Friends who have bought a house or are renovating it may have vaguely felt recently that the prices of building materials seem not quite right.
Three rounds of price increases in one year: Oriental Yuhong took the lead, setting off a wave of price increases in the industry
Let’s first talk about a recent blockbuster news.
On April 16, 2026, Dongfang Yuhong, a leading waterproofing materials company, issued a price adjustment letter to customers and partners, announcing that starting from April 30, the price of engineering waterproofing products will be raised again by 3% to 8% on the existing basis.
After all, this is the third round of price increases for Dongfang Yuhong this year.
This is not a small fight between one or two companies, but a collective action of the entire building materials industry.
In addition to Oriental Yuhong, leading companies in the industry such as Beixin Waterproofing, Keshun Co., Ltd., and Karen Co., Ltd. have also followed up with price increases, jointly setting off a wave of price increases for waterproof materials.
Looking forward, as early as March 1 this year, Dongfang Yuhong issued a price increase letter for the first time: As the price of asphalt raw materials increased from 3,000 yuan/ton at the beginning of the year to 3,350 yuan/ton, the company decided to increase the price of engineering-end asphalt products by 5% to 10% starting from March 15th.
In mid- to late March, more and more companies are raising prices.
According to media reports, more than 20 key domestic coating companies have issued price adjustment notices, covering all categories such as architectural coatings, industrial anti-corrosion coatings, and waterproof coatings.
Paint leader 3KESUS also issued another price adjustment letter on April 17, announcing that the prices of various products such as interior and exterior wall paints and art paints would increase by 3% to 25%. The new prices will be officially implemented from May 1st.
The source is crude oil: if the upstream catches a cold, the downstream will take medicine
The driving force behind the price increase can be summed up in two words: crude oil.
Since the beginning of this year, international crude oil prices have continued to rise. A big reason behind this is the intensification of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.
As of March 19, 2026, the spot price of Brent crude oil has reached US$117.45/barrel, with an increase of 65.1% since March.
Asphalt is an end product of petroleum refining, and its price is highly linked to international oil prices.
According to some agency estimates, in just 20 days from late February to mid-March, the prices of core raw materials in the waterproofing industry such as asphalt, acrylic acid, and polyether increased by 34%, 97%, and 36% respectively.
In addition to waterproof materials, the coating industry is also the “hardest hit area”.
A research report from China Post Securities shows that as of March 20, the monthly increase in coating raw material TDI has reached 52%.
Global paint giant PPG also issued a price increase letter on April 15, announcing that its entire range of products would be raised by up to 20% globally.
Full chain transmission: from cement to furniture, no one can escape
This wave of price increases has long gone beyond waterproofing and coatings.
The cement industry has also joined this price increase bandwagon.
In the southwest region, many cement companies have adjusted cement prices of various specifications since April 13, with an increase of about 50 yuan/ton; in North China, some companies have also announced price increases, ranging from 30 yuan/ton to 50 yuan/ton.
Even the furniture industry is feeling the pressure.
The latest research report from GF Securities shows that compared with the beginning of the year, the prices of raw materials closely related to building materials and home furnishings have increased significantly, of which acrylic acid has increased by 134.8%, PE has increased by 29.2%, and PVC has increased by 26.4%.
It can be said that the entire industry chain, from waterproof materials and coatings to pipes and furniture, is undergoing a round of cost-driven price restructuring.
Caitong Securities’ research report further pointed out that the cost structure of building materials products generally accounts for a high proportion of petroleum-related raw materials and is highly sensitive to oil price fluctuations.
Among them, the cost of the pipe industry has increased by 13% to 5% due to the impact of oil prices, and the cost of the insulation board industry has increased by as much as 33%.
The pressure of rising costs is being passed along the industrial chain, and will eventually fall on you and me who buy things.
Why can the price increase?
The industry landscape has changed
There is another underlying reason why this wave of price increases can continue: the competitive landscape of the building materials industry is quietly changing.
After experiencing the impact of credit risks in the real estate industry in the past few years, the waterproofing industry has become one of the most violent sub-sectors, and many small and medium-sized enterprises have left the market.
For companies that can survive, their market share is increasingly concentrated at the top.
Taking Oriental Yuhong as an example, in the waterproof retail market, the top five companies account for more than 80% of the market, and Oriental Yuhong alone accounts for 40% to 50%.
The right to speak lies in the hands of leading companies. Once everyone’s interests converge, they will have the confidence to increase prices.
Guangfa Securities also clearly mentioned in its latest research report on April 19 that the demands of the three major leaders in the waterproofing industry have converged. Coupled with the “price-aligned reason” of rising raw material prices, price transmission is expected to be implemented smoothly.
Some market analysts believe that price transmission and profit improvement will be the core contradiction of the consumer building materials sector in 2026.
To put it bluntly, in the past few years, the building materials industry has been engaged in “price wars” every day, and no one is making money.
Now that the cost has risen, if the price does not increase, we will lose money. The industry has shifted from “price-fighting” to “value-for-money”.
How big is the terminal impact: Your decoration budget may have to increase
For ordinary consumers, there is only one question that they are most concerned about: When will this wave of price increases affect me?
According to expert analysis, the impact is unavoidable.
The chemical industry generally has such a transmission cycle: from crude oil price increases to chemical product price increases, it takes about 2 to 4 weeks; from chemicals to downstream finished products, it takes 4 to 8 weeks; from finished products to terminal retail, it takes about 8 to 12 weeks.
In other words, even if the conflict subsides in the short term, its lagged impact on inflation will continue to be felt in the coming months.
If you have renovation plans in the near future, it is recommended to pay more attention to changes in the building materials market and make budget planning in advance.
After all, this wave of price increases may be just the beginning for the prices transmitted from upstream sources to you and me.
