Building materials: prices up 5% in August

The prices of construction materials showed an increase of 5% in August 2026 compared with August 2025, according to ELSTAT, as reported by economix.gr and Business News. The largest increase was recorded in heating oil, with a rise of 23.2%, followed by bricks at 11.1% and copper pipes at 10.7%. Ready-mix concrete recorded a significant increase of 6.5%, while cement showed smaller but noteworthy increases of 4.7%, reinforcing steel at 3.8%, and elevators at 3.3%. ELSTAT’s announcement, as transmitted by the two outlets, became known on Friday, September 25, 2026.

ELSTAT’s construction materials price index tracks the change in cost of a range of raw materials and equipment used in construction, from fuels and building materials to metal elements and mechanical equipment such as elevators. The comparison announced concerns August 2026 relative to August 2025, that is, an annual change in prices rather than a snapshot recording. As reported by economix.gr and Business News, ELSTAT presented the individual percentages per material category, giving a picture of where the greatest pressure is concentrated on costs, with heating oil standing out as the category with the largest annual price increase among those mentioned.

The increase in construction materials prices affects the cost of building and maintaining buildings, both for private projects and for public infrastructure, such as road construction or flood protection projects, on which these materials constitute a basic budget item; an indicative example of a public project depending on such supplies is the new flood protection project in Kalamata. For households planning repairs or renovations, the increase in categories such as bricks, concrete, and copper pipes translates to higher material costs. This picture in construction materials comes alongside other recent price records, such as the 11.9% increase in the cost of basic foods and the electricity wholesale price record at 213.62 euros/MWh, indicators affecting different spending categories but composing a broader cost framework for households and businesses.

ELSTAT publishes the construction materials price index on a regular basis, with August 2026 data representing the most recent recording made known through reports. The percentages cited here correspond to what ELSTAT reported and transmitted by economix.gr and Business News, without further processing or prediction regarding the trend of their prices in coming months. Any subsequent announcement by the authority, with data for the next month, is expected to provide a more complete picture of whether this trend continues or changes.