Insights into Output of Building construction prices (2024)

Following the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices received by Building construction businesses have increased 31.1% from September quarter 2020 to June quarter 2024 (Figure 1), driven by growth in House construction prices which rose 40.8% over this period. Prices received for Other residential building construction (25.3%) and Non-residential building construction (27.1%) also strongly contributed to the rise.

Figure 1: Outputs of Building Construction, Index numbers, Australia
3011 House construction3019 Other residential building construction3020 Non-residential building construction30 Building construction
Jun-9759.361.459.159.4
Sep-9759.662.159.860.0
Dec-9759.762.460.260.3
Mar-9859.962.960.960.8
Jun-9860.163.461.661.2
Sep-9860.564.062.061.7
Dec-9861.064.462.662.2
Mar-9961.965.363.162.9
Jun-9962.565.863.663.5
Sep-9963.866.764.164.3
Dec-9965.867.864.865.5
Mar-0066.968.265.166.2
Jun-0067.268.865.566.6
Sep-0066.868.265.466.3
Dec-0067.068.065.566.4
Mar-0167.267.465.366.3
Jun-0167.466.864.866.0
Sep-0168.067.365.366.6
Dec-0168.767.765.667.0
Mar-0269.068.566.367.6
Jun-0269.769.366.968.3
Sep-0270.370.267.668.9
Dec-0270.870.667.969.4
Mar-0371.971.669.070.5
Jun-0373.374.070.872.2
Sep-0374.675.672.473.7
Dec-0375.676.873.374.6
Mar-0476.479.876.176.5
Jun-0477.681.778.378.2
Sep-0478.682.879.879.4
Dec-0479.885.281.881.1
Mar-0581.086.983.682.6
Jun-0581.787.884.783.5
Sep-0582.788.585.484.4
Dec-0583.489.486.185.1
Mar-0683.790.387.285.8
Jun-0684.791.588.687.0
Sep-0684.892.990.187.8
Dec-0685.393.491.288.5
Mar-0786.294.092.189.4
Jun-0787.195.493.890.6
Sep-0788.296.695.291.9
Dec-0789.597.796.493.2
Mar-0891.199.598.494.9
Jun-0892.1101.4100.496.4
Sep-0893.4103.1102.698.0
Dec-0893.6102.6101.397.6
Mar-0993.1100.198.896.2
Jun-0994.498.396.995.9
Sep-0995.697.096.096.0
Dec-0996.197.196.196.3
Mar-1096.997.596.596.9
Jun-1097.597.396.797.2
Sep-1098.098.798.098.1
Dec-1098.899.298.898.8
Mar-1199.698.998.599.1
Jun-11100.1100.5100.2100.2
Sep-1199.9100.0100.1100.0
Dec-11100.0100.2100.3100.1
Mar-12100.099.899.799.9
Jun-12100.2100.099.9100.1
Sep-12100.899.999.9100.3
Dec-12100.9100.099.6100.2
Mar-13102.8100.199.6101.0
Jun-13103.9100.2100.0101.6
Sep-13104.3100.3100.1101.9
Dec-13105.2100.3100.1102.2
Mar-14105.3100.7100.4102.5
Jun-14107.0101.6101.2103.7
Sep-14108.2102.4102.2104.7
Dec-14109.4102.5102.4105.3
Mar-15110.4103.2103.1106.1
Jun-15112.0103.5103.3106.9
Sep-15112.8103.5103.6107.4
Dec-15112.9104.3104.2107.8
Mar-16112.9104.7104.6108.0
Jun-16113.8105.1104.9108.5
Sep-16114.3105.5105.1108.9
Dec-16115.0106.5106.2109.8
Mar-17116.3106.9106.5110.5
Jun-17117.3107.8107.4111.5
Sep-17118.3108.0107.7112.0
Dec-17119.3108.2107.9112.5
Mar-18120.0108.5108.2112.9
Jun-18121.2109.9109.4114.2
Sep-18121.0110.8110.1114.6
Dec-18121.3111.4110.5115.1
Mar-19120.9111.9111.0115.3
Jun-19120.3112.9111.9115.8
Sep-19120.0113.1112.0115.8
Dec-19120.7113.2112.1116.0
Mar-20121.4112.7111.8116.0
Jun-20121.3113.0112.1116.2
Sep-20122.0112.6111.9116.2
Dec-20124.2112.4112.1116.9
Mar-21125.9112.8112.6117.8
Jun-21128.1114.9114.9120.0
Sep-21132.8116.1116.6122.5
Dec-21138.0118.7119.3126.0
Mar-22144.8120.8121.7129.7
Jun-22153.5123.7125.0134.6
Sep-22160.0125.9127.3138.2
Dec-22161.8128.3129.7140.4
Mar-23163.1129.8131.4141.9
Jun-23164.7131.0132.6143.3
Sep-23166.3133.0134.6145.2
Dec-23168.4136.4137.7148.0
Mar-24170.1138.9140.1150.3
Jun-24171.8141.1142.2152.3
  • Global financial crisis <br> (mid 2007 to early 2009)
  • Federal HomeBuilder grant<br>introduced (4 June 2020)
  • Covid-19 Nationwide<br>lockdowns start (22 March 2020)
  • Application for Federal<br>HomeBuilder grant<br>closed (14 April 2021)

