Architectural & Structural Metals Mfrs NAICS 3323

Jan 18, 2026 - Copper Crunch

• Skillings Mining Review in January warned of a coming “copper crunch” this year due to accelerating supply pressures and the likelihood of 2026 prices holding near $10,000–$12,000/metric ton. As such, architectural and structural metals manufacturers may face sustained input inflation as the refined copper deficit grows and new mine supply remains years away. With banks converging on higher price forecasts and structural constraints preventing meaningful supply relief, manufacturers should expect persistent cost pass‑through from distributors and fabricators. Tight copper markets also risk schedule disruptions: longer lead times, allocation‑based purchasing, and greater volatility. As energy‑transition projects, EV infrastructure, and data centers absorb more copper, competition for copper will intensify, raising procurement risk for metal purchasers. For 2026, the environment points toward higher bid prices, tighter margins on fixed‑price contracts, and a stronger need for hedging, early purchasing, and diversified supplier networks.
• Rising construction input prices in late 2025 pose significant challenges for the architectural and structural metals manufacturing industry. According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data, while overall construction inputs rose 0.6% in November and were up 3.4% year over year, metal‑intensive categories show sharper volatility. Fabricated structural metal products climbed 8.8% YoY, and hot‑rolled bars, plates, and structural shapes increased 7.9%, signaling sustained cost pressure for manufacturers supplying beams, frames, and structural components. Aluminum mill shapes and other nonferrous metals, key materials for architectural systems, were up over 25%, driven in part by tariffs. Although iron and steel prices dipped slightly in November, they remained higher than a year ago, and steel mill products continue to fluctuate. These trends tighten margins, complicate bidding, and increase pricing uncertainty for metal fabricators.

• Producers of architectural and structural metals looking to reduce their carbon footprint have a new resource to help procure low embodied carbon structural steel, Modern Steel Construction reports. The American Institute of Steel Construction’s (AISC) newly-released Specification Strategies for Embodied Carbon Reduction is poised to influence how architectural and structural steel manufacturers compete and operate. The guide encourages firms to require Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), fabricator sustainability documentation, domestic sourcing, and steel produced by Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), all of which shift market expectations toward lower‑carbon products. As scrutiny of sustainability practices increases, manufacturers that invest in cleaner production and traceable sustainability practices will likely have a competitive advantage. The new guide is a collaboration between AISC's Sustainability Committee, the Resources Subgroup of the SEI Sustainability Committee, the Specification Working Group of the NCSEA National Sustainable Design Committee, and a consulting architect specializing in specification writing.
• Producer prices for architectural and structural metals manufacturers rose 7.6% in September compared to a year ago – a record high for the industry – after rising just 0.5% in the previous September-versus-September annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Import tariffs on aluminum and steel, along with a more recent tariff on raw copper, are raising costs for manufacturers, prompting them to hike prices. Employment by the industry is also at a record-high level, up 3.3% year over year in August, while average wages at architectural and structural metals manufacturers rose 6.5% over the same period to a new high of $27.46 per hour, BLS data show.