Ireland construction material prices up 3.8% in September 2026
Irish construction material prices rose 3.8% in the year to September 2026, with cement up 11.4% in one month, pushing new-build development costs higher.
The facts
- The All Materials index for building and construction reached 132.3 in September 2026, +3.8% on the year and +0.9% on the month, on a 2021 = 100 base.
- Cement jumped from 143.4 to 159.8, an 11.4% move in one month, yet it stands only 2.8% above September 2025.
- Bituminous macadam, asphalt and emulsions rose 17.6% over the year, reinforcing metal 12.5% and paints, oils and varnishes 9.2%.
- Lighting equipment fell 3.3% over the year, heating and ventilation equipment 1.6%, electrical fittings 1.4% and plumbing materials 0.5%, the four material groups below their year-earlier level.
- Electricity reached 134.4, up 6.8% on the month and 92.8% on the year; the combined materials-and-wages index stood at 126.5, 3.6% above a year earlier.
What it means for your money
- New-build asking prices follow input costs with a lag, so an investor buying off-plan in Ireland pays this September's material bill.
- Glopra's data puts the Irish average at $4,827.5 per m², 6.0% above a year earlier, so the 3.8% material-cost rise is running below resale price growth rather than ahead of it.
- Owners already holding Irish property meet the same numbers on the maintenance side: electricity 92.8% higher over the year and plaster 5.0% higher in one month feed into refurbishment and service charges.
What to watch
- Cement is the swing item: an 11.4% monthly step against a 2.8% annual rate means the next release decides whether this was a one-off reset or a new level.
- Electricity at 92.8% is the largest annual move in the release and sits outside the materials basket, so how much of the cost rise is energy rather than materials depends on it.
- Reinforcing metal is 12.5% higher over the year from an index level of 86.2, still the lowest of any material group, which limits how much of the rise reaches a finished unit.
Sources: Central Statistics Office https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-wpi/wholesalepriceindexseptember2026/