Been fighting this all year and it's getting worse. The stainless I use in my products is mostly out of stock until the end of the year. The prices have gotten out of control and it now costs me to sell anything I sell. I have filler metal on order that has been on order for 24 weeks now. I am going to be forced to raise prices but I am fearful that will be the end of my business as that will likely price most folks out of my products. I even considered doing a hybrid muffler with steel internals and I can't even get that. I am fortunate to have some inventory for quiet mufflers but my cheaper mufflers are likely a thing of the past. The quiet mufflers at current inflation rates will be over $1000 to even make 5%.

What is everyone else seeing? I hope to weather the storm but wow crazy times.

Yes Ben, I'm seeing it too, and it sucks. Material prices up 3X-4X here in SoCal.
I can't absorb increases. It's killing my business.



Oscar

amen brother, going to have to raise the prices on all of the rust repair parts and steel flares we make crazy. hopefully like lumber it will eventually go down again, Ben

Lumber went down? Where? Remodeling my guest bathroom on the cheap has gone out the window. Everybody is using the covid excuse to raise prices.

The best part is stainless for what I need is not available at any price. Sucks

There was a bit of news stating some lumber prices will start to go down a bit, but not for months, maybe a year.

Our house finaled earlier this year and holy lumber Batman! Glad it did as I wouldn't want to be in the middle of building right now.

Can't really speak to metal other than some of the duct work I remember ordering took forever to get to me. Ordered a return plenum and 4 weeks later the vendor said "sorry, can't get it". Wound up building one from scratch. That was 4-5 months ago. Can't imagine how bad it is now.

Last year, l was giving 30.00 a sheet for cabinet grade plywood. That same sheet now cost me 110.00! Soft maple had gone from 2.39 a board foot to 5.88! I don't even ask what they want mahogany or walnut.

When we disrupt the global supply chain, shut down businesses, and then print Trillions of dollars of stimulus we shouldn’t be surprised that prices rise as a result.

You have not brought up fuel or labor, shipping rates!!! Then the ugly taxes yet to come !!
Hang in their Boys you all provide great service to 914 world

Thanks

2x4 studs went about $1.30 here in the last two weeks. I can't tell how much plywood and OSB prices have changed yet I get chest pains every time I look at the price.

I will be fine as I also have a day job and I can still make oil tanks and will make a run of engine sheet metal in August ish. My stainless parts are at risk of being a very special order item. That worries me as I am very happy with the product. Ain't getting rich here that's for sure buy I enjoy doing this and just trying to navigate this BS lol.

It really hurt funding those pipes and muffler last year for the /6 conversion but with the global shortage of stainless, and your statement above, I’m glad I did it.

Sure would hate to see your stainless work go away! Global supply will return eventually but not soon. So many people don’t comprehend what was done and the fact that things like steel mills don’t just turn on and off like an appliance.

Hang in there Ben. I love what you do!

I will do my best. I have enough materials for 80 mufflers right now but that's it. 15 spoken for and they will go fast. Again being sold at cost just trying to keep things flowing.

Can’t you cut up some Deloreans? Yeah, I bet even scrap is out of sight. We had to give people money cause they were out of work no fault of their own,, lots of money floating around along with decreased production…

No fun to hear at all, but glad you will be ok Ben.

Suspect this will end up similarly to wood, which spiked but (last I heard) is coming back down as supply catches up from the mills being idled ("wisely" but ultimately incorrectly). So many strange supply chain interruptions only hitting more recently (for us, cardboard). Hard to see watch them, but I've been doing so with a mixture of frustration for all involved but also suprise that so many things have said through as well as they have, for as long as they have, in a worldwide pandemic.

Eighteen months ago, I was getting bids to put up a garage for my projects and thought I had everything pretty much lined up. Then covid hit and in just months the price went up by almost $18K – the $6 2x6 stud became $29, the $11 OSB was suddenly $64 and on and on. By this spring material prices were still sky high and waiting made sense, and then became mandatory, as the contractor that had agreed to build it was no longer available. And finding another contractor is not going too well – perfect!

