The period marked by longer delivery times and supply problems, on the other hand, seems to be over. According to an Embuild survey of 341 of its members, eight out of ten contractors expect prices for cement and cement products to rise in the next three months. A third even fear an increase of more than 10%.
A phenomenon that also affects bricks and tiles, according to 75% of respondents. This increase is not surprising, given the high energy prices and the fact that the production of bricks and tiles requires a lot of energy, comments Embuild. This is why two out of three entrepreneurs are also planning price increases for glass. The professionals surveyed also expect price increases for insulation materials and for the installation sector.
Although four out of ten contractors and installers do not charge this price increase, Embuild advises them to work with revision clauses or daily prices in order not to compromise their profitability.
For steel and wood, the biggest price increases seem to have passed. Almost half of the companies expect a stabilization of timber prices, which have already fallen in the meantime. One in five companies even think that they will fall further. The same is true for those of steel: 41.4% believe that they will stabilize in the first quarter of 2023.
The building materials market therefore remains under pressure but the tensions are easing, concludes the sectoral confederation. Embuild is finally pleased that delivery times are normalizing again and supply issues seem to be over. “But we have still not returned to the pre-coronavirus situation”, warns its CEO Niko Demeester. “Builders and renovators will therefore have to expect occasional delays due to low supply of certain materials.”