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Construction Cost Index for buildings, August 2022

Construction Cost Index rose by 13.8 percent in August on an annual basis

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2022-09-15 8.00

The Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings increased by 0.2 percent in August 2022 compared with July 2022. The annual rate of change in the Construction Cost Index was 13.8 percent in August, compared with the corresponding month in 2021, down from 14.6 percent in July.

In brief

  • The annual changes for interest costs remained high.
  • The annual changes for costs of electricity and diesel oil remained high.
  • The annual changes for costs of reinforcement steel and iron and steel, including reinforcement steel remained high.
Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings, excl. wage drift and value-added tax, 2015=100
  Index Change in percent
  August July 2022–
August 2022
August 2021–
August 2022
Contractors' costs (82%) 136.1 0.3 12.2
Construction clients' costs (18%) 141.1 ‑0.2 21.3
Total Construction cost index (100%) 137.0 0.2 13.8

Changes in the last month

The Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings increased by 0.2 percent between July and August 2022. In the corresponding period in 2021, the Construction Cost Index increased by 0.9 percent.

Contractors’ costs increased by 0.3 percent, while construction clients’ costs decreased by 0.2 percent. These two groups accounted for 82 percent and 18 percent, respectively, of the Construction Cost Index.

Contractors’ costs for machinery increased the most, by 3.6 percent. Contractors’ overhead costs increased by 0.1 percent, while costs for wages and salaries remained unchanged. Costs in the group ‘transport, fuel and electricity’ decreased by 1.8 percent. The decrease was mostly due to lower costs for diesel oil by 6.5.

Contractors’ costs for building materials increased by 0.5 percent. The costs of electric material and plumbing material increased the most, by 5.2 percent and 3.6 percent respectively, while costs of wood products, reinforcement steel, iron and steel, including reinforcement steel, other building materials and concrete products decreased.

Construction clients’ costs consist of interest and credit costs, costs for plans, and central administration. Interest costs decreased by 0.8 percent. Other construction clients’ costs rose slightly or remained unchanged.

Changes in the last year

The Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings increased by 13.8 percent between August 2021 and August 2022. During 2022, the annual rate of change increased continuously until July 2022 but decreased during August 2022. The decrease in the annual rate of change is mainly due to the fact that the annual changes for building materials were somewhat lower, but also the cost of diesel and truck transport as well as the construction clients cost were lower in August compared to July.

Contractors’ costs rose by 12.2 percent, which led to an upward contribution to the Construction Cost Index of 10.1 percentage points. Construction clients’ costs increased by 21.3 percent, which led to an upward contribution to the Construction Cost Index of 3.7 percentage points. The increase of the construction clients’ costs was mainly due to higher interest costs.

Contractors’ costs in the group ‘transport, fuel and electricity’ increased by 27.2 percent between August 2021 and August 2022. Within that group, the cost of electricity and diesel oil rose the most, by 68.9 percent and 43.1 percent respectively. Contractors’ costs for machinery and overhead costs increased by 7.6 percent and 5.6 percent respectively, while costs for wages and salaries rose by 2.3 percent.

Contractors’ costs of building materials increased by 18.9 percent between August 2021 and August 2022. The costs of iron and steel including reinforcement steel increased by 31.4 percent, which is the lowest annual rate of change for these so far in 2022. The annual changes for wood products and concrete products were also lower in August compared to July. The cost of wood products increased by 1.7 percent.

Developments in various production factors August 2021–August 2022

Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings, excl. wage drift and value-added tax.

Graph: Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings, excl. wage drift and value-added tax.

The width of the bars represents the production factor’s weight share in percent in the calculation of the Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings. The height of the bars represents the average price development of each production factor.

Changes by product type, August 2022
Goods Change in percent
  July 2022–
August 2022
August 2021–
August 2022
Reinforcement steel ‑3.7 +45.2
Iron and steel* ‑1.9 +31.4
Floor material +2.2 +25.9
Electric material +5.2 +23.5
Other building materials** ‑1.7 +21.0
Woodwork +0.9 +16.4
Concrete products ‑0.8 +16.2
White goods +0.0 +12.7
Plumbing material +3.6 +11.6
Material for painting +1.6 +9.0
Wood products ‑2.6 +1.7
Total building materials +0.5 +18.9

* Includes reinforcement steel. ** Includes materials for thermal insulation, garbage equipment, gypsum and wood-based boards.

Developments in various building products August 2021–August 2022

Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings, excl. VAT  

Graph: Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings, excl. VAT  

The width of the bars represents the construction material group’s weight share in percent of all construction material in the calculation of the Construction Cost Index for multi-dwelling buildings. The height of the bars represents the average price development of each product category.

Next publishing will be

2022-10-17 08:00.

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Statistics Sweden

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