Materials Radar ABS Q4 2025

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.

Next ABS release: 1 May 2026 (Q1 2026 data). Over the last 4 quarters Brisbane inputs rose an average of 0.41% per quarter — expect similar momentum in the next release.

11 days

+1.6%

Brisbane Input Costs

Year-on-Year

+4.8%

QLD Builder Output

Year-on-Year

+3.1%

Margin Gap

Output minus Input

+5.7%

Biggest Mover

Gas & Electrical Appliances

Brisbane Input Costs 10 material categories • 6-year sparklines

Gas & Electrical AppliancesIndex: 146.3 · QoQ: +2.7%

▲ +5.7%

RISING

Cement ProductsIndex: 168.5 · QoQ: +1.7%

▲ +4.8%

RISING

Timber, Board & JoineryIndex: 183.4 · QoQ: -0.2%

▲ +2.7%

STABLE

Plumbing ProductsIndex: 144.0 · QoQ: +0.3%

▲ +2.2%

STABLE

Ceramic ProductsIndex: 174.2 · QoQ: -1.6%

▲ +1.7%

STABLE

Concrete, Cement & SandIndex: 152.1 · QoQ: +0.7%

▲ +1.2%

STABLE

Electrical EquipmentIndex: 189.6 · QoQ: -1.6%

▲ +0.7%

FLAT

Other Metal ProductsIndex: 149.1 · QoQ: +0.4%

▲ +0.5%

FLAT

Steel ProductsIndex: 139.0 · QoQ: -1.2%

▼ -0.2%

SOFT

Other MaterialsIndex: 165.2 · QoQ: -1.8%

▼ -0.3%

SOFT

Queensland Builder Output Prices What builders charge clients

Other ResidentialIndex: 167.3 · QoQ: +1.5%

▲ +6.4%

RISING

Non-ResidentialIndex: 164.2 · QoQ: +1.4%

▲ +6.2%

RISING

Building ConstructionIndex: 173.1 · QoQ: +1.7%

▲ +4.8%

RISING

House ConstructionIndex: 190.3 · QoQ: +2.0%

▲ +2.5%

STABLE

Road & BridgeIndex: 145.7 · QoQ: -0.3%

▲ +1.5%

STABLE

📊 Margin recovery signal: Output prices are running +3.1 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
+1.6%
Index: 168.0

Sydney

+2.0%

Index: 163.9

Melbourne

+2.2%

Index: 166.2

Adelaide

+2.3%

Index: 162.3

Perth

+0.6%

Index: 156.4

Hobart

-0.2%

Index: 158.2

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, December Quarter 2025 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.