“While many economists expect inflation to moderate over the course of 2022, as of now, there is effectively no relief in sight for the nation’s contractors,” said Anirban Basu, chief economist, ABC. “Inflation remains hot, hot, hot, with estimates of price increases repeatedly coming in above consensus expectations. There was a chunky increase in materials prices in January despite lower natural gas prices. There was also a bit of price relief in metals like iron and steel. But that was more than offset by categories registering price increases, including softwood lumber, plumbing fixtures, concrete, and crude petroleum.

“It may seem naive given current data readings, but the expectation remains that, at some point later this year, construction materials prices will moderate.” continued Basu. “As the pandemic fades, supply chains will become more orderly. There are already indications that shipping costs are headed lower, and contractors remain optimistic, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index. Undoubtedly, some project owners will choose to postpone start dates in the hope of securing lower bids during the months ahead. The question is how many months they will need to wait.”

For more information, visit www.abc.org/economics.