2019 to September 2020

Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, annual growth in prices received by builders was easing. Subdued growth was recorded across each of the residential and non-residential building classes within the industry, as demand softened in 2019 and early 2020 (Figure 2).

This easing of growth was magnified during the initial shock of the pandemic, as lockdowns impacted construction activity and demand weakened from April to December 2020.

The introduction of thefederal HomeBuilder and other state-specific housing construction grant programs from June 2020, together with historically low interest rates, coincided with a notable increase in demand and House construction approvals that peaked in March 2021, as shown in Figure 2. This strong demand and anticipated pipeline of work influenced higher Outputs of House construction prices. Activity and price growth in Other residential building construction and Non-residential building construction both remained relatively subdued (Figure 2).

Figure 2: PPI Construction output indexes and Building Approvals, Australia, Annual percentage change
QuarterTotal number of Building approvals (Houses)(RHS) (%)Output Other Residential Construction (3019) (%)Output Non Residential Construction (3020) (%)Output House construction (3011) (%)
Mar-19-11.93.12.60.8
Jun-19-16.72.72.3-0.7
Sep-19-12.72.11.7-0.8
Dec-19-10.61.61.4-0.5
Mar-20-0.90.70.70.4
Jun-203.70.10.20.8
Sep-2013.6-0.4-0.11.7
Dec-2040.7-0.702.9
Mar-2156.90.10.73.7
Jun-2150.71.72.55.6
Sep-2115.33.14.28.9
Dec-21-13.15.66.411.1
Mar-22-30.17.18.115.0
Jun-22-29.87.78.819.8
Sep-22-13.28.49.220.5
Dec-22-12.38.18.717.2
Mar-23-11.87.58.012.6
Jun-23-15.45.96.17.3
Sep-23-14.75.65.73.9
Dec-23-2.96.36.24.1
Mar-24-0.17.06.64.3
Jun-247.77.24.3

From March 2021, the impact of supply constraints, both globally and domestically, reduced timber and metal supply. Coupled with strong demand for these materials, this resulted in a sharp rise in the Input to the House construction index (Figure 3), which measures price changes of materials used in house construction. Timber, board and joinery, Other metal products and Steel products account for half the contribution to the Inputs to House construction index (Table 30). Builders passed through these rises, with the input and output series’ for House construction aligning through 2021 and 2022, as shown in Figure 3. These products, especially timber, are used more predominantly in house building than they are for other types of construction, and so had a larger impact on the House construction index than on the other indexes.In addition, time frames for House construction are shorter than for other types of building construction, so changes to input costs tend to flow through to house building prices more quickly.

Figure 3: Material inputs into House construction and Outputs of House construction, Annual percentage change
All Materials (%)Timber, board and joinery (%)Steel products (%)Other metal products (%)Output house construction 3011 (%)
Sep-201.70.81.10.61.7
Dec-201.81.51.30.42.9
Mar-212.53.35.91.73.7
Jun-214.06.411.13.85.6
Sep-218.012.223.78.88.9
Dec-2112.018.430.813.211.1
Mar-2215.420.642.116.215.0
Jun-2217.324.239.118.419.8
Sep-2216.021.225.116.420.5
Dec-2214.216.815.913.317.2
Mar-2311.412.7-1.010.712.6
Jun-237.45.4-10.06.87.3
Sep-234.41.8-13.03.03.9
Dec-232.4-0.3-14.51.64.1
Mar-241.3-1.2-9.80.44.3
Jun-241.1-1.1-6.80.44.3

Strong building activity and low overseas migration resulted in high demand for contractors and tradespersons amid limited supply from late 2021. This created competition for skilled workers integral to project completion across all of the Construction industry and resulted in higher wages growth (Figure 4) as businesses paid more to attract and retain staff. Labour accounts for a significant proportion of construction project costs, with these increased costs influencing higher output prices in all three classes of Building construction.

