Results of the Indices and Prices of Construction Materials for the 3rd Quarter of 2005

Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the third quarter of 2005, price indices rose in most of the surveyed construction materials, compared with the second quarter of 2005. Among them, aluminium, sand, concrete, lime, timber, red bricks, ceramic products, glass, paint, cement and electric wires rose between 0.2% and 15.5%. However, the price indices of steel, aggregates, pipes and sanitary articles fell between 0.2% and 4.7%. Among the above changes in price indices, sand recorded the largest increase of 15.5%, whereas steel decreased the most, down 4.7%. Compared with the third quarter of 2004, price indices rose in most of the surveyed construction materials, with the biggest increase in electric wires, up 43.8%, followed by sand, up 41.2%.