Reinforcement

According to the February 2007 Producer Price Index, steel prices are on the rise again, climbing 1.4 percent following three straight months of decline. Other building materials saw more modest gains for the month: concrete up 0.5 percent, asphalt up 0.4 percent, and lumber up 0.3 percent. For the past 12 months, asphalt prices are up 23 percent, steel prices have risen 10.8 percent, and lumber prices have declined 11 percent. Concrete is up 4.8 percent over the same period.