Saint-Gobain reported third-quarter sales of €11.624 billion, up 1.8% from €11.424 billion a year earlier. Like-for-like growth reached 2.5%, although higher prices accompanied lower volumes.
The construction products group’s update, published on 27 October, showed improving quarterly sales momentum alongside continued weakness in the UK and Ireland.
| Measure | Q3 2026 | January–September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | €11.624bn | €35.219bn |
| Reported sales change | +1.8% | −0.2% |
| Like-for-like sales change | +2.5% | +1.2% |
| Price contribution | +3.2% | +1.5% |
| Volume contribution | −0.7% | −0.3% |
Source: Saint-Gobain’s sales release.
Prices remained the principal growth driver. Currency movements added 1.4% to quarterly sales, while changes in the business portfolio reduced them by 2.1%.
Regional like-for-like growth reached 2.5% in Europe, 0.6% in the Americas and 8.0% in Asia-Pacific. Construction chemicals grew 6.3%.
UK and Ireland sales fell 5.4% like-for-like during Q3 and 4.6% over nine months. Saint-Gobain attributed UK weakness to the construction downturn.
UK construction remains under pressure
Official figures provide context for that performance. The Office for National Statistics estimated that construction output in Great Britain fell 1.0% in the three months to August compared with the preceding three months.
New work declined 1.4%, while repair and maintenance fell 0.3%. Private new housing was the largest negative contributor, recording a 3.2% reduction.
August alone brought a 0.2% fall in total output, marking a fourth consecutive monthly decline. Although repair and maintenance increased 0.4% during the month, that improvement was insufficient to offset a 0.7% reduction in new work.
For UK fenestration businesses, these figures indicate pressure across both new construction and refurbishment demand. The monthly improvement in repair and maintenance offers some encouragement, but the weaker three-month trend provides little evidence of a sustained recovery.
European growth masks differences between markets
The wider European picture is more mixed. Eurostat estimated that construction production increased 1.8% in the euro area and 2.0% across the EU during August compared with July. Annual growth reached 1.4% and 2.6%, respectively.
However, building construction remained weaker than those headline figures suggest. Compared with August 2025, production in this category declined 3.7% in the euro area and 4.1% across the EU. Specialised construction activities supported overall growth.
These measures cover different periods and activities from Saint-Gobain’s sales, so they are not direct performance comparisons. They nevertheless demonstrate why growth in a diversified construction supplier should not be interpreted as evidence of a broad recovery in building demand.
Annual outlook maintained
Saint-Gobain retained its expectation of second-half like-for-like sales growth and a 2026 EBITDA margin above 15%. This release reports sales rather than quarterly earnings.
For window, door and glazing businesses, the distinction between sales value and physical demand remains significant. Higher turnover can reflect pricing rather than increased workloads, making volume trends and the performance of individual end markets essential when assessing the strength of any recovery.
Original source: Saint-Gobain Q3 2026 sales release.
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