In addition, this weekend I learned about the steel situation from a hoist vendor at the Iola show. He too expects major price increases due to material costs, but there is more. His cost of transportation is also through the roof – when he can get anything shipped at all. He has had a truckload sitting on the coast for months, with no ETA on when it will move. I am seriously considering buying one now if I can find storage.

What a mess.

I canceled several large projects around the house. Gonna wait at least another year.

Earlier this year i was talking to a company to put in a new fence around two sides of the property. About 250 linear feet. They did have the wood (old stock) but couldn't get the metal posts! Not just expensive but literally unavailable.

Was going to get a new roof too, also not going to happen.


On the upside, i was able to refinance my house and got an awesome deal on that.

steel is through the roof here.
i'm holding back projects.
it will go down.
you can't just turn a blast furnace on and off.
covid has had everything in idle mode.

We go thru about 4 MILES of DOM Steel every week at work. Where we used to use 2 Suppliers, we now are begging from 5. Prices have skyrocketed - we just had to raise our prices again due to it

In my business, copper prices and pvc prices have increased as well, roll of 14 wire went from $40 to $140. Not sure how long this will all last. I am really hoping that the prices and supply will go back to “normal”. Not just come down 10% then we all feel like it’s a good deal. Ugh…

Even shit OSB is crazy priced. We did the porch floor at the lake shack. What is normally $12-15 a sheet was $45 a sheet. Luckily it wasn't a big porch, but we put a bunch of other renovations on hold until next year.

Yep-and cabinet ply isn't even the worst. A buddy who lives in NH was telling me about seeing $90 sheets of 3/8" ply sheathing.

At least around here the hard wood prices haven't gone up much. Maybe 10% which is surprisingly low.

I’ll go on record as stating prices aren’t going down. We are into it for the long haul based on the fact that the money has been printed. In fact, I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet.

Though I could buy a candy bar for $0.25 when I was a kid, price is never going back to that level because the dollars that were printed since then are printed and circulating.

My sole caveat is that a prolonged economic recession will reduce demand which will reduce prices … until demand recovers.

Well it has been going on for 10 months now and I have absorbed all of it.. That now is over.. I am a nice guy and willing to help how I can but now I need to adapt.

I am glad we rebuilt our fence last summer before the cost of fence panels went up.

We’re having inventory problems too. Products just can’t be had at any $. Things will get better but it’s going to take time. Everyone who keeps up with the news knows that prices are going up and we are finding that customers except it.

You make a great product and it’s worth the cost.

My suppliers are raising prices every order. I have great long time channels for steel as I buy all types. 304 stainless is a problem but I'm in line to get my stuff in August. I'm good with the 1075 and 1095 coil steel I buy since we reserved it last year. We here the mills are not wanting to run coil thinner than .050" at the moment.
Asia is having same problem with steel as a supplier of mine is delayed sending some steel stampings across to me.
I buy mahogany from the Phillipines and those shipments are held up until later in the year.

Contractors are paying the increases for the products and materials I am able to get and I really don't hear a lot of complaining.

Everyone's just sucking it up at the moment

Crazy times

I spoke to my UK supplier because his delivery times have gone to 3 months instead of the usual 2 weeks. He told me that when they laid out the plant to comply with 6 ft apart per Covid restrictions they ended up furloughing 80% of their work force. Then their sales tripled last year. It appears that people are sitting at home and doing the projects they have putting off. Anyway they hoped the restrictions would be lifted a couple of weeks ago so they could ramp back up. They still have a backlog that may take months to fill.

I'll bet that is the same issue all over the world. The US is probably better off that most of the rest of the world. We are lucky to be living in that bubble.

