Economy
Concrete Costs Are Creeping Up 7% — The Slow Squeeze Nobody's Talking About
Ready-mix concrete is at $399.62/cy and cement at $469.18/ton — up 2-3% year-over-year. CMU block is up 7.3%. Here's the full picture of concrete costs in 2026 and how to protect your margins on concrete-heavy work.
Danny Reeves · 2026-04-14
EconomyThe 2026 Construction Material Cost Report: Winners, Losers, and What to Put in Your Bids
The 2026 construction material cost report covering 40+ materials across lumber, steel, concrete, electrical, and plumbing. Copper up 31%, rebar up 14%, drywall up 11%. LED fixtures down 8.5%. Full breakdown with bid strategy recommendations.
EconomyConstruction Overhead and Markup in 2026: How to Price Your Work So You Actually Make Money
How to calculate construction overhead and markup in 2026 — what belongs in overhead, how to set your markup percentage, and why most contractors underprice their work by getting this wrong.
EconomyCopper Prices Hold Above $6/lb — What Plumbing and Electrical Contractors Should Do Now
Copper prices hit $6.01/lb in April 2026 — up 31% year-over-year. What plumbing and electrical contractors should do now before a potential tariff decision swings prices either way.
Key Metrics
PPI materials
267.4
indexProducer Price Index for construction materials. Measures input cost inflation for contractors.
Lumber
$487/MBF
Random Lengths composite price. Volatile — driven by Canadian tariffs and housing demand cycles.
Steel HRC
$820/ton
Hot-rolled coil steel. Key input for structural and rebar. Tariff-sensitive.
Construction GDP
+2.1%
AGC confidence
58