The Construction Costs Index in the A.C. of the Basque Country registered a 0.5% rise in April 2004 compared to the previous month, making the inter-annual rate for the month 4.7%, according to EUSTAT data.

In April 2004, labour costs remained unchanged (0.0%), while raw material costs registered an increase of 0.8%.

The sub-sectors of Building and Civil Works registered differing evolution, with growth of 0.7% in relation to the previous month in the case of Building and a rise in raw material costs of 1.0% for Civil Works, or point three per cent higher. Inter-annual evolution of these two sub-sectors also showed different patterns: the raw material costs for Building rose by 5.1%, while raw material costs for Civil Works accumulated a 4.7% increase.

The greatest price rises in April were for the raw materials consumed in Metal piping (8.2%), Asphalt products (6.7%), Iron and steel (4.7%) and Oil by-products (3.1%). Conversely, there was a price decrease for the raw materials of Electric energy (-4.9%), Explosives and gases (-3.1%), Lime, gypsum and plaster (-2.7%) and Cleaning and hygiene material (-1.1%), among others.

Among prices of raw materials consumed by the sector to undergo the highest inflation rates over the twelve months as a whole are: Metal piping (23.6%), Iron and steel (15,8%), Oil by-products (9.0%), Asphalt products (8.2%) and Lime, gypsum and plaster (8.0%). On the other hand, reductions in inter-annual prices (April 2004 over April 2003) were registered for the raw materials of Electric energy (-8.5%), Worked stone (-5.0%), Office material (-3.4%) and Explosives and gases (-1.8%), among others.