KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — The unit price index of cement increased by between 0.1 per cent and 1.1 per cent in August from the previous month, said the Statistics Department (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the highest increase was observed in Pahang (1.1 per cent), followed by Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan (1 per cent) and Miri (0.6 per cent).
He also noted the unit price index of sand showed a slight increase in August, with month-on-month change ranging from 0.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent.
“The highest increase was recorded in Perak at 0.5 per cent,” Uzir said in a statement following the Special Release For Building And Structural Works, August 2025 report today.
Meanwhile, the chief statistician said the unit price index of steel (rebar) remained unchanged in all areas except a slight decrease in the index for Terengganu and Kelantan (-1 per cent), followed by Penang, Kedah and Perlis, and Sibu (-0.3 per cent), respectively.
An annual comparison from last August to this August indicated that the unit price index for steel recorded a decline ranging from negative 4.6 per cent to negative 12.9 per cent in most areas in Malaysia.
The highest decrease in the unit price index for steel was observed in Perak (-12.9 per cent).
Nevertheless, the year-on-year comparison of the unit price index of cement increased between 0.3 per cent and 3.9 per cent in August in Malaysia.
He also noted that the average price per unit of steel, consisting of mild steel round bars and Mycon 60 high tensile deformed bars, recorded a slight increase (0.1 per cent) with an average price of RM3,491.35 per tonne compared with the previous month (July: RM3,488.65 per tonne).
Meanwhile, the average price of Ordinary Portland cement also showed a slight increase (0.1 per cent) with an average price of RM23.85 per 50kg, compared with July 2025 (RM23.80 per 50kg).
A monthly comparison of Building Material Cost Index (BCI) for steel bars for all building categories in Peninsular Malaysia recorded a slight increase ranging from 0.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent in August 2025, from the previous month.
The increase for BCI for steel was recorded for almost all building categories except in Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan.
Meanwhile, BCI for steel bars in Sabah recorded a slight increase of between 0.1 per cent and 0.4 per cent for all building categories in August against the previous month.
During the same period, BCI for steel bars in Sarawak also registered a slight increase ranging from 0.1 per cent to 0.3 per cent for all categories of building.
From the commodity market perspective, based on a report released by Shanghai Metal Market dated August 30, 2025, Malaysia’s rebar market has recently remained firm, with prices showing a steady-to-strong trend.
This round of price support is primarily driven by a significant rise in production costs combined with a tightening supply structure, jointly pushing up overall market levels, according to the DOSM.
