Fall in demand for mineral products in first half of 2019

Declining sales volumes of building materials expose weakness of UK’s construction industry 

THE Mineral Products Association (MPA) says construction market demand for mineral products has been weak since the start of the year. Following two consecutive quarters of deteriorating markets, sales volumes of aggregates in the first half of 2019 stood 1.9% lower, compared with the same period in 2018, while it was 0.3% lower for ready-mixed concrete (RMC) and 1.1% lower for asphalt. 

Only mortar sales, closely linked to housebuilding, were 1.4% higher in the first half of 2019, compared with the same period last year.

The MPA says the fall in sales volumes echo official construction data from the Office for National Statistics and other business surveys, which show construction output has flattened in recent months. The poor sales volumes for heavy building materials provide further evidence of the current weakness in construction, as well as an early indication of further weakening to come. 

As such, MPA says reduced market sales for construction-related mineral products indicate that the level of new construction work is falling and that a lack of new building/infrastructure projects will continue to dampen the sector’s activity in the coming months. 

As has been the case for the past two years, the decline in ready-mixed concrete sales continues to stem from lower demand in London, where both housebuilding and commercial construction are slowing down. Sales volumes of RMC in the capital are now 19% below their recent peak in the summer of 2016. 

Lower asphalt sales so far this year are disappointing given that some additional volumes were expected, following the Chancellor’s announcement last year of £420m additional funding for local road and bridge maintenance in England to be made available in the financial year 2018/19. 

The MPA says the Government has stated that all of the additional funding was distributed to local government, but evidence suggests that at least some of the funding was used to pay for existing work, rather than any additional road maintenance. 

In addition, Highways England’s delivery plan proposes a strong pipeline of work over the next two years, but current delays fuel industry scepticism on imminent delivery. 

While the results show growth in mortar sales volumes in the first half of 2019, the demand for mortar previously declined for four consecutive quarters, indicating a general hiatus in housebuilding.

Aurelie Delannoy, director of economic affairs at the MPA, commented: ‘The fall in mineral products markets is the most palpable evidence of the general health of the construction industry: growth has all but stopped; and both construction and heavy building materials markets are starting to show signs of contraction.

‘Ensuring the timely delivery of major infrastructure projects such as HS2 is vital for the success of the construction industry and its supply chain over the coming years. At a time when both housebuilding and the construction of retail and office buildings are slowing, infrastructure projects are increasingly becoming the primary source for growth for the industry.’

She continued: ‘Ideally, these projects – many of which are planned to start only well into the 2020s – should be accelerated to boost confidence and general economic activity, whilst delivering on the productivity improvements necessary to secure sustainable long-term growth.’