Furniture prices BLS producer price index September 2026
Institutional furniture prices hit a record in September 2026, up 5.8% on the year, as steel rose 27.6%
The index for what U.S. makers of restaurant, cafeteria, stadium and park furniture receive rose 0.7% in September to 238.640, the highest since it began in December 2003. Steel mill products rose 27.6% on the year, their largest gain since May 2022. Every figure from June 2026 onward is preliminary.
- Index, September 2026
- 238.640Dec 2003 = 100, preliminary, a record
- On the month
- +0.7%August: 236.921
- On the year
- +5.8%Sep 2025: 225.629
- Steel, on the year
- +27.6%September: 388.580
The Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index for institutional furniture manufacturing rose 0.7% in September 2026 to 238.640, the highest reading since the index began in December 2003. That is 5.8% above September 2025, up from a 5.1% gain on the year in August.
A producer price index tracks the prices U.S. makers receive for what they sell. The Census Bureau’s definition of the industry lists products such as restaurant furniture, cafeteria tables and benches, stadium seating and park-type benches. BLS released the September figure on October 15, and it is preliminary.
Steel moved more than any other material in the series this site follows. The producer price index for steel mill products rose 2.2% in September and 27.6% on the year, its largest gain on the year since May 2022. Aluminum mill shapes held almost level at 370.480, and the indexes for lumber and for thermoplastic resins fell.
The index, month by month
September’s 0.7% rise was the largest monthly gain since June 2026
The September rise was the largest monthly gain since June 2026, when the index rose 1.0%. The index had moved less than 0.1% in each of July and August. Over two years, from September 2024, it rose 12.5%.
After two months under 0.1%, the index rose 0.73% in September
The last 13 months: four preliminary values, nine final
| Month | Index | On month, % | On year, % | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 225.629 | +0.05 | 6.3 | Final | |
| October 2025 | 229.072 | +1.53 | 8.2 | Final | |
| November 2025 | 229.716 | +0.28 | 7.6 | Final | |
| December 2025 | 228.643 | −0.47 | 7.2 | Final | |
| January 2026 | 231.191 | +1.11 | 8.0 | Final | |
| February 2026 | 232.567 | +0.60 | 8.0 | Final | |
| March 2026 | 232.601 | +0.01 | 7.7 | Final | |
| April 2026 | 233.831 | +0.53 | 5.4 | Final | |
| May 2026 | 234.409 | +0.25 | 5.4 | Final | |
| June 2026 | 236.827 | +1.03 | 6.2 | Preliminary | |
| July 2026 | 236.948 | +0.05 | 5.2 | Preliminary | |
| August 2026 | 236.921 | −0.01 | 5.1 | Preliminary | |
| September 2026 | 238.640 | +0.73 | 5.8 | Preliminary | |
Which furniture groups moved
Public building furniture rose 1.9% to a record, and restaurant furniture held at 213.228
BLS publishes indexes for groups of products inside the industry, and they moved at different rates in September 2026.
- Public building and related furniture, which excludes bar, bowling, cafeteria, restaurant and school furniture, rose 1.9% to 368.799, a record for a series that begins in December 1984. It was the group’s largest monthly gain since April 2025, and it left the index 4.1% above September 2025.
- Public furniture for bars, bowling centers, cafeterias and restaurants held at 213.228, the level it reached in August. This index changes in steps and often holds for several months. It was 4.3% above September 2025.
- Other institutional furniture rose 0.1% to 181.361, 7.5% above a year earlier, the largest gain on the year of the four indexes.
Other institutional furniture gained the most on the year, 7.5%
| Index | Base | Sep 2025 | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | On month, % | On year, % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public building and related furniturePCU3371273371275 | Dec 1984=100 | 354.178 | 361.933 | 368.799 | +1.9 | +4.1 | ||
| Institutional furniturePCU337127337127 | Dec 2003=100 | 225.629 | 236.921 | 238.640 | +0.7 | +5.8 | ||
| Public furniture for bars, bowling centers, cafeterias and restaurantsPCU3371273371278 | Dec 2003=100 | 204.342 | 213.228 | 213.228 | 0.0 | +4.3 | ||
| Other institutional furniturePCU337127337127B | Dec 2011=100 | 168.753 | 181.096 | 181.361 | +0.1 | +7.5 | ||
Materials
Steel rose for the tenth month in a row, to 388.580
Steel mill products rose for the tenth month in a row, from December 2025 through September 2026, to 388.580. That is the highest reading since July 2022 and 13.6% below the series high of 449.711 in December 2021.
Aluminum mill shapes fell 0.1% in September to 370.480, 25.2% above September 2025. The index reached a record of 394.359 in June 2026 and has fallen 6.1% since.
