Manufacturing output prices over 1 percent higher in March

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that output prices for products manufactured in the Netherlands were 1.4 percent higher in March 2026, year on year. The price increase follows four months of price declines. The turnaround goes together with the rise in oil prices due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.

Higher prices of crude oil

Output prices generally reflect the price of crude oil. In March 2026, the average price of a barrel of North Sea Brent crude stood at 84 euros, up by over 27 percent, year on year. In February 2026, a barrel of crude cost almost 59 euros, down by over 18 percent, year on year. Month-on-month, the oil price rose by an average of over 43 percent in March.

Prices for petroleum derivatives were up by 31.3 percent in March, year on year, while in February they were down by 9.5 percent. Output prices in the chemical sector also tend to track the price of crude oil (often with a delay). In March 2026, output prices for chemical products were 2.0 percent lower than they were in March 2025. In February, they were down by 6.6 percent, year on year.

Manufacturing output prices up on February

Output prices rose by 3.4 percent in March compared to February. That is the largest increase seen since the first months of the war in Ukraine (March and April 2022). On the export markets, prices rose by 4.2 percent in March, while on the domestic market they were up by 2.4 percent.