Week of Oct 19, 2026 · latest index data Sep 2026
Material costs are rising faster than sign prices
Aluminum mill shapes prices are +25.2% year over year. The price index for finished signs is +0.3%. Shops are absorbing the difference.
The squeeze
24.9 pts
aluminum mill-shape prices vs. finished-sign prices, YoY
Supplier notices tracked
49
35 with a stated % · 5 tariff actions
Aluminum mill shapes vs. sign manufacturing prices
Aluminum mill shapes (WPU102501)Sign manufacturing (PCU339950339950)
Rebased: each line = 100 at Jan 2019. Hover a point for the raw FRED index value. Source: U.S. BLS Producer Price Index / IMF via FRED.
Newest supplier notices
- Trinseo (Altuglas / Oroglas) EUR 250/MT · PMMA cast acrylic sheet EUAnnounced Sep 30, 2026 · Effective Oct 15, 2026 · source
- Avery Dennison / Mactac +5% · Full range (graphics films) EUAnnounced — · Effective Jul 1, 2026 · source
- Mid-West Sign Supply (polycarbonate) +10% · Polycarbonate sheet USAnnounced Jun 26, 2026 · Effective Jul 19, 2026 · source
- Epson +5-7% · EcoSolvent inks (SureColor S-series) ~7%; water-based inks ~5% EUAnnounced Jun 18, 2026 · Effective Jul 1, 2026 · source
- Arlon +6% · Full range (graphics films) EUAnnounced — · Effective May 15, 2026 · source
Taking effect in the next 30 days
None in the current data.
Biggest US increases, last 12 months
- Mid-West Sign Supply (polycarbonate) +15% · Polycarbonate sheet USAnnounced Mar 20, 2026 · Effective Apr 20, 2026 · source
- Gemini Inc. +13.5% · Flat cut and cast metal letters/logos (2026 catalog) USAnnounced — · Effective Jan 1, 2026 · source
- Mid-West Sign Supply (aluminum mills) +12% · Mill-finish aluminum sign blanks/sheet USAnnounced Mar 5, 2026 · Effective Apr 6, 2026 · source
- Signcomp +11% · Aluminum sign extrusions/cabinet systems USAnnounced Dec 26, 2025 · Effective Jan 5, 2026 · source
- Stabilit America (Macrolux) +10% · All polycarbonate products incl. accessories (multiwall sheet) USAnnounced Apr 21, 2026 · Effective Apr 21, 2026 · source
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New supplier notices, upcoming effective dates and the index, every week.
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Where every tracked material stands
| Series | Used as a proxy for | YoY | Since Jan 2025 | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other aluminum rolling, drawing, and extruding | Aluminum extrusions (sign cabinets, retainers, Signcomp-type) | +26.3% | +49.9% | Sep 2026 |
| Aluminum mill shapes | Aluminum sheet/coil/extrusion (sign blanks, cabinets, ACM skins) | +25.2% | +50.0% | Sep 2026 |
| Nonferrous mill shapes | Aluminum + copper mill products (broader) | +24.1% | +38.2% | Sep 2026 |
| Global price of aluminum (IMF) | Raw aluminum benchmark (excludes US Midwest premium/tariff) | +21.2% | +22.8% | Jul 2026 |
| Nonpackaging plastics film and sheet manufacturing | Best available proxy for vinyl film / plastic sheet (no PVC-film-specific series found) | +11.6% | +13.7% | Sep 2026 |
| Electric power and specialty transformer manufacturing | Sign transformers / power supply proxy | +7.8% | +9.7% | Sep 2026 |
| Thermoplastic resins and plastics materials | Acrylic/PC/PVC resin proxy | +6.7% | +5.5% | Sep 2026 |
| Plastic resins and materials | Upstream resin for acrylic, polycarbonate, PVC, PP coroplast | +6.5% | +5.2% | Sep 2026 |
| Plastics material and resin manufacturing | Resin producers | +5.9% | +4.0% | Sep 2026 |
| Laminated plastics plate, sheet (except packaging), and shape mfg | Laminated sheet / composite panels | +5.3% | +7.2% | Sep 2026 |
| Printing ink manufacturing | Wide-format ink proxy | +3.6% | +5.7% | Sep 2026 |
| Nonresidential electric lighting fixture manufacturing | Commercial LED fixtures | +3.5% | +7.2% | Sep 2026 |
| Electric lighting equipment manufacturing | LED modules/lighting (broad) | +2.8% | +7.2% | Sep 2026 |
| Sign manufacturing | Finished-sign output prices (what shops can charge) | +0.3% | +2.0% | Sep 2026 |
| Semiconductor and related device manufacturing | LED chips (deflationary; weak proxy) | -2.2% | -4.4% | Sep 2026 |
Producer Price Indexes measure what producers receive. They are proxies, not your supplier's price list.