WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. import and export prices continued to show uneven trends through November 2025. The data signals ongoing supply chain and materials cost uncertainty for construction, infrastructure, energy, and advanced manufacturing sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read the entire “U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes” report here.
One key pressure point came from nonfuel industrial supplies and materials, where import prices rose 4.6% year-over-year. The category includes major nonferrous metals and finished metal shapes that are widely used in construction and infrastructure projects, as well as agricultural commodities. Higher prices for major nonferrous crude metals, finished metal shapes, advanced manufacturing, and agricultural products drove the over-the-year advance in nonfuel industrial supplies and materials.
Finished goods prices showed a more mixed picture. Import capital goods prices increased 1.5% over the year — the largest annual gain since March 2023 — driven by higher costs for computers, peripherals, semiconductors, and industrial machinery, all central to AI development. In contrast, import prices fell 1.4% for automotive vehicles and 0.3% for consumer goods, highlighting continued disparities across consumer and industrial markets.
These movements follow earlier reports of declining imported fuel prices, which may provide partial relief for energy-intensive manufacturing and large-scale infrastructure work. However, volatility in natural gas markets and rising industrial input costs mean planning and procurement remain complex for firms with global supply chains.
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