Construction

Commodity market trends, pricing dynamics and insights into the construction raw materials supply chain

Real-time insights for the construction industry to keep projects profitable and competitive

The construction industry is critical in building a more sustainable future, with emerging trends set to reshape the industry and reallocate profits along the entire value chain. Fluctuating costs and unpredictable demand make it difficult to plan ahead, while there is an increasing emphasis on more energy-efficient designs and sustainable construction practices.

Stay up-to-date, make strategic decisions and tackle the disruptions of the construction industry head-on with Fastmarkets’ construction price data, construction industry forecasting, news and market analysis. Our construction customers get coverage for raw materials including:

  • Metals and mining: Steel, scrap and secondary metals and base metals including aluminium and copper
  • Forest products: Wood products including framing lumber and structural panels
How Fastmarkets helps the construction industry
As a construction industry market participant, you need market intelligence to guide your short- and long-term buying and selling strategies. Fastmarkets’ construction suite is designed to address the most pressing challenges around construction raw materials for contractors, material suppliers/distributors, designers and developers, including steel, scrap and wood products.

Cost volatility 

Fluctuating costs, unpredictable demand and evolving construction project priorities mean you need an agile management approach.

Fastmarkets’ market intelligence and price data for construction raw materials allows you to estimate costs more accurately, and diversify materials and suppliers to hedge against supply chain risk.  

Digitalization

Digital technologies for project planning, design and management are now more widespread than ever.

Fastmarkets helps construction professionals get transparency into construction materials and equipment pricing dynamics, as well as supply chain forecasts and analysis to aid data-driven decision-making. 

Sustainability

Sustainable construction practices and energy-efficient designs are expected to become a standard requirement, driven by regulations, client demands and a focus on lower carbon footprints. 

Fastmarkets gives construction market participants access to expert knowledge and updates to regulatory requirements. 

Get started with Fastmarkets' construction suite

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Learn more about the products and services that make up Fastmarkets’ construction suite:

Market-reflective construction prices, even when markets are at their most volatile.

Commodities covered: Steel, wood products, scrap, base metals

Analysis of the forces moving your markets and how they’ll play out over the next 1-2 years.

Commodities covered: Steel, scrap, base metals, wood products

Breaking news and market coverage from price reports and analysts deeply embedded in the markets.

Commodities covered: Steel, wood products

The construction industry’s top prices
Steel,  aluminium, scrap, pine, as well as framing lumber and structural panel prices are some of the most popular prices for those working in the construction industry today. We assess the prices you see below and hundreds more prices on a daily or weekly basis depending on their liquidity.
 
Our metals price portfolio includes the main inputs for US steelmakers’ rebar melt, which is vital in construction.  We also provide price forecasts for the critical materials, including steel, scrap, base metals and wood products. Fastmarkets continues to evolve in response to market changes, with new green premiums in steel and aluminium to reflect the demand for carbon reduction in supply chains for these core materials.

Looking for a specific price? Search our database for one of our 5,500+ prices

Why Fastmarkets

Fastmarkets’ price data, news and analysis have been used by construction market participants for decades as a way to get transparency into construction materials and equipment pricing dynamics, aid in feasibility assessment and support project cost estimation.

You can also get supply chain analysis and forecasting, access insights into regional and global pricing trends and utilize Fastmarkets’ on-the-ground experts to understand pricing volatility and opacity in local construction markets. 

Why should you use Fastmarkets?

  • Fastmarkets has more than 100 years’ experience in analyzing and pricing commodity markets.
  • We hold benchmark prices in steel, aluminium, copper and many other key materials.
  • We’ve got more than 500 team members worldwide, with price reporters on the ground in key markets, as well as analysts and editorial teams who are researching and reporting on shifting market dynamics.  

Latest construction raw materials news

Our team of commodity market experts and price reporters provide weekly prices and market analysis for the construction industry.

Unlike most other commodities, cobalt is primarily a by-product – with 60% derived from copper and 38% from nickel – so how will changes in those markets change the picture for cobalt in the coming months following a year of price weakness and oversupply in 2024?

Prices for imported flat-rolled steel into the US were largely stable on Wednesday November 20, with market participants reporting thin trading and long lead times deterring them from engaging in the foreign markets.

Copper recycling will become increasingly critical as the world transitions to cleaner energy systems, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a special report published early this week.

Insteel Wire Products Company announced it will cease operations at its factory in Warren, Ohio, next week.

Navigating the steel market’s new terrain: tariff impacts on global markets and US manufacturing

Explore Fastmarkets’ new pallet pricing series, bringing clarity to softwood GMA Grade A markets for manufacturers, traders and related industries.

You can read a snippet of our weekly lumber report, featuring insights into the trends behind the continued increase in prices.

Watch this interview with Fastmarkets’ in-house expert, Jennifer Coskren, director of wood products and timber, to learn more about the state of the US housing market and a look ahead to 2025.

Chinese steelmakers exporting low-carbon emission steel products will be among key users of green ferro-alloys, mainly because of the carbon emissions reduction requirements of the end users in their export destinations, sources told Fastmarkets.

Download our product brochure to learn more about how Fastmarkets construction suite can help you

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Whether you’re interested in learning how to become a customer from our sales teams or looking to get in touch with one of our reporters, we’re here for you.

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Why use a price reporting agency?

Navigate uncertainty and make business decisions with confidence using our battery raw materials price data, forecasts and critical intelligence.

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Fastmarkets combines the commodity intelligence of these familiar names:

Metal Bulletin • American Metal Market • Scrap Price Bulletin • Industrial Minerals • RISI • FOEX • The Jacobsen • Agricensus • Palm Oil Analytics • Random Lengths • FastMarkets and more