Lumber fell 1.4% to 282.340, 8.7% above a year earlier. Thermoplastic resins and plastics materials fell 1.7% to 278.148. That index is 12.3% below May 2026 and 6.7% above September 2025. The BLS release names thermoplastic resins among the indexes that declined in September.
Aluminum rose 57.6% in two years, steel 43.4% and institutional furniture 12.5%
The material indexes measure what mills and other suppliers receive, and the furniture index measures what furniture makers receive.
Steel gained 27.6% on the year and aluminum 25.2%, against 5.8% for institutional furniture
| Index | Base | Sep 2025 | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | On month, % | On year, % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel mill productsWPU1017 | 1982=100 | 304.579 | 380.348 | 388.580 | +2.2 | +27.6 | ||
| Aluminum mill shapesWPU102501 | 1982=100 | 295.898 | 370.931 | 370.480 | −0.1 | +25.2 | ||
| LumberWPU081 | 1982=100 | 259.750 | 286.355 | 282.340 | −1.4 | +8.7 | ||
| Thermoplastic resins and plastics materialsWPU0662 | 1982=100 | 260.671 | 283.037 | 278.148 | −1.7 | +6.7 | ||
| Institutional furniturePCU337127337127 | Dec 2003=100 | 225.629 | 236.921 | 238.640 | +0.7 | +5.8 | ||
The wider release
Final demand prices rose 1.3% in September, the most since March 2022
The same release reported that the producer price index for final demand, the headline figure of the release, rose 1.3% in September, seasonally adjusted, its largest monthly rise since March 2022. BLS attributes more than 80% of the rise in final demand goods to energy, which rose 10.8%. Over 12 months, before seasonal adjustment, final demand prices rose 6.3%.
Restaurant and bar sales rose as well. The Census Bureau’s advance estimate puts September 2026 sales at food services and drinking places at $92.9 billion, seasonally adjusted, 1.1% above August and 7.0% above September 2025. Census revised August to $91.9 billion in the same release.
Restaurant and bar sales, September 2026
- Sales, advance estimate
- $92.9 billion
- From August
- +1.1%
- From September 2025
- +7.0%
Retail sales at food services and drinking places, seasonally adjusted. August was revised to $91.9 billion. Source: Census Bureau Download (CSV)
Revisions to May and August
Resin prices for May were revised up 1.24%, and the furniture indexes barely moved
The October 15 release revised the four months before September, and it made the May 2026 values final. The furniture indexes barely moved. Institutional furniture for August went from 236.922 to 236.921, and the three product groups were unchanged. Among the materials, steel for August was revised down 0.21% to 380.348. Thermoplastic resins for May were revised up 1.24% to 317.308, now a final value.
Only the resin and steel values moved by 0.2% or more
What this means for a furniture order
Before you sign, write down which index and which version of it a price clause uses
If a contract adjusts price by an index, decide in writing which version of the data it uses. The BLS price adjustment guide says each month’s index is official on release day, then revised for up to four months, after which it is final. It recommends that the parties agree on the base month, the adjustment interval and whether the calculation uses first-published, interim or final values before the contract is signed. The resin revision for May shows how much a detailed index can move in that time.
- Base month
- Adjustment interval
- Values used
- First-publishedInterimFinal
The guide asks that a clause name each index by its full title and code, since there is no single index called “the Producer Price Index.” For a steel-framed order, that means writing “Producer Price Index for steel mill products, commodity code 1017,” as published on the BLS website.
Index namedProducer Price Index for steel mill products, commodity code 1017
Ask the dealer whether a quote can be repriced before the order ships, and which material drives that. Over two years, aluminum rose 57.6% and steel 43.4%, while institutional furniture rose 12.5%. The materials guide covers what each frame and slat material involves, and the tariff guide covers duties on imported seats and tables, which these indexes leave out.
Caveats
Every value from June 2026 onward is preliminary
- Every value from June 2026 onward is preliminary and can be revised for four months after it first appeared. June becomes final with the October data, scheduled for release on November 13, 2026, and September becomes final in the release with January 2027 data.
- The indexes are national producer prices for domestic makers. They do not measure what a dealer charges or what an imported chair costs after duty.
- The institutional furniture index covers indoor and outdoor products alike, from theater seating to park benches. Office furniture falls in a separate industry. BLS has not published a separate index for metal outdoor and casual furniture since December 2017.
- The producer price indexes in this article are not seasonally adjusted, so the article compares each month with the same month a year earlier. The food services sales and the final demand monthly change are seasonally adjusted.
- Comparing material and furniture indexes compares price changes. It does not measure how much steel, aluminum, lumber or resin goes into a piece of furniture.