The latest State of Trade Survey has found that 90% of material suppliers expect costs to increase further over the next 12 months. Alongside this, the Construction Enquirer has reported that cement producers are planning to hike prices by £15 (16%) a tonne by the end of the year, blaming high energy costs for the biggest single increase in decades.
A precast user said: “The shocking thing is we are being told that there is no point in trying another supplier because all the key producers are putting up prices by similar amounts. We’re being told it’s basically non-negotiable.
“The industry is used to 3% and 5% increases, but this is unprecedented. Taking into account rises already this year it will mean cement has soared 30% on a year.”
He added: “It seems it is going up across the board whether you take 30t, 300t or 3,000t a year”
It’s safe to say the rise in the price of materials isn’t slowing down, but is this going to be pushing people away from cement and towards cement-free alternatives?
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