Figure 4: Wage Price Index (Construction) and PPI Building construction, Annual percentage change
Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses; Australia; Private and Public; Construction (%)Building construction 30 (%)
Sep-200.90.3
Dec-201.10.8
Mar-211.31.6
Jun-212.23.3
Sep-212.65.4
Dec-212.47.8
Mar-222.510.1
Jun-223.412.2
Sep-223.412.8
Dec-223.811.4
Mar-233.99.4
Jun-233.96.5
Sep-234.35.1
Dec-234.15.4
Mar-244.25.9
Jun-246.3

Upward pressure on labour costs combined with continued strong demand and input material price rises accelerated annual growth across Building construction, which peaked in September 2022 at 20.5% for House construction, 9.2% for Non-residential construction and 8.4% for Other residential construction, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: PPI Construction indexes, Australia, Annual percentage change
Input House Construction (3011) (%)Output Other Residential Construction (3019) (%)Output Non Residential Construction (3020) (%)Output House construction 3011 (%)
Sep-201.7-0.4-0.11.7
Dec-201.8-0.702.9
Mar-212.50.10.73.7
Jun-214.01.72.55.6
Sep-218.03.14.28.9
Dec-2112.05.66.411.1
Mar-2215.47.18.115.0
Jun-2217.37.78.819.8
Sep-2216.08.49.220.5
Dec-2214.28.18.717.2
Mar-2311.47.58.012.6
Jun-237.45.96.17.3
Sep-234.45.65.73.9
Dec-232.46.36.24.1
Mar-241.37.06.64.3
Jun-241.17.77.24.3

December 2022 – June 2024

Demand for new house construction softened through 2022, amid the winding down of Government incentives, rising interest rates, affordability pressures and lengthy build times.This resulted in the pipeline of House construction work moving towards the finishing stages from late 2022. While prices were still elevated, demand for materials used at the beginning stages of House construction (structural timber, steel beams) started to weaken as supply chains normalised, easing some of the upward pressure and resulted in moderating price growth. However, strong demand for materials used in the final stages of house construction (ceramic products, plasterboard and paint) together with ongoing cost pressures from wages and energy inputs curbed the deceleration of overall House construction price growth (Figure 5).

Through2023,consistent Other residentialandNon-residential building projectcommencements(Figure 6)across the country led to constant demandfor concrete products and other materialsusedacross all construction projects. Prices for these products were increasing due to increased energy input costs. A solid pipeline of building commencements enabled these higher costs to be passed through, leading to increases in the final prices Other residential and Non-residential building projects. Skilled labourers remained in short supply, with competition for workers across all construction projects and other industries resulting in wages continuing to grow across the industry (Figure 4). Annual growth in output prices for Other residential building construction and Non-residential building construction have continued to trend above 5% in 2024, as rising labour and project costs were passed on and increased risk due to persistent labour supply issues and industry insolvencies was factored into pricing.

Figure 6: PPI Construction output indexes, Annual percentage change and Building Activity, Australia, Value of work commenced
Value of work commenced - Other Residential (RHS) ($ ('000)Value of work commenced - Non-residential (RHS) ($ ('000)3019 Other residential building construction ($ ('000)3020 Non-residential building construction ($ ('000)
Sep-205,342.39,244.2-0.4-0.1
Dec-206,230.711,485.5-0.70
Mar-215,799.312,491.60.10.7
Jun-218,479.316,381.41.72.5
Sep-218,821.013,901.93.14.2
Dec-216,648.814,359.95.66.4
Mar-226,707.212,591.37.18.1
Jun-226,570.012,927.67.78.8
Sep-227,138.312,896.88.49.2
Dec-225,448.614,835.38.18.7
Mar-238,310.615,864.17.58.0
Jun-237,971.315,708.05.96.1
Sep-237,085.315,124.65.65.7
Dec-237,075.915,040.86.36.2
Mar-247,102.815,405.07.06.6
Jun-247.77.2

Nationally, price growth for Outputs of House construction has stabilised at a moderate pace through 2024, with labour costs and demand the main factors influencing prices. Differing demand has impacted builders’ ability to pass through costs, resulting in a divergence in growth across states, as shown in Figure 7. Steady demand influenced by strong population growth in Western Australia and South Australia has been partly offset by easing demand for new houses in New South Wales and Victoria. Changes in input material costs have continued to impact on growth through this period, although to a lesser extent than previous years.

