ABC: Monthly Construction Economic Survey Shows Tariff Impacts Emerge

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Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.5 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since March 2024. Backlog increased on a monthly basis for all nonresidential subsegments in March. Over the past year, however, only the infrastructure category has experienced a meaningful increase in backlog. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for staffing improved, while the readings for sales and profit margins fell. The readings for all three components remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over … Read more

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ACPA Announces New Board Members

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The American Concrete Pumping Association has elected its new executive board at the ACPA Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation on Jan. 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada, during World of Concrete 2025. Elected to serve a one-year term, the 2025 ACPA Executive Board includes: Executive Board: President: Nathan Germany — Tri-Way Concrete Pumping, Inc. Vice President: Chris Pernicano — San Diego Concrete Pumping, Inc. Secretary: Wayne Allen — DY Concrete Pumps, Inc. Treasurer: Tyler Wood — McClure Concrete, Inc. Past President: Gary Brown — R. L. McCoy, Inc. Also at the Jan. 22 meeting, the ACPA announced election results for the … Read more

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ABC Releases March Construction Spending Data

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Construction input prices increased 0.5% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.6% for the month. Both overall and nonresidential construction input prices are 0.8% higher than one year ago. While crude petroleum prices fell considerably in March, that decline was more than offset by rapidly rising natural gas, steel, copper and lumber prices. “Construction input prices increased at a rapid pace for the third consecutive month in March and have now risen at a 9.7% annualized rate through the first quarter … Read more

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ICC, Center for Offsite Construction Collaborate to Establish Modular Interface Standards

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The International Code Council and the Center for Offsite Construction at the New York Institute of Technology are collaborating to develop a standard for modular construction through the creation of the “CFOC/ICC 1220 Standard on Configurations and Connections for Off-Site Construction.” The publication is expected to be finalized and made available by May 31, 2026. The standard will address requirements for configuration and connections in off-site construction, including the location and specifications of module-to-module and building-to-module connections for essential building systems, the standardization of dimensions for modular components and coverage for componentized, panelized and modularized elements. The standard will provide … Read more

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New Crane Index, Quarterly Cost Report from Rider Levett Bucknall

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Rider Levett Bucknall has released its latest Crane Index and Quarterly Cost Report, providing a perspective on the North American construction industry in 16 key markets (formerly 14; Miami and Nashville have been newly added to the Quarterly Cost Report). The latest RLB quarterly cost report, with data current to mid-Q1 2025, shows that the national average change in construction costs was .98% in Q1, which was down from 1.11% in Q4; congruently, the year-over-year rate is 4.35%, down from 5.86% this time last year. Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Portland and Seattle experienced increases in construction costs over the national average … Read more

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