UK producers' input prices rise 8.3% over the year: what the latest ONS figures show

United Kingdom. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its provisional September 2026 producer price estimates on 21 October. Prices of materials and fuels bought by UK manufacturers (input PPI) rose 8.3% over the 12 months to September, following a revised 6.7% annual increase in August. Input prices rose 1.5% between August and September alone.

Factory-gate prices for manufactured products (output PPI) were 4.6% higher than in September 2025, following a revised annual rise of 3.8% in August 2026. They rose 0.8% during September. The annual output rate was the highest since April 2023. These indices measure rates of change in prices, not the costs faced by every individual business or retail prices.

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Why price growth accelerated

ONS says oil-related products were the main reason both series accelerated. Crude oil input prices rose 51.0% in the year to September and 14.0% over the month. Output prices for coke and refined petroleum products rose 63.3% over the year; refined petroleum product prices rose 9.1% in September. These sector-specific percentages should not be applied to every contract or to the price at a petrol pump.

The separate Services Producer Price Index (SPPI) rose 4.5% in the year to Quarter 3 (July to September) 2026, after a revised 4.2% annual rise in Quarter 2. It rose 0.9% over the quarter. Transport and storage services made the largest contribution to the increase in the annual rate: their prices were 10.7% higher than in Quarter 3 2025. These quarterly services figures are not directly comparable with the monthly September PPI figures.

What businesses can check

Businesses buying raw materials, packaging, fuel or delivery services can compare recent supplier invoices and quotes with their own budgets and quotation validity periods. Manufacturers and contractors may also want to check price-review and fuel-surcharge terms in existing contracts before changing customer prices. ONS does not forecast any individual firm's costs or require businesses to raise prices: the effect depends on the sector, suppliers and contracts.

Data quality: ONS explicitly describes its PPI estimates for August and September, and SPPI estimates for Quarters 2 and 3, as provisional. The series may be revised as more business survey responses arrive. Comparisons with August and Quarter 2 in this article use ONS's revised figures. The next statistical release is scheduled for 18 November 2026; that is a data publication date, not a business deadline.

Official source: ONS, Producer price inflation, UK: September 2026.