New research from Roofing Megastore has revealed a dramatic increase in both cost and lead times for many key building materials.
The figures point to a continuing impact from the perfect storm of Brexit, COVID and subsequent supply chain issues, which have caused a shift in consumer behaviour and staff shortages.
The study analysed Office for National Statistics (ONS) data and found that timber supplies are most affected, with prices increasing between 50-75% for many forms of structural timber.
The other impacted materials can be found in the table below.
| Rank | Material | YoY Increase (%) |
| 1 | Imported sawn or planed wood | 74% |
| 2 | Fabricated structural steel | 73% |
| 3 | Particle board | 65% |
| 4 | Concrete reinforcing bars (Steel) | 62% |
| 5 | Imported plywood | 56% |
| 6 | Builders’ woodwork | 14% |
| 7 | Plastic for doors and windows | 13% |
| 8 | Pre-cast concrete products | 12% |
| 9 | Non-aqueous paint | 11% |
| 10 | Flexible pipes and fittings | 8% |
This crisis comes just as the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) is warning that these shortages may persist until at least the end of the year, with many projects already delayed by months due to a lack of materials, according to the Federation of Master Builders.
What’s more, the knock-on effects from consumer behaviour as a result of the first lockdown in 2020 are still being felt, with a lack of raw materials due to disrupted supply chains and increased global demand.
This has led to the global shortage of raw materials such as concrete, causing a 30% drop in the production of concrete roof tiles in Britain when compared to Q3 2020, and an even greater drop of 40% when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Prices
Regarding prices, repair and maintenance work in the UK is the most affected part of construction, with prices increasing by 26% in October 2021 compared to 2020.
Read more in the table below.
| Rank | Project Type | YoY Increase (%) |
| 1 | Repair and maintenance | 25.9% |
| 2 | All work | 23.5% |
| 3 | Other new work | 22.8% |
| 4 | New housing | 22.4% |
Roofing Megastore has reported that the higher prices and longer delivery times has caused many projects to continue well beyond their expected completion date.
According to the ONS, the cost of building materials has increased by nearly 25% year-on-year, and nine out of 10 small builders are having to delay projects due to the ongoing crisis, according to a survey by the Federation of Master Builders. All these factors together mean that homeowners are having to wait even longer and pay much more for the same project when compared to 2019.
Commenting on the findings, Gian-Carlo Grossi, managing director of Roofing Megastore, said: “As an online building supplies merchant, we’re all too aware of the effects these crises are having across the industry. For such a core sector of the economy, there needs to be significant co-operation between the government and businesses within construction supply chains to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.”
>> You can read more about the ongoing materials shortage in the news here.
