Clay Product & Refractory Manufacturers NAICS 3271

Nov 20, 2025 - Housing Starts to Rise in 2027

• New home construction, a driver of demand for sanitary porcelain (sinks and toilets) and building materials (brick and tile), as measured by total housing starts, is projected to remain relatively flat in 2026 compared to this year before picking up in 2027, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) November 2025 forecast. Total housing starts, which includes both single- and multi-family construction, have been falling since 2021 amid record-high home prices and higher mortgage rates. NAHB is projecting 950,000 single-family housing starts in 2026 followed by 981,000 in 2027 with multi-family starts falling from 398,000 to 388,000 over the same period. New homes now account for about 26% of total housing inventory, compared to just 12% before the pandemic. Home prices are expected to rise a modest 2-4% nationally, significantly slower than pandemic-era growth, next year.
• US factory activity shrank in October for an eighth straight month, driven by a pullback in production and tepid demand, The Wall Street Journal reported in November citing the latest data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). In October, ISM’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 48.7 from 49.1 in September (a reading under 50 indicated contraction), with production, new orders, and employment all contracting, reversing short-lived gains seen in previous months. Six manufacturing industries reported growth in October: Primary Metals; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Transportation Equipment; Plastics & Rubber Products; Fabricated Metal Products; and Nonmetallic Mineral Products. Twelve industries reported contraction for the month including Textile Mills; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Furniture & Related Products; and Machinery. WSJ noted that tariffs and their impact on prices and demand featured highly in respondents’ answers to ISM’s survey.

• The US Small Business Administration has launched what it calls its first-ever loan program dedicated to supporting America’s small manufacturers by providing additional credit for working capital needs. Effective Oct. 1, the Manufacturer’s Access to Revolving Credit (MARC) Loan Program will provide a maximum of $5 million to borrowers engaged in manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), according to the agency. The money must be used for working capital needs, such as inventory purchases or new projects. MARC capital can be structured as a term loan for up to 10 years or a revolving line of credit for up to 20 years and the loan can be used in combination with other SBA and conventional commercial loans. The MARC loan program is part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to strengthen US manufacturing.
• Producer prices for clay product and refractory manufacturers rose 3.3% in August compared to a year ago, after rising 1.5% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Wholesale prices hit a record high in June, having risen steeply and steadily since 2021, and remain historically high. Employment by clay product and refractory manufacturers continued to decline in July, falling 3.8% year over year, while average wages at nonmetallic mineral product manufacturers rose 6.6% YoY in August to a new high of $28.87 per hour, BLS data show.