Middle Eastern conflicts and rising costs: the French Building Federation (FFB) calls for a materials price observatory

For several days, tradespeople and construction companies have been facing new announcements of rising material prices, while INSEE is slightly revising its economic growth forecasts downwards.

Although the context remains tense, the current situation in the building sector does not correspond to that observed in 2022-2023, and no shortage of materials is currently observed.

In this context, the French Building Federation (FFB) is questioning the increasing number of preemptive announcements of price increases for construction materials. It acknowledges that some products are directly impacted by the crisis, but emphasizes that these effects remain limited and are part of gradual trends.

Faced with these price pressures on building materials, the French Building Federation (FFB) reiterates its call for the creation of a public observatory dedicated to price setting. Such a system would allow for the continuation of existing practices in certain construction markets, particularly with price revisions indexed to the construction indices published by INSEE (the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). Furthermore, the federation requests that high-volume construction workers receive the same treatment as those in other sectors.

For Olivier Salleron, president of the FFB: “I call upon the responsibility of all stakeholders in the sector. We also demand that the government take a firm stance in favor of public and private contracts with adjustable prices, the only way to adequately protect ourselves against unpredictable cost fluctuations. As the sector begins to recover, it is everyone's duty not to disrupt this momentum.”

As a reminder, in a context of high geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, the building and construction materials sector is facing new uncertainties regarding costs. As during previous international crises, Professionals anticipate repercussions on the prices of energy, transport and certain raw materialskey elements in the manufacture of concrete products and construction materials.

The precast concrete sector, already weakened by a decline in activity of around 3% in 2025, is evolving in an environment that is still unstable despite prospects for stabilization in 2026. In this context, any variation in production costs — particularly linked to international tensions — is likely to quickly impact the prices of materials used in building and public works.

More specifically, the first consequences of the conflict are already being felt on certain products, such as reinforcing steel bars, whose prices have recently increased in France due to the geopolitical situation. These developments are fueling concerns among construction industry professionals, who are faced with contracts often concluded in advance and difficult to revise in the face of rapid and unpredictable cost increases.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.