The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in its Producer Price Index (PPI) News Release for September 2026, published on October 15, 2026, that the final demand index rose 1.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from August to September 2026 and was up 6.3% from September 2025 on an unadjusted basis. Final demand goods increased 2.6% month on month and 9.8% year on year, while final demand energy rose 10.8% month on month and 35.4% year on year.
The BLS labels all September 2026 figures as preliminary. Steel-related prices posted significant gains. The index for steel mill products rose 2.2% from August to September 2026 and was 27.6% higher than in September 2025.
The series also increased in each of the earlier monthly periods shown in the release: 2.5% from April to May, 2.8% from May to June, 4.0% from June to July, and 1.6% from July to August. Iron and steel scrap prices were up 10.2% year on year and rose 0.4% from August to September 2026, following a 0.3% decline in the July to August period. The index had increased 4.2% from May to June and 1.6% from June to July.
Iron ores were 0.4% higher than a year earlier, with no change in the August to September period. Among intermediate demand categories, processed goods for intermediate demand rose 14.1% year on year and 2.5% in the latest month. Unprocessed nonfood materials less energy were up 24.3% year on year and 2.5% month on month, while unprocessed energy materials, which include crude petroleum, rose 49.0% year on year.
Nonferrous metals were 33.6% higher than a year earlier, with primary nonferrous metals up 46.1%. The release does not attribute these movements to specific causes. The indexes are subject to revision for four months after initial publication to incorporate late reports and corrections from survey respondents, and seasonally adjusted series may change for up to five years.
Readers should consult the full BLS release for complete series and definitions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Index News Release, September 2026 Results (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ppi_10152026.htm), Tables 1 and 2.
Source: bls.gov