Troostwijk Index Q4 2026

Construction and business inventory costs continued to rise in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Highlights:

• The Troostwijk Index reached 142.6 points for business buildings and offices, 139.1 points for residential construction and 141.2 points for business inventory, reflecting continued cost inflation across all categories.
• On a year-on-year basis, business inventory recorded the strongest growth (+6.6%), followed by business buildings and offices (+4.7%) and residential construction (+4.4%), highlighting persistent inflationary pressures throughout the sector.
• Construction costs increased by 1.3% quarter-on-quarter for business buildings and offices and 0.7% for residential construction, driven by ongoing labour shortages, wage inflation and limited contractor capacity.
• Building material prices generally trended upwards. Steel, cement, glass and paint recorded price increases, while bitumen, sand and plastic products saw the strongest rises. Bricks remained broadly stable.
• Business inventory costs rose by 1.1% during the quarter, supported by higher labour costs, continued shortages in the labour market, rising technology and machinery component costs, and sustained pressure on raw material prices.
• Geopolitical tensions, trade measures and supply chain risks continue to influence commodity and energy markets. Troostwijk expects inflationary pressures to persist into 2027, with energy prices remaining volatile, metal prices continuing to rise and wage growth remaining elevated.
• This maintains the cautiously inflationary outlook presented in previous quarters, with cost increases expected to continue across construction and business inventory throughout 2027.

Consult the complete report here.