 · ABS Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, released 31 July 2026: release page, Table 18 (Input to the House construction industry) and Table 30 (contribution to the index) · ABS Producer Price Indexes methodology, June 2026 · all pages and files read 27 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- All materials up 3.8% over the year: The Input to the House construction industry index, weighted average of six capital cities, stood at 167.8 in the June quarter 2026, up 2.1% in the quarter and 3.8% over the year (ABS, 2011-12 = 100.0).
- Electrical and plumbing items led the year: Copper pipes and fittings rose 25.1%, electrical cable and conduit 16.3% and plastic pipes and fittings 14.9% over the year to the June quarter 2026 (our calculation from index numbers). Electrical equipment as a group rose 12.1% (ABS).
- Three items fell over the year: Over the year to the June quarter 2026, steel beams and sections fell 2.4%, metal roofing and guttering 2.0% and paint and other coatings 0.9% (our calculation). Steel beams and sections stand 26.8% below their September quarter 2022 peak.
- Timber is a third of the index: Timber, board and joinery contributed 55.40 of the index's 167.8 points in the June quarter 2026 (ABS Table 30), about 33.0% (our calculation).
- We would store the item series, not the headline: A system-design recommendation: a supplier price adjustment or a quote's materials allowance that cites the ABS names the item or group series ID, the city or weighted average, and both quarters compared.
01
The ten material groups.
Weighted average of six capital cities, June quarter 2026, ordered by contribution to the index. The ABS prints quarter and annual changes for four groups it names as the main contributors (marked *); the other changes are our calculation from the published index numbers, by the same method.
The ABS attributes the quarter's rise largely to higher raw material, freight and fuel costs, together with ongoing supply chain disruptions associated with the Middle East conflict. It names higher aluminium and steel costs for Other metal products and rising copper and PVC costs for Electrical equipment. Of the quarter's 3.5 point rise, Other metal products contributed 21.7%, Electrical equipment 18.6%, Other materials 18.3% and Plumbing products 16.9% (our calculation from Table 30).
| Material group | Index | Change in quarter | Change over year | Index points (Table 30) | Share of index (our calc.) | Series read (Table 18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timber, board and joinery | 173.0 | +0.7% | +2.8% | 55.40 | 33.0% | A2390789J, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Other metal products * | 161.4 | +2.6% | +4.9% | 30.23 | 18.0% | A2390813W, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Other materials * | 162.0 | +2.5% | +2.1% | 26.75 | 15.9% | A2390807A, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Plumbing products | 161.2 | +4.8% | +5.6% | 13.01 | 7.8% | A2390801L, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Ceramic products | 188.2 | +0.6% | +3.3% | 9.78 | 5.8% | A2390792W, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Concrete, cement and sand | 148.5 | +1.7% | +2.8% | 9.62 | 5.7% | A2390795C, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Electrical equipment * | 213.8 | +7.4% | +12.1% | 9.50 | 5.7% | A2390816C, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Cement products | 172.9 | +2.6% | +4.9% | 5.48 | 3.3% | A2390798K, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Steel products | 126.7 | +2.8% | -1.2% | 4.08 | 2.4% | A2390810R, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Installed gas and electrical appliances * | 138.6 | -0.2% | +4.4% | 3.97 | 2.4% | A2390804V, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
02
The items rising fastest.
Table 18 publishes 39 item indexes for the weighted average of six capital cities. These eight rose most over the year to the June quarter 2026, our calculation from the published index numbers.
Item indexes are published for the weighted average of six capital cities only. For each city the ABS publishes the ten groups, not the items.
| Item (group) | Change over year | Change in quarter | Series read (Table 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper pipes and fittings (plumbing) | +25.1% | +5.7% | A2390201J, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Electrical cable and conduit (electrical) | +16.3% | +11.2% | A2389781T, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Plastic pipes and fittings (plumbing) | +14.9% | +12.4% | A2390180J, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Sand (concrete, cement and sand) | +11.2% | +5.0% | A2389412K, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Other electrical equipment (electrical) | +9.5% | +5.9% | A2390285C, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Switches and distribution boards (electrical) | +8.5% | +4.9% | A2389805X, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Metal garage doors (other metal) | +6.4% | +3.2% | A2389913J, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Plastic sanitaryware (plumbing) | +6.3% | +0.6% | A2390114K, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
03
Are material prices coming down?
What the series shows.
Over the year to the June quarter 2026, three items fell and the Steel products group fell 1.2% (our calculation). In the quarter alone, four items fell: stoves (1.4%), plywood and board (1.1%), timber doors (0.1%) and cupboards and built-in furniture (0.1%). Several items stand well below an earlier peak. These are observed index numbers, not a forecast.
