Billboard Insider is hearing from billboard fabricators that steel prices may be heading up again.  Steel prices are up 42% over the past year.  In February 2026 the US Supreme Court struck down broad country-specific tariffs but Trump’s Section 232 50% imported steel tariff  was left in place.  The 50% imported steel tariff has eliminated global competition and giving domestic producers an excuse to increase prices.

Here are sample build costs for a 10’6″ by 36″ 2-sided static and 10’6″ by 36′ two-sided digital billboard.  The increase in steel costs is especially significant for static builds because steel makes up 55-65% of the total cost of a static build.  Steel costs make up a much lower portion of a digital build and digital billboards have a four to five times larger revenue base to support the increase steel costs.

What’s been your experience with billboard project price increases over the past year.  Take our poll below or email davewestburg@billboardinsider.com and we’ll run a follow-up article.