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The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods climbed 0.3%, not seasonally adjusted (but fell 0.2%, seasonally adjusted) in April and 1.9% over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. The PPI for inputs to construction—a weighted average of all materials used in every type of project, plus items consumed by contractors, such as diesel fuel—rose 0.1%, not seasonally adjusted, for the month and 2.5% year-over-year. That was the smallest year-over-year increase since early 2009.

PPIs for numerous materials contributed to the small annual increase. The PPI for copper and brass mill shapes tumbled 2.7% in April and 11% over 12 months; aluminum mill shapes fell 0.9% and 5.1%, respectively; and asphalt felts and coatings declined 2.3% and 0.4%. The index for steel mill shapes rose 0.2% for the month but dropped 1.9% year-over-year. The diesel fuel PPI fell 0.9% in April and rose 0.1% over 12 months; concrete products slipped 0.1% for the month and rose 2.0% year-over-year.

The largest annual PPI increases were for architectural coatings, unchanged in April but up 12% over 12 months; gypsum products, which sank 1.9% in April after three monthly increases and was 11.5% above the April 2011 level; and asphalt paving mixtures and blocks, up 1.2% and 10%, respectively. After years of lagging the PPIs for materials, the PPIs for new nonresidential buildings for the most part rose slightly more: schools, 0.5% in April and 4.3% over 12 months; warehouses, 0.5% and 4.0%; industrial buildings, 0.6% and 3.2%; and offices, 0.1% and 3.2%. Results varied for PPIs for nonresidential building work by subcontractors: roofing, 0.7% and 5.6%; electrical, -0.6% and 3.2%; plumbing, 0.3% and 2.8%; and concrete, 0.3% and 1.3%.