Highest quarter is the highest index number in the published series up to the June quarter 2026. A fall from a peak says how far a price index has come down; it says nothing about where it goes next.
| Item | Highest quarter | Index then | Index now | Change since (our calculation) | Series read (Table 18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel beams and sections | September quarter 2022 | 174.8 | 127.9 | -26.8% | A2389511T, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Steel products (group) | September quarter 2022 | 163.4 | 126.7 | -22.5% | A2390810R, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Reinforcing steel | September quarter 2022 | 159.9 | 137.4 | -14.1% | A2389361W, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Sheet metal sanitaryware | March quarter 2024 | 184.5 | 163.0 | -11.7% | A2390135W, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Structural timber | September quarter 2022 | 190.7 | 169.4 | -11.2% | A2390372A, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Other electrical equipment | September quarter 2020 | 145.8 | 132.3 | -9.3% | A2390285C, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Terracotta tiles | December quarter 2025 | 183.0 | 172.8 | -5.6% | A2389709X, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Plywood and board | September quarter 2022 | 184.1 | 177.2 | -3.7% | A2389580W, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
| Metal roofing and guttering | December quarter 2023 | 161.6 | 157.2 | -2.7% | A2389712L, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026, read 27 October 2026 |
- Steel beams and sections: -2.4% over the year: +0.9% in the June quarter 2026; series A2389511T (our calculation from index numbers).
- Metal roofing and guttering: -2.0% over the year: +0.5% in the June quarter 2026; series A2389712L (our calculation from index numbers).
- Paint and other coatings: -0.9% over the year: 0.0% in the June quarter 2026; series A2390042K (our calculation from index numbers).
04
The same groups,
city by city.
Annual change to the June quarter 2026 for selected groups in each capital city. The all groups row is printed by the ABS; the group rows are our calculation from index numbers. Darwin and Canberra have no input index.
The ABS states each capital city index applies an Australian average basket of house building materials, with some allowance for city-specific building practices, such as the differing uses of steel and timber in Perth and Adelaide. 'Capital city' means the greater capital city statistical area. A small city's group index can move sharply: Hobart's Steel products index fell 17.9% over the year (our calculation).
| Group, change over year | Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Adelaide | Perth | Hobart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All groups (ABS published) | +3.5% | +3.5% | +4.4% | +4.4% | +3.9% | +3.4% |
| Timber, board and joinery | +3.6% | +1.4% | +3.6% | +5.5% | +2.3% | +2.9% |
| Steel products | -3.2% | -2.2% | +4.1% | +1.2% | +0.6% | -17.9% |
| Other metal products | +4.3% | +5.8% | +4.9% | -0.2% | +4.5% | +7.7% |
| Concrete, cement and sand | +2.1% | +2.1% | +4.4% | +7.5% | +2.2% | +2.6% |
| Plumbing products | +6.2% | +2.5% | +7.5% | +7.7% | +9.5% | +7.0% |
| Electrical equipment | +17.4% | +10.0% | +11.5% | +10.3% | +10.5% | +15.1% |
| Ceramic products | +0.2% | +6.0% | +2.3% | -1.2% | +6.4% | +0.4% |
05
What the index cannot
tell you.
The input index is built for national accounts, not for pricing a particular order (our reading of the ABS statement that the scope is linked to the national accounts). The ABS methodology sets out its scope, and the scope sets its limits.
- Materials only, for a new house: The ABS states the index measures changes in prices of products (materials) used in house construction, a detached building with one dwelling unit. It does not explicitly cover alterations, additions, renovations and repairs, and labour costs are excluded from the input PPIs other than the Childcare Services Cost Index.
- A fixed basket from 2019-20: Products and weights come from a bill of quantities obtained from a quantity surveyor in 2019-20, price updated to June 2020, combined with Building Activity value of work done for houses by capital city.
- Delivered on site, or supplied and fixed: The conceptual price is delivered on site, including transport and trade margins. The ABS states it has sometimes used the nearest transaction price available, such as products supplied and fixed. GST is excluded.
- Not a supplier's quote: The index tracks price change for specified products from a sample of businesses. A quote from one supplier, for one order, with its own freight, volume and terms, can move differently (our reading).
- Capital cities only: Prices are for the greater capital city areas of six state capitals. Regional freight and regional supply are outside what the index prices (our reading of the geography the ABS states).
What we would put in a system
Where agents help is narrow. A procurement or quoting agent can read Table 18 when a release lands, match a supplier's product to the closest ABS item or group, and draft the comparison with series IDs, and a person confirms the match. No agent decides what a supplier may charge or whether a price adjustment is payable.
| Field | Why it is load-bearing |
|---|---|
| Group or item series ID | All groups rose 3.8% over the year to the June quarter 2026 while copper pipes and fittings rose 25.1% and steel beams and sections fell 2.4% (item changes our calculation). The headline cannot stand in for an item. |
| City or weighted average | Items are published for the weighted average only; groups are also published by city, and they differ: Electrical equipment rose 17.4% in Sydney and 10.0% in Melbourne over the year to the June quarter 2026 (our calculation). |
| Both quarters and both index numbers | A change is a ratio of two published quarters. Storing both makes it re-checkable. |
| The supplier's own price beside the index | The index is a sample-based measure of price change; the supplier's quote is the price. Keeping both shows when they diverge. |
- Procurement: Holds supplier quotes, price lists and their dates beside each order.
