Some building materials have become more expensive, while prices for others are falling

Prague - Some construction materials have increased in price by several percent with the start of the spring season, while others have decreased mainly due to the strong crown. Some companies have even cited weaker demand in the market as the reason for the drop in prices. This is evident from findings by ČTK among construction companies and manufacturers and sellers of building materials.
    "The strong crown causes the prices of some materials, such as building materials or poured floors, to decrease," said Alena Čechová, spokesperson for the company Hochtief. The price drop in building materials, such as blocks, and some types of insulation is also confirmed by spokesperson for Skanska CS, Ondřej Šuch.
    In contrast, according to Šuch, prices for cement, and thus binders and concretes, have gone up. According to Miroslav Fuks from the construction company PSJ in Jihlava, construction materials have increased in price on average by five to ten percent. An average increase of five percent was also reported by Marek Šafařík from the company Raab Karcher Staviva.
    In the case of brick products, according to Jiří Matějka, chairman of the Brick Association of Bohemia and Moravia, the prices of individual producers change every month. "Prices change constantly, sometimes they go up, sometimes down," he said. It is therefore reportedly difficult to establish any average or general trend. "Brickworks sometimes provide quite substantial discounts, so their prices are even lower than the listed prices. With the final price, sellers can then do what they want," he noted. However, the lower price for bricks, which are mainly imported from Germany and Austria, is attributed to the strong domestic currency, according to him.
    Some companies have also cited weaker demand from construction firms as a reason for the drop in prices of building materials. "There is not such demand in the market now," said Karel Kubík, sales director of Bierhanzl Group.
    Construction output in February increased year-on-year by 11.5 percent according to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office, and by 10.3 percent after excluding the influence of working days. Compared to January, construction production was higher by 2.4 percent after adjusting for seasonal influences.