Don't confuse steel with forest products. Factor in the unpressidented increase in housing construction and remodeling, fires and restrictions on logging and you have the conditions for a perfect storm. CEOs, upper management, hedge fund managers and LOTS of share holders are doing just fine. I don't buy the virus excuses and justifications. BTW, a 8' stick of 1x6 TK cedar is about $4 per foot at the locally owned lumber yard I shop at. I refuse to buy wood products from big box stores. Going thru a bunk of material to find a handful of boards. 'All of this material is unacceptable. Please take a new bundle off of the top of the rack'. 'We can't until all of this is sold'. Then I would walk out empty handed and drive to my lumberyard.

Was at Air Gas Tuesday and found out they have 24 week lead time on 308L TIG rod. That is at most 1 week normally.. That also means if I order that right now I will be out months before I have more. Wow what. Cluster.

They are telling me December for my 304 tubing.

Everything is in short supply. Even the mundain. Hardware store yesterday. Needed a few white duplex cover plates (oodles of ivory ones). OOS. Have been for 6 weeks. 'We don't know when we will get them'. Stupid plastic cover plates. Plenty of white receptacles but no plates for them. Next is the 20 mile round trip to the big box store. For a couple of pieces of plastic. The fuel will cost more than the plates.

Piling on.
Went to my laser cutter to order another batch of flanges for my Tow Bracket ...
UGH! Its hard raising prices when margin is almost nonexistent to begin with

My business is doors... So I sell wood and metal doors (commercially)...

Most of the manufacturers are doing surcharges to try and keep costs temporary, but it still means that most of our jobs are way, way overcost to the point that were simply breaking even on the metal... Wood doors hasnt exploded in cost yet but the lead times are starting to get into the scary long.. Its hard for clients who are used to every project being expedited on say a 4 week delivery when normal lead times are 8 weeks to now all expedite programs being unavailable and 14-18 weeks is now the norm...

Fun fun fun.
I just hope things settle down in the next 6 months and this doesnt become the new norm.

I've got available about 70' of 1.5 DOM steel for cages if anyone is in need. Stopped building race cars. PM me if interested.

Lumber is almost back to normal, it will take a few weeks to trickle down to the retail level. https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/lumber

Everything else will come down as production ramps up (returns) to meet demand and the shipping container problem with China gets taken care of.

I work for an exhaust manufacturer and the raw materials cost necessitated a pricing increase on over 50% of the products. We ordered a massive amount of piping and components right when Covid hit and we're still behind. It won't be out of the ordinary if you do need to raise pricing as that is a trend in the market right now. The EPA is coming after any company selling cat defeat products (even for track use) and catalytic converter prices are skyrocketing. We'll fight tooth and nail until the end - enjoy ICE while you can.

steel, timber, construction commodities similar story in aus.
.....but i don't know if this is happening in usa.
the price of second hand cars has gone through the roof.
you can't buy a new car. 6 month waiting list minimum on anything.
(all cars are now imported into aus since closure of local manufacturing 5 years ago).

with covid nobody will travel on mass transit.
everybody wants a car, or a second car or a third car.

person i know had the foresight to put in an order for a new range rover last year during the mother of all the big lockdowns here. it took a while for the order to be filled and he took delivery of his new range rove about 3 months ago. he sold his old range rover (less than 2 years old) for more than its purchase price and for more than the price of his new range rover making a handsome profit.

i see junk cars getting sold for crazy money. cars that would barely be worth anything a year ago.

Still kinda related as prices continue to rise for reasons already noted.

Ordered a few parts for our Jeep, battery cable, couple of sensors. 3 weeks later, 3 weeks, order canceled, all items. Refund in 2-5 days. No explanation.

Not the first time this has happened either. Suppliers are having trouble keeping up with correct inventory.

Yep; the same here. Plus appliances.

Sachs clutches are made in Germany and I saw pictures on the news showing flood waters ripping down the street wher the plant is so better order those clutches now

Yup. I've had a steel bumper kit on order now for 5 months for the 4Runner.
They can't get the steel to make the kits, and when they do get it, all new orders will be a lot more expensive.

Honestly, I'm not sure how you all are getting by making money in this market. Between not getting raw material, and not being able to find people to actually work for you... Crazy times.

And more stimulus is inbound. It needs to end. Folks need to go back to work.

Zach