- Quoting: Records the materials allowance in a quote with its source and date.
- The ABS construction cost index by state: Output prices for house, other residential and non-residential building.
- Input costs against house prices: The materials index set against builders' prices and the CPI.
Questions worth asking
of your own price records
For a builder: does your materials allowance move with the all groups index, or with the items you actually buy?
Over the year to the June quarter 2026 the all groups index rose 3.8%; electrical cable and conduit rose 16.3% and structural timber 4.1% (item changes our calculation). A house heavy in one of them is not tracking the headline.
For a supplier or manufacturer: which ABS item is closest to your product, and is it published for your city?
Items are published only for the weighted average of six capital cities. A price list that cites an Adelaide or Perth figure can do so only at group level.
For a developer: when a builder cites rising material prices, which series and quarters are cited?
A claim that names the series ID and two quarters can be checked against Table 18 in minutes. A claim that names neither cannot.
Questions people ask
about building material prices
Are construction material prices going up in Australia?
In the ABS input to house construction index for the June quarter 2026, materials prices rose 2.1% in the quarter and 3.8% over the year (weighted average of six capital cities, released 31 July 2026). Electrical equipment rose 12.1% over the year, the largest percentage rise among the ten groups.
Are construction material prices coming down?
Over the year to the June quarter 2026, three ABS items fell: steel beams and sections (2.4%), metal roofing and guttering (2.0%) and paint and other coatings (0.9%), our calculation from index numbers. Steel beams and sections are 26.8% below their September quarter 2022 peak. The ABS index is a record of observed prices, not a forecast.
What is happening to timber prices in Australia?
The ABS Timber, board and joinery group rose 0.7% in the June quarter 2026 and 2.8% over the year; structural timber rose 4.1% over the year but is 11.2% below its September quarter 2022 peak (our calculation, weighted average of six capital cities).
What is happening to steel prices for construction in Australia?
The ABS Steel products group rose 2.8% in the June quarter 2026 but fell 1.2% over the year; it is 22.5% below its September quarter 2022 peak. Reinforcing steel rose 5.8% in the quarter and 0.6% over the year (our calculation, weighted average of six capital cities).
What is the construction material price index in Australia?
The ABS Producer Price Indexes include the Input to the House construction industry index (Table 18), which measures prices of materials used in building new houses, by capital city and as a weighted average of six capital cities, with 39 item indexes. GST is excluded and labour is not covered.
What this analysis
does and does not show.
Evidence note
- What it shows
- ABS input price indexes for house construction materials by group, item and capital city for the June quarter 2026, from Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026 (released 31 July 2026), Tables 18 and 30, with the ABS methodology's scope. Read 27 October 2026.
- Key facts quoted
- All groups 167.8, 2.1% in the quarter and 3.8% over the year; Electrical equipment 7.4% and 12.1%; Other metal products 2.6% and 4.9%; Other materials 2.5% and 2.1%; Installed gas and electrical appliances -0.2% and 4.4% (ABS). Timber, board and joinery 55.40 index points (Table 30).
- Item changes, most group changes, city group changes, shares of the index and comparisons with earlier peaks are our calculation from published index numbers.
- Items are published for the weighted average of six capital cities only; Darwin and Canberra have no input index.
- The index covers materials for new houses only, at a fixed 2019-20 basket, excluding labour and GST.
- No forecast of prices. 'Coming down' is answered only from the observed series.
- Supplier quotes and regional freight were not examined.
- General information about published statistics. It is not financial or procurement advice.
What to watch next
The ABS release page lists the next Producer Price Indexes release.
- 30 October 2026: Producer Price Indexes, Australia, September 2026, with the next quarter's Table 18 and Table 30.
Bring us one supplier
price increase.
Send us a supplier's price increase notice and the products it covers. We will show you which ABS item or group is closest, what it did over the same quarters and which fields your records would need to compare the two each quarter.
General information about published ABS price indexes, as read on 27 October 2026. It is not financial or procurement advice and makes no forecast.
Sources
Suggested citation: ABS, Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026 (released 31 July 2026), Tables 18 and 30, as read 27 October 2026. Derived figures: item, group and city changes not printed by the ABS, shares of the index and peak comparisons are our calculation, reproduced by compute.py in the source folder.
- ABS - Producer Price Indexes, Australia, June 2026: Released 31 July 2026, 11:30am AEST · read 27 October 2026 · Official statistics release
- ABS - PPI Table 18, Input to the House construction industry: Released 31 July 2026 · read 27 October 2026, downloaded as XLSX · Official time series workbook, groups and items
- ABS - PPI Table 30, House construction industry, contribution to class index: Released 31 July 2026 · read 27 October 2026, downloaded as XLSX · Official data cube
- ABS - Producer Price Indexes, Australia methodology, June 2026: Released 31 July 2026 · read 27 October 2026 · Official methodology