Clay Product & Refractory Manufacturers NAICS 3271

Mar 20, 2025 - Wages Rising Amid Flat Employment

• Residential construction spending – a driver of demand for sanitary porcelain and brick and tile building materials – rose a modest 0.9% in November compared to a year ago but fell 6.8% from October, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. A decade of under-building that began following the Great Recession has created a US housing deficit of some 1.5 million homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders, signaling significant future demand for the industry’s products. Employment by clay product and refractory manufacturers was relatively flat year over year in January, while average wages at nonmetallic mineral product manufacturers rose 7.8% YoY in February to a new high of $27.72 per hour, BLS data show.
• Tariff and housing cost concerns are causing confidence among US home builders to decline, the National Association of Home Builders reports. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes measured 42 in February, down five points from January and the lowest level in five months, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released on February 18. “Uncertainty on the tariff front helped push builders’ expectations for future sales volume down to the lowest level since December 2023,” said said NAHB Chairman Carl Harris, adding “Incentive use may also be weakening as a sales strategy as elevated interest rates reduce the pool of eligible home buyers.” New home construction drives demand for sanitary products such as sinks and toilets, brick, roofing and flooring tiles, whitewares, and other products produced by the industry.

• The devastating loss of life and property caused by the January wildfires in Los Angeles is drawing attention to fire-resistant building materials. Materials including brick, concrete, and steel are designed to withstand high temperatures and resist ignition, reducing the risk of fire damage and increasing safety. ”Brick is a safer building material than others for a very simple reason,” according to brickmaker and distributor Acme Brick. “With its main component being clay, brick can withstand heat over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on its composition and purpose. Brick is classified as a non-combustible material, meaning it can serve to both resist and contain fire.” Fire testing performed at the National Brick Research Center found that brick, on average, provides 1.5 hours of protection before a fire breaches a home, compared to less than 30 minutes for vinyl and fiber-cement siding.
• Shop floor injuries needn’t be serious to be costly. In its 2024 Injury Impact Report, the insurer The Travelers Companies found the most common workplace accidents accounted for the majority of claim costs. The most frequent causes of injury identified in the report included overexertion (29% of claims analyzed); slips, trips, and falls (23%); being struck by an object (12%). Those injuries were also the top drivers of severe claims, defined as $250,000 or more. Slips, trips, and falls, which include falls from height, topped that list. Injuries related to overexertion can result in extended absences with injuries like dislocations having the highest number of average lost-time days at 142 days, followed by fractures (92 days), and inflammation (85 days). Improving shop floor ergonomics, eliminating trip/fall hazards, and material handling mishaps are three areas manufacturers can focus on to reduce injuries and time lost.