Construction materials have decreased in price by an average of 5% this year

Prague - Construction materials in the Czech Republic decreased in price by an average of five percent year-on-year at the beginning of this year. The prices of brick blocks fell the most, being about 15 percent lower. This is based on an analysis by the engineering and consulting company ÚRS Prague, which is available to ČTK.
    According to experts, plasterboard also significantly decreased in price, by about ten percent. On the other hand, construction plaster rose in price by 20 percent at the beginning of the year.
    "Many major manufacturers have published prices in their current price lists that, if they change, are mostly downward. This also applies to the import of materials and products from abroad," said the experts.
    However, the trend may change with the start of the construction season. "According to specialists from the materials pricing department of ÚRS Prague, a total increase in the list prices of materials of up to two percent can be expected at the beginning of the second quarter of 2010. This is an average increase, as, for example, the prices of bricks are experiencing significant declines," said product specialist Pavel Smutný from the consulting firm to ČTK.
    From a long-term perspective, the prices of building materials show movement in various directions. While, for example, insulating polystyrene boards are currently 20 percent cheaper than in 2005, the monitored types of pressed roof tiles are almost 40 percent more expensive compared to the same period.
    The sales of domestic building material manufacturers decreased by 5.1 percent year-on-year to 72.738 billion crowns in 2009 among companies with 50 or more employees, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The number of employees in the industry fell by 9.6 percent to 26,792 people last year.