[snopercod]

Don't forget steel and copper.

Thank G-d beer is still reasonable.

[snopercod]

Iraq reconstruction builds plywood demand, prices

By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY

Posted 9/1/2003 10:51 PM

A government order for plywood panels destined for Iraq is pushing key wood products prices to all-time highs. The Defense Logistics Agency, the military's prime supplier, is buying more than 20 million feet of plywood sheeting, most for U.S. forces' base camps, guard posts and other projects, spokeswoman Dawn Dearden says.

The $13.3 million purchase is relatively tiny — about 300 million feet of plywood sheeting is sold monthly. But in an industry facing surging demand, the deal — and rumors that more lumber is headed for Iraqi reconstruction efforts — is fueling an already overheated market, says Shawn Church of Random Lengths, an industry newsletter that charts prices.

The price of 7/16-inch oriented strand board (OSB), a plywood composite common in new homes, low-rise apartments and commercial structures, hit $415 per 1,000 square feet Friday, eclipsing a $355 high in 1999. Pricing on 15/32-inch plywood sheets jumped to $470, also eclipsing 1999 highs.

[BossLady]

Dang.....steel and copper are on the list as well?!

Mountain Dew is still reasonable too.....whew!

[RightWhale]

I quit beer over a decade ago when the price of anything but canned horsep*$$ got too high. I don't see how we will be able to afford anything, wood, steel, or beer much longer.