SCAD Building Materials Price Report Construction Labour Costs and Diesel Price Record the Largest Annual and Monthly Falls in April 2020

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 30, 2020:   The Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD), a Department of Government Support entity, has issued its monthly Building Materials Price Statistics (BMPS) report for April 2020. The report covers price movements across key building materials in April 2020 compared with March 2020 and April 2019.

April 2020 vs March 2020

In April 2020, the average prices of cement group increased by 0.9%, concrete by 0.1% compared with March 2020. During April 2020, the average cost of construction labour dropped by 20.5%. Diesel price dropped by 8.4%, and steel by 2.7% compared with March 2020.

April 2020 vs April 2019

In April 2020, the average prices of natural stone increased by 6.4%, wires for small building rose by 3% and stainless steel sinks with single mixer by 2.6% compared with April 2019. The average cost of construction labour fell by 28.9%, diesel by 17.3%, and power cables by 12.2% in April 2020 compared with April 2019.

Building material prices statistics are important economic indicators for planning and research across sectors. They are also used to compile indices of the construction activity and in real GDP calculations.