ARLINGTON, Va. — The amount contractors pay for a range of key construction materials declined in August, but contractors continue to be squeezed as materials cost increases have outstripped the price of finished buildings over the past year, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
“The disparity between contractors’ materials costs and their selling prices threatens to push some firms and their hard-pressed workers out of business,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors just aren’t catching any breaks when it comes to current market conditions.”