HVAC wholesale prices ticked up in April

U.S. wholesale prices of HVAC equipment nudged up in April, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Wednesday. 

What’s happening: An HVAC-specific ‘producer price index’ (PPI), which measures the average change over time in the selling prices domestic manufacturers receive for their products, rose 0.6 percent from March.

• That’s the largest monthly gain since October 2025, when the index grew 0.7 percent from September. 
• The index had moved less than 0.4 percent each month from November to March 2026. 

State of play: Compared to April 2025, the reading is up 3.8 percent, per the BLS — and 46 percent over the past five years, since April 2021.

The big picture: HVAC PPI in April held steadier than the broader economy, which took a harder hit from inflation. 

• Overall PPI, covering a range of goods and services across industries, jumped 1.4 percent month-over-month in April — the largest monthly gain since March 2022 — with the index up six percent annually. 
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