Figure 7: PPI Outputs of House construction index, by selected states, Annual percentage change
New South Wales (%)Victoria (%)Queensland (%)South Australia (%)Western Australia (%)Tasmania (%)Australia (%)
Sep-20-0.12.50.11.17.13.21.7
Dec-202.12.21.91.011.53.42.9
Mar-210.13.24.72.715.83.83.7
Jun-212.64.36.85.117.28.85.6
Sep-216.76.014.69.014.014.18.9
Dec-218.56.618.614.615.920.111.1
Mar-2213.59.823.116.620.319.915.0
Jun-2216.517.728.419.920.917.719.8
Sep-2217.420.124.223.721.719.120.5
Dec-2216.318.517.718.516.512.417.2
Mar-2315.412.011.516.77.213.112.6
Jun-2310.95.35.414.22.99.77.3
Sep-237.90.91.98.33.84.63.9
Dec-236.90.91.27.98.95.44.1
Mar-243.03.22.36.412.66.14.3
Jun-242.32.31.67.318.94.14.3
Insights into Output of Building construction prices (2024)

FAQs

Why is it important to estimate the cost of construction for a building project? ›

Cost estimating is one of the most important steps in project management. A cost estimate establishes the base line of the project cost at different stages of development of the project.

Why is cost analysis important in construction? ›

Cost analysis is an exercise in budget responsibility, and plays a pivotal role in the construction industry. Cost analysis grants a clearer picture of project finances, helps to identify cost savings and enhance profitability, and can minimise project delays.

What is the significance of cost estimation in construction industry? ›

Accurate construction cost estimation also helps define the project's scope, the resources needed, the time frame, and the budget. For example, accurate estimates will enable the builders to make sure they order the right number of materials and stay in line with the budget.

What is the value of building construction? ›

The valuation of building depends on various factors such as its structure, durability, location, size, shape, road width, frontage, and the types and quality of building materials used. The cost of these materials is also considered in the Valuation of building.

Why is construction estimating so important to a general contractor? ›

The estimation process allows you to accurately track how much funds are needed and where the costs are going. So, how can you ensure that the money you're seeking at the start of the project is enough to make it to the end? Proper project estimating helps you create a detailed outline of those funds.

Why is cost and efficiency important in the construction industry? ›

By optimizing efficiency in every aspect of the construction process, from planning to execution, construction managers can minimize waste, reduce delays, and maximize cost savings.

What is the importance of estimating project cost? ›

Accurate cost estimation helps project managers identify potential risks and incorporate contingencies into the budget. This proactive approach minimizes the financial impact of unexpected events and keeps the project on course. Meeting the client's budget expectations is vital for client satisfaction.

What is the importance of knowing the cost analysis? ›

Cost analysis ensures that companies involve stakeholders in the decision-making process. Stakeholders are a necessary part of business operations because they contribute to a company and take an interest in projects. Because of this, companies need to keep them informed of relevant performance data.

What is the main purpose of estimating and costing? ›

The process of calculating a building overall project cost is known as estimating and costing. It accounts for the costs of the equipment, personnel, materials, and other expenses. It entails calculating the overall cost of the project as well as the quantity of each item required.

Why is a construction cost plan important? ›

In summary, cost plans are essential for effective project management in the construction industry. By providing a clear and accurate picture of project costs, cost plans help project managers to make informed decisions, identify potential cost savings, and keep stakeholders informed throughout the project lifecycle.

What is the purpose of the estimate costs process? ›

Cost estimation accounts for each element required for the project — from materials to labor — and calculates a total amount that determines a project's budget. An initial cost estimate can determine whether an organization greenlights a project.

How do you evaluate the price of a building? ›

The GRM method determines the market value of a property by multiplying the gross rent multiplier (GRM) by the property's annual gross rental income. The formula to compute the GRM divides the sale price of a property by its annual gross rental income, which can be rearranged to isolate the price variable.

What determines the value of a building? ›

The building value calculation uses the “improvement percent” which comes from the local county tax assessor's office. This informs how much of the property value is represented by the physical structure of the home as opposed to the value of the land the structures sit on.

What is best value in construction? ›

A Best Value Selection is a selection process for construction services where total construction cost, as well as other non-cost factors, are considered in the evalua- tion, selection, and final award of construction contracts.

Why is cost estimation important in a project? ›

Cost estimation sets the stage for a budget that will provide adequate funding to complete a project on time and in accordance with quality standards. Going the extra step and assigning budgets to various activities helps the team stay within the larger budget and avoid wasteful spending.

What is the purpose of estimating in construction? ›

Risk Management: Estimation can help identify potential risks and uncertainties in the construction project. By identifying potential issues early on, project managers can take appropriate measures to mitigate them, minimizing any potential negative impacts on the project.

Why is it important to know the total cost of a project? ›

Knowing your cost budget helps you manage the actual costs compared to the estimated ones. Determining the cost budget highly depends on the project schedule. Also, being aware of task durations and milestones makes it easier to track project deadlines.

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