Materials

Construction Materials Prices Jump 2.6% in May, Up Nearly 10% Year Over Year

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:03:27 -0400

Construction materials prices are rising again as copper, diesel, freight and labor costs squeeze supply chains despite resilient contractor confidence.

Steel Construction Institute to Release Sustainability Guide

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Fri, 08 May 2026 08:30:00 -0400

New research and development of structural steel construction methods was the primary focus of the North American Steel Construction conference, held April 22 to 24 in Atlanta.

Two European Projects Aim to Scale Industry Decarbonization Innovations

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Materials producer Holcim will open in 2028 what it says is the world's first fully electric cement clinker plant, while KBR and Mott McDonald are engineering the first global facility in Amsterdam to annually import 200,000 metric tons of liquid hydrogen and export 1.8M metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Brooklyn Public Library Undergoes Mass Timber Rebuild

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Studio Joseph and Shawmut have a nearly $31M assignment to build one of the first public buildings in New York City using the material.

Tech Consultant Launches Data-Driven Paving Platform

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:00:00 -0500

Of the more than 2.3 million miles of paved roads in the U.S., 94% are done with asphalt, with airports and parking lots adding more to contractors’ annual workload.

Tech Roundup: Autodesk Invests in QFlow; DeWalt's New Data Center Drilling Robot

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 08:51:12 -0500

A downward-drilling robot speeds data center construction, while Doka prepares to launch new products in the North American market at the upcoming CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show.

Construction Input Prices "Surged" Year-Over-Year in November, ABC Says

zevina@enr.com (Alisa Zevin) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:39:00 -0500

Aluminum, steel prices are among the highest increases.

Walmart Strikes Deal for 3D-Printed Buildings from Alquist in Boost for Emerging Sector

rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone) — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:05:56 -0500

Retail giant signs on for over a dozen buildings to be 3D-printed by construction tech firm and its construction partners, as additive manufacturing makes inroads in retail.

Feds' Push to Block Liquid Nails Buy Shows Cost Risks in Consolidating Materials Sector

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Federal Trade Commission suit against German firm Henkel’s bid comes as construction materials prices stay elevated, raising concerns that consolidation could hike bid risk and squeeze contractor margins.

Ecocem Verifies 60% Embodied Carbon Reduction for ACT Product via ASTM Certification

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:26:09 -0500

Ecocem's Advanced Cement Technology achieved ASTMC117 certification for carbon dioxide emission reduction of 60% on typical concrete construction projects.

Steelmaker Gerdau Realigns to Meet Solar, Warehouse and Data Center Demand

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:31:35 -0500

U.S. electric arc furnace plants such as Gerdau's Cartersville, Ga., plant adjust their offerings to meet demands of hot construction markets.

As Warehouse Safety Risks Rise, Polymer Guardrails Challenge Steel, Other Metals

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:00:00 -0500

New material emerges in fast-moving warehouses, promising fewer guardrail repairs and new visibility into everyday impacts. Is it ready to challenge steel?

Hong Kong Probes Building Materials After Apartment Tower Blaze Killed at Least 128

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:00:33 -0500

Officials search for cause of blaze that raced up several high-rise apartment buildings, where about 200 residents remain unaccounted for, with investigators looking closely at builders use of construction and scaffold materials and fire-safety practices.

Amrize Bets on ‘Made in America’ Label, Touting Domestic Material Procurement

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:50:00 -0500

Amrize unveils a $700-million initiative linking domestic cement sourcing to carbon goals as new Buy America rules take hold.

Holcim Snaps Up German Wall Systems Manufacturer in $2.16B Deal

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:56:47 -0400

CEO Miljan Gutovic said the company is “working on other big deals” that “could be coming in the next few months.”

For Every Project Challenge, Source the Right Materials

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Every project has its challenges. Sourcing the right materials shouldn't be one of them.

3Q 2025 Cost Report: Prices Rise as Delayed Impacts of Tariffs Hit Jobsites

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:45:00 -0400

The producer price index for materials and services used in nonresidential construction rose 0.2% in August and 2.5% from the same month in 2024.

Home Depot and Lowe's Take Page out of the Software Vendor Book for Pro Strategy

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:29:30 -0400

The CEO of BigRentz says big box construction retail sees its future the same way software vendors once did with the SaaS model.

3D Printed Concrete Finds Its Footing

rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone) — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0400

Slow but steady growth in the use of 3D printed concrete in construction brings in new firms and users, as the nascent industry finds the right market niches for a continually evolving technology.

Alterra, Eco Materials Open $40M Circular Soil-Recycling Facility in Philadelphia

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:49:00 -0400

Alterra IOS and Eco Materials have opened a $40M soil-recycling facility in Philadelphia, capable of diverting 700,000 tons of soils annually into reclaimed aggregates for infrastructure projects.

STACK Data Center Project in Virginia Opts for Low-Carbon Concrete From Sublime

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:21:09 -0400

Sublime Systems' low-carbon concrete was used in a data center project for the first time, a STACK Infrastructure data center in Virginia.

Analysis Tool Targets Hidden Sources of Carbon in Mass Timber Projects

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:43:43 -0400

New carbon calculator offers designers a more in-depth look into the environmental impact of the mass timber supply chain.

Amrize, Meta Partner on Low-Carbon Concrete for Minnesota Data Center

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 19:39:14 -0400

Meta’s Rosemount, Minn., data center uses Amrize AI-optimized concrete that gains strength 43% faster and slashes embodied carbon 35%.

Stainless-Bonded Rebar Debuts on Caltrans Bridge Project

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:27:36 -0400

MIT startup Allium Engineering’s stainless-clad rebar aims to triple bridge lifespans, cut carbon emissions and resist corrosion, with Caltrans testing underway after a California pilot.

Ten Minutes with QXO CEO Brad Jacobs

gottliebb@enr.com (Bryan Gottlieb) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:00:44 -0400

Market maker and serial entrepreneur Brad Jacobs’ outlines his QXO playbook: disciplined M&A, tech‑driven consolidation, AI‑powered pricing and logistics and unified branding to reshape building‑products distribution.

2Q 2025 Cost Report: As Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Rise to 50%, Feds OK US Steel Sale to Nippon Steel

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:00:00 -0400

President Donald Trump's June 13 executive order cleared the $14.9B acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. by Tokyo-based Nippon Steel.

ABC: Construction Input Prices Rise 0.2% in May

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 09:10:05 -0400

Iron, steel and electrical inputs led increases in construction inputs in May while natural gas saw a steep price fall economy-wide.

Ozinga Breaks Ground on Low-Carbon Cement Plant in East Chicago

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:29:05 -0400

Equipped with what's planned to be North America’s largest vertical roller mills, the plant is designed to produce one million tons of low-carbon cementitious materials annually.

The Little-known ‘Dark Roof’ Lobby May Be Making Cities Hotter

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:49:48 -0400

A report from nonprofit news organization Floodlight looks at the local battles over cool roofs are heating up.

Nippon Steel to Acquire US Steel as Trump Increases Steel, Aluminum Tariffs on China to 50%

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 16:09:55 -0400

President Donald Trump said he will support an acquisition of U.S. Steel by Tokyo-based Nippon Steel with caveats to retain U.S. control of the company's board of directors.