HVAC manufacturers announced a wave of July 2026 price increases on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, with adjustments ranging from 3% to 10% across more than a dozen brands and taking effect across five separate dates throughout the month. The increases touched flex duct, copper components, motors, controls, and refrigerant-handling tools, leaving few product categories unaffected for contractors and distributors.
Effective July 1, Duravent Group raised prices 7% across its portfolio, while Johns Manville increased prices 6-8% and JB Industries implemented a 7.5% increase on brass access valves and fittings, plus a 10% increase on vacuum pump oil. Modine announced increases of 0-9% depending on product category, and Tutco raised prices 10%, all on the same day. Air Products & Controls, Diversitech, and Jones Stephens also rolled out item-by-item increases, with Jones Stephens’ PEX product adjustments ranging from 3% to 10%.
A second cluster of increases followed effective July 5 and 6. Advanced Distributor Products raised prices up to 3% on copper air handlers and up to 5% on copper evaporator coils, while Fujitsu implemented a 7% increase and Modular Metal Fabricators raised flex duct prices 8%. Quietflex Manufacturing’s 6-8% increase, originally scheduled for June 12, took effect July 6 after being pushed back, and Aspen Manufacturing, Nidec’s US Motors division, Rectorseal, and Supco all logged increases in the 3% to 6.5% range. Centrotherm implemented a 7% increase effective July 12, followed by Vybond’s 6% increase across its HVACR product line on July 13, and CertainTeed rounded out the month with a 6% increase effective July 20.
Why Manufacturers Are Raising Prices Across the Year
The July round follows similar waves of manufacturer increases in March and April 2026, suggesting HVACR pricing is moving on a rolling, category-by-category basis through the year rather than in a single annual reset. HVAC equipment costs have risen around 60% since 2019, driven by multiple structural pressures on the industry.
Tariffs on imported materials are a major driver. HVAC systems rely heavily on imported steel, aluminum, and electronics, with tariffs as high as 25% to 50% on materials directly impacting pricing. Simultaneously, the shift to low-global-warming-potential refrigerants—phasing out R-410A in favor of alternatives like R-454B—requires new system designs, updated tools and training, and compliance with environmental regulations, significantly increasing manufacturing and installation costs. Labor shortages for skilled HVAC technicians have pushed wages higher, increasing installation costs, while supply chain challenges continue to create component shortages and delayed manufacturing.
For distributors and contractors, the repeated pattern of item-specific increases across ductwork, copper components, motors, and controls means the effective price of a full system installation has moved multiple times already in 2026. Distributors typically pass through manufacturer price increases to contractors within days of an effective date, leaving little lag between a supplier’s announcement and the price a contractor sees on a material order. Contractors responding by locking in bid pricing on active quotes ahead of known effective dates or building explicit price-escalation language into contracts have become more common as manufacturers have shifted toward more frequent, smaller increases rather than a single annual list-price reset.
Sources
- ACHR News — July 2026 price increase list with effective dates and percentages from 20+ manufacturers
- The Hardwire — Detailed breakdown of early-July, mid-July, and late-July 2026 price increases with context on distributor and contractor impact
- SNARSCA — Analysis of HVAC price drivers including tariffs, refrigerant transitions, labor shortages, and cumulative cost increases since 2019
