From bitumen to flat glass: prices for building materials are rising sharply, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Here’s a look at which materials have seen the biggest price hikes recently.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prices for most building materials have risen sharply. At present, materials produced from petroleum or through energy-intensive processes have become significantly more expensive. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the price of petroleum-based bitumen – which is used, amongst other things, in road construction and by roofers to waterproof roofs, buildings and foundations – rose by 31.2 per cent in May 2026 compared with May 2025.

Prices have also risen sharply for energy-intensive building materials such as flat glass (up 15.4 per cent), which is used, for example, in windows, glass doors and glass walls.




According to Destatis, there were also significant price increases for timber: roof battens (up 11.8 per cent), sawn timber (up 11.4 per cent) and solid structural timber (up 7.5 per cent) were more expensive in May 2026 than a year earlier.

Prices for metals, the production of which is also energy-intensive, rose by 11.1 per cent in May 2026. Among these, cold-rolled sheet metal (up 9.9 per cent), reinforcing bars (up 5.0 per cent), pipes or hollow sections made of iron or steel (up 1.6 per cent) and reinforcing mesh (up 1.0 per cent) all became more expensive.

Source: handwerksblatt.de