Gentlemen:
Is everyone aware of the pending (and in-place) price increases on steel???

Steel-75%+/- increase since Fall '03
Alum-25%+/- since last fall
Copper-65%+/- since last fall.

15-20% surcharges in place on steel poles & tenons (4/5/2004) from mfg

6% price increase on all products from one ltg mfg (eff 4/19/2004)

Gas & diesel.......who knows!
$1.76 reg/$1.59 diesel today in NNJ.

John

I just got a bill for some material I ordered, and 2 lengths of 2 1/2" galv. conduit was 209.00. I thought there was a mistake on the supply house side. They had told me that it's 10.48 per foot for the 2 1/2". I fell off the chair!

You can look for lowest/highest gasoline prices at this link.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/gasprices/states/index.shtml

[dilemna]
Yes, our company is painfully aware. We've got a couple of large auto dealerships that were bid early last summer. They started in late September, and should last until about the end of the summer.
Both concrete "tilt ups".
One has the walls up, and some pipe up.
The other requires spot welding at every single rebar joint in the place (no wire), it's a long process, no walls are up, hence no steel is up yet. If the price keeps going up.....
[/dilemna]

"Gas & diesel.......who knows!
$1.76 reg/$1.59 diesel today in NNJ."

My bike runs on premium, 91 octane minimum, so it amazes me that it cost $8. to top off my tank last week. Enough to ask for a cash receipt, eh?!



[This message has been edited by cavo148 (edited 04-02-2004).]

Don't we wish. Current pump prices at my local station convert to $5.28 unleaded, $5.65 diesel.

Welcome to the UK -- Please give all your money to the government official upon your arrival.

Paul, is that gallons or liters?

I paid $164.9 per gallon yesterday for regular unleaded. That's the most I've ever paid.

Unleaded we're close to $2.00 a gallon but diesel is a steady $1.65-1.75.

Home Chepo 1/2" EMT $ 2.58 and they have limits per customer on how much you can buy. 3/4" EMT is close to $ 5.00. 1 1/2 Ridgid $ 39.00. I figured they increased their pipe prices about 220% sence a few weeks ago. You Don't see GM marking up the price of there cars 220% because of the price of raw materials.

Their prices on wire change so fast that it makes little sence.
#12 solid $ 26.00 per 500' role or $ 129.00 for a case of 4 roles.

One color might be $ 5.00 more than another.

#2 and #4 per foot the same price at $ 0.50.

#12 stranded might be $ 29.00 a role but # 10 stranded is $ 32.00.

I asked for prices for pipe and wire at the supply house but after they revived me I forgot what they said.

The word I hear every day is shortages. We are short on oil, copper, steel, wood, etc..

I see people on TV blame gas prices on the fact that so many people drive poor milage SUV's. I think they are a step in the wrong direction but it's not the problem. The trouble is OPEC. If it were based in the US I think it would be illegal. The oil producers agree to cut production and increase prices to make more money. About every 10 years they stick it too us.

I wonder if Gorge B. wants to let the oil companies from his state stick it to us one time in his term.

I don't believe there is a shortage of steel eather. If anything I believed this country used less steel in the last few years because large scale construction is down. So maybe they decreased production to increase the price.

How are you adjusting your prices? Is your labor up? Price all materials up?

I hope these prices don't hurt anyone here but maybe it will set back all the low ball pricing EC. Remember we are our own competition so do we want to earn a wage or make a proffit?

Tom

Tom, all due respect, but I think it's best to leave your politically motivated statements off of this forum. They do absolutely no good and just cause pointless arguments.

Peter

This has been discussed in several other threads. China is the main reason Steel and Copper are up. They have a billion people and a booming economy. Houses and manufacturing facilities are going up all over China. When I was a kid, stuff made in Japan was junk, now its China who makes the junk. Now Japan makes some great quality stuff. What about China in the future??? Scary if you ask me.

I converted to U.S. gallons, so you're looking at over three times the price here compared to the U.S.A. Something like 75 to 80% of the pump price is tax.

Copper prices are still fluctuating widely here. My usual supplier is giving daily figures for reels of cable at the moment.

.. I'm not at all happy with the way things are heading,but there's nothing we can do about it.....except, fight back and raise our prices,...it's something we're gonna have to do...charge a little extra for your service calls,to compensate for the gas hike,and the same for copper and steel..
Russ

There is another factor at play. Prices in the international markets (be it oil, steel or whatever) have for as long as anyone can remember been fixed in USD. This time the dollar is down so much that the sellers (like OPEC) are trying to compensate for it. For a change America experiences rising import prices. The currency effect is more apparent in a small country: As the Swedish Krona fluctuates, so does the gas price. The gas price is in fact DOWN from what it was a few years ago.

What goes up must come down...

.. I HATE to say this,but "Big Orange" seems to have better prices than my own supply house,...granted, the selection may be alittle different,but after all, romex is romex,..no??? I don't like the thought of going there, but somethings gotta give...
Russ

Attic Rat,
Be careful with HD. They're only cheaper on a few things here like wire in the smaller sizes and romex. With the increase in steel their pipe is more than my supply house, I think they are gouging. If you are finding everything cheaper at HD maybe you should look for a new supply house.

"If you are finding everything cheaper at HD maybe you should look for a new supply house."...

BigB, I've never found ANYTHING cheap at ANY Harley-Davidson dealership! Matter of fact, I thought H-D meant "hundred dollars", since that's what every little thing seems to cost.

The British equivalent of HD makes big profits on the small items. I've seen ground rods which I get for £2 listed at £5.99, and strip connectors at £1.99 that I get for about 29 pence!

They're not too bad on cable reels in the smaller sizes, but larger and pre-cut lengths are going to cost people a big mark-up.

Switchgear varies: Panels often aren't too different from the supply house, but breakers clock up the money quickly, about £8 to £9 for a C/B that costs me under £5 at my usual wholesaler.

I agree that if HD is your best price, shop arround. You'll find even large disparities between supply houses.

The local supply house that I've used for 15 years didn't have a part one day that I needed NOW, so I went to the next closest one. They were cheaper. A few months later , same thing. They talked me into opening an account and I bought a good assortment of items we regularly use just as a test. They were cheaper on every item, not just some, but EVERY STINKING ONE. We're talking about 10%-40%. It ticked me off so much that I didn't even ask the supply house I've been loyal to to match, I just started buying most of our supplies at the new place.

Shop around.

Was at HD today. $2.97 for ½" EMT. Ouch


steve

Just to add a few more items onto the list that have been in the news lately:

Plywood and OSB have doubled in the last year. Other kinds of lumber have also risen, but mostly sheet goods.

Milk (yes, milk) prices are also very high, around $3 a gallon.

Has anyone noticed the prices of pull boxes, j-boxes and panelboards increase as well?

Peter

Seems the Boom in China is wreaking havoc on the rest of the world.

[This message has been edited by txsparky (edited 04-12-2004).]