Materials Radar ABS Q1 2026
Brisbane construction input costs & Queensland builder output prices. Six years of ABS Producer Price Index data (6427.0), Tables 17 & 18 — rendered server-side with margin gap analysis, sparklines, and city comparison.
Latest release: March Quarter 2026, published 30 April 2026 by ABS.
+3.0%
Brisbane Input Costs
Year-on-Year
+5.9%
QLD Builder Output
Year-on-Year
+2.9%
Margin Gap
Output minus Input
+12.1%
Biggest Mover
Installed Gas & Electrical Appliances
Brisbane Input Costs 10 material categories • 6-year sparklines
Installed Gas & Electrical AppliancesIndex: 155.0 · QoQ: +5.9%
▲ +12.1%
RISING
Electrical EquipmentIndex: 203.7 · QoQ: +7.4%
▲ +8.2%
RISING
Ceramic ProductsIndex: 181.0 · QoQ: +3.9%
▲ +5.5%
RISING
Plumbing ProductsIndex: 145.6 · QoQ: +1.1%
▲ +3.3%
RISING
Cement ProductsIndex: 167.2 · QoQ: -0.8%
▲ +3.3%
RISING
Other Metal ProductsIndex: 151.9 · QoQ: +1.9%
▲ +3.0%
STABLE
Timber, Board & JoineryIndex: 183.8 · QoQ: +0.2%
▲ +2.8%
STABLE
Concrete, Cement & SandIndex: 155.8 · QoQ: +2.4%
▲ +2.2%
STABLE
Other MaterialsIndex: 165.4 · QoQ: +0.1%
▲ +0.5%
FLAT
Steel ProductsIndex: 136.5 · QoQ: -1.8%
▼ -1.4%
SOFT
Queensland Builder Output Prices What builders charge clients
Other ResidentialIndex: 168.7 · QoQ: +0.8%
▲ +7.2%
RISING
Non-ResidentialIndex: 166.0 · QoQ: +1.1%
▲ +7.1%
RISING
Building ConstructionIndex: 175.2 · QoQ: +1.2%
▲ +5.9%
RISING
House ConstructionIndex: 193.2 · QoQ: +1.5%
▲ +3.9%
RISING
Road & BridgeIndex: 148.1 · QoQ: +1.6%
▲ +2.4%
STABLE
📊 Margin recovery signal: Output prices are running +2.9 percentage points above input costs. When this gap is positive and widening, Queensland builders are recovering margin — typically through labour, insurance and risk premiums. This is the ABS benchmark used in Queensland Government escalation clauses under
PAM 2026.
City Comparison All Groups Input Cost YoY
Brisbane
+3.0%
Index: 170.1
Sydney
+2.6%
Index: 164.6
Melbourne
+2.6%
Index: 166.6
Adelaide
+3.7%
Index: 164.7
Hobart
+1.8%
Index: 161.9
National
+2.5%
Index: 164.3
How to read this data. Input costs = what contractors pay for materials (ABS Table 18). Output prices = what builders charge clients (ABS Table 17). When the gap between them widens, builders are recovering margin — typically through labour costs, insurance, and risk premiums.
Why it matters. The ABS PPI is the benchmark Queensland Government uses in escalation clauses for price variation claims under PAM 2026. If you're pricing work more than 6 months forward, materials in the "RISING" category are where you need contractual protection. Sparklines show 6 years of quarterly data — the shape tells the story the number alone can't.
Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Producer Price Indexes (6427.0), Tables 17 & 18, March Quarter 2026 release. Index base period: 2011-12 = 100.0. Brisbane figures relate to Greater Brisbane Capital City Statistical Area. Queensland output figures cover the full state. Next ABS release: 1 May 2026 (March Quarter 2026). CC BY 4.0.