KUALA LUMPUR: The Building Cost Index (BCI) with steel bars decreased by between negative 0.1 per cent and negative 3.8 per cent across building categories and regions in Peninsular Malaysia in October 2026 compared with the previous month, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
In a statement, DOSM said the BCI with steel bars in Sabah increased slightly by between 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent across all building categories in Sandakan, while Kota Kinabalu remained unchanged in October 2026 versus a month earlier.
It said BCI with steel bars in Sarawak registered a slight decrease between negative 0.1 per cent and negative 0.4 per cent for all categories of buildings in Sibu, while Kuching and Miri registered a slight increase between 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent.
For sand, DOSM said the unit price index rose by between 0.3 per cent and 1.8 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m) across selected areas, with the highest increase recorded in Sandakan (1.8 per cent), followed by Kuching (0.8 per cent) and Johor (0.5 per cent).
"The unit price index for cement recorded a slight increase in October 2026, ranging from 0.1 per cent to 0.4 per cent as compared to the previous month.
"The increase in the price index for this material was recorded in Perak (0.4 per cent), Terengganu and Kelantan and Kuching (0.3 per cent), respectively,” it said.
Meanwhile, it said the unit price index for steel slipped by between negative 0.2 per cent and negative 10.5 per cent m-o-m in selected areas.
"The decrease was observed in Perak (-10.5 per cent), followed by Terengganu and Kelantan (-3.6 per cent) and Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan (-1.3 per cent),” it added.
On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, DOSM noted that the unit price index for cement increased by between 0.6 per cent and 7.4 per cent in most areas in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, with the highest increase in the unit price index for cement observed in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan (7.4 per cent), followed by Terengganu and Kelantan and Kuching (5.7 per cent), respectively.
It said the y-o-y unit price index for steel recorded decreases ranging from negative 0.6 per cent to negative 8.2 per cent in October 2026, compared with the same month of the previous year, across all areas in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
DOSM said the biggest decrease was in Perak (-8.2 per cent), Terengganu and Kelantan (-4.8 per cent), and Miri (-4.0 per cent).
It said the average price of Ordinary Portland cement remained unchanged at RM25.80 per 50-kilogram bag.
"In addition, the average price per unit of steel, consisting of mild steel round bars and Mycon 60 high tensile deformed bars, recorded a decrease (-3.0 per cent) with an average price of RM3,327.30 per tonne as compared to the previous month (September 2026: RM3,431.90 per tonne),” it said. - Bernama
