Kuala Lumpur:The unit price index for steel experienced an increase of 0.1 to 5.1 percent in most regions of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak from September 2025 to September 2026.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported notable increases in Perak (5.1 percent), Johor (4.8 percent), and Tawau (3.8 percent). Meanwhile, the unit price index for cement saw a nationwide rise of 0.6 to 7.4 percent, with the highest increases in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan (7.4 percent), followed by Kuching (7.0 percent) and Miri (6.6 percent).

The DOSM's "Special Release for Building and Structural Works, September 2026" report revealed that month-on-month, the unit price index of cement increased by 0.3 to 1.9 percent, with Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan witnessing the highest increase of 1.9 percent. Kota Kinabalu and Kuching observed a modest rise of 0.3 percent.

In contrast, the unit price index for sand decreased in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan by 0.7 percent, and by 0.5 percent in Perak and Johor. The unit price index for steel also declined in September 2026, with month-on-month decreases ranging from 0.2 to 1.6 percent, particularly in Johor (-1.6 percent), followed by Sibu and Miri (-1.3 percent).

The average price of Ordinary Portland cement remained stable at RM25.80 per kilogramme bag. However, the price per unit of steel, including mild steel round bars and Mycon 60 high tensile deformed bars, decreased by 2.4 percent to RM3,431.90 per metric tonne in September 2026, from RM3,484.20 per metric tonne in August 2026.

Furthermore, the Building Material Cost Index (BCI) with steel bars by building category and region in Peninsular Malaysia saw a reduction of 0.1 to 1.3 percent. The BCI with steel bars also eased by 0.1 to 0.7 percent month-on-month for all building categories in Sabah and showed a slight decrease of 0.1 to 0.5 percent in Sarawak.