BCIS CapX provides a comprehensive, detailed and easy-to-use method of measuring cost movement for building and civil engineering. Widely used in the construction and infrastructure sector to help fairly allocate risk between the client and sub-contractors.
Published: 07/02/2025
Each month the Department for Business and Trade publishes construction material price indices, categorised under All Work, New Housing, Other New Work and Repair and Maintenance, as well as tracking a selection of building materials and components for the UK, and providing statistics on bricks and concrete blocks production, delivery and stock for Great Britain.
BCIS data is used in the compilation of the indices and the full methodology can be found here.
Annual movement in building materials prices decreased slightly in December
Construction materials prices for All Work decreased by 0.1% in the 12 months to December 2024, according to the latest figures published by the Department for Business and Trade.
Materials prices in New Housing registered a 1.3% increase, Repair and Maintenance was up by 1.0% and Other New Work decreased by 1.4% in the same period.
Source: Department for Business & Trade – Building materials and components statistics, Table 1a
Up to October 2024, the All Work index had seen 17 consecutive months of decreasing annual movement. There was no movement in the 12 months to November 2024.
Despite an overall cooling in materials cost inflation, compared to where prices have been in the last couple of years, there remains divergent movement for different materials, and therefore for different trades.
The greatest annual increase was seen in other builders’ ironmongery (9.5%), with a significant monthly increase of 8.4%. The other greatest annual prices increases were in precast concrete and aqueous paint. Fabricated structural steel remained among the materials showing the greatest price decreases compared with December 2023.
Source: Department for Business & Trade – Building materials and components statistics, Table 2
* DBT advises index values should not be relied upon for long-term contractual purposes, as they are based on relatively few quotes.
As well as other builders’ ironmongery, the most significant price differences on a monthly basis were seen in gravel, sand, clays and kaolin – incl Aggregate Levy (-1.9%), builders woodwork (-1.8%) and steel concrete rebar (-1.1%).
DBT’s report also showed concrete block deliveries (seasonally adjusted) were up by 27.4% in the year to December 2024 but down by 2.4% on a monthly basis.
Brick deliveries (seasonally adjusted) increased by 9.1% in the 12 months to December 2024 and decreased by 0.2% compared with November 2024. Stocks of all types of bricks at the end of December stood at 480.2 million, which was 14.3% less than at the end of December 2023 (560.6 million).
By comparison with pre-pandemic activity levels, seasonally adjusted brick deliveries in December 2024 were 27.6% lower than in December 2019, and stocks were 13.1% higher.
Looking at 2024 as a whole, brick deliveries (seasonally adjusted) were up 2.8% on 2023, total production was down 18%, and stocks were 14.3% lower.
Source: Department for Business & Trade – Building materials and components statistics, Table 9a
Dr David Crosthwaite, Chief Economist at BCIS, said: ‘Materials price increases continue to flatline, with a few exceptions, and this is largely a result of stagnant demand. However, brick and block deliveries have picked up, which is a positive sign of recovery, and stock levels remain high in anticipation of any increase in demand through 2025.’
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