It is a paradox: while the construction of new housing plunges, construction materials are scarce. During a press conference on Tuesday March 23, the president of the French Building Federation (FFB), Olivier Salleron, warned about “New construction in danger”, considering that, “Without a powerful stimulus, 2021 [risquait] to be completed with less than 300,000 housing units built [contre plus de 400 000 pour les années 2015 et 2016], while the needs of the French are enormous ”.
The construction figures, published Tuesday, March 30 by the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, corroborate this, which show a drop of 12.4% in the number of building permits granted and 7.1% in applications. site between December 2020 and February 2021 compared to the three previous months.
At the same time, material shortages are increasing: steel, wood, glass, insulation, as well as some basics such as plasterboard and cement. In addition, the paints are out of stock, causing delivery delays or even work stoppages. The prices of said materials are soaring.
Low carbon ecological requirements
Since December 2020, the cost of steel has appreciated by 15% to 20% each month: “We are used to fluctuations [de son] run, but not at this point, confirms Franck Bernigaud, President of the Federation of Construction Materials Distributors (FDMC). On this global market, Chinese and American demands are supporting prices, and the steel mills which stopped their activity during the Covid-19 crisis had not anticipated this vigorous recovery. The shortage is such that manufacturers impose quotas that we must make our customers bear ”, he laments.
The same phenomenon is observed in structural and structural wood, a fashionable material because it meets low-carbon ecological requirements. The French sector, moreover affected by the drought episodes, is unable to replace the leading German and Austrian suppliers, now turned to their Chinese or American customers, willing to pay more.
“A builder from Charente-Maritime, who until now was getting supplies for 200 to 300 euros per cubic meter of wood delivered to the site, found himself in head-on competition with an American buyer ready to pay 700 euros per cubic meter released. factory, for lack of Canadian wood, which has become too expensive because of the taxes instituted under the Trump presidency ”, says Loïc Chapeaux, director of economic, financial and international affairs at the FFB.
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