A major contributor to the one-month drop in nonresidential indexes was a plunge in the PPI for diesel fuel, -11% for the month and -8.2% over 12 months. The one-month gain in residential PPIs is attributable in part to a 3.0% monthly increase in the PPI for lumber and plywood; that index fell 11% over 12 months. Among other important inputs, the PPI for aluminum mill shapes rose 1.9% and 11%; concrete products, 1.2% and 5.2%; steel mill products, 0.1% and 3.6%. The PPI for copper and brass mill shapes fell -4.5% for the month but rose 34% over 12 months; asphalt paving mixtures and blocks, -0.1% and 25%; and gypsum products, -0.1% and 3.2%.
BLS introduced a PPI for new office building construction, which measures the final cost of a building, including labor and profit, not just materials. That index rose 1.9% for the month and 6.9% from its June 2006 base. BLS has two other indexes for completed buildings: the warehouse index was up 1.3% for the month and 8.2% over 12 months; the school index fell 0.2% for the month but leaped 17.2% over 12 months.