Thinking of a remodel? Building a home? Or need an upgrade because your refrigerator is on the fritz? Whirlpool has some bad news for you: Buying your next appliance is about to get more expensive.

The company, which holds the biggest market share for appliances in the United States, reported on its recent conference call with Wall Street that it will increase prices by an average of 7%, beginning in December.

“There’s a significant move effective… end of the first week in December,” said CEO Marc Bitzer on Whirlpool’s call. “That significant move, which again is in a ballpark of 7%, is actually a combination of [minimum advertised price] MAP, [promotional minimum average price] PMAP in some cases, also first cost [the base price Whirlpool charges stores/retailers].”

The decision comes at a tough time for Americans already struggling to make ends meet amid rising costs, and puts additional pressure on homebuilders, a major source of appliance demand.

Whirlpool price increases aren’t unique

The appliance market is worth a lot of money — $25 billion annually, according to IBISWorld. And while Whirlpool carries a lot of weight given its size, it’s far from the only choice available to shoppers. Other major brands include Electrolux, which owns Frigidaire, and Haier, which owns GE Appliances.

Unfortunately, prices have been increasing across all of them faster than inflation overall. In 2026, the Consumer Price Index, a common inflation measure, rose 3.7% from the previous year. Meanwhile, appliance prices have increased by 8% industry-wide compared to January 2025, according to Whirlpool.

“Competitors’ average pricing has also meaningfully moved upwards since the beginning of 2026,” noted Executive President of North America, Juan Puente. “This trend is consistent with the full burden of tariffs and increased transportation costs.”

Whirlpool is raising prices by 7% in December as it gets squeezed by shrinking demand and higher input costs.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Housing market remains in doldrums

The price increases are landing during a period of already soft demand tied to a struggling housing market. Home-building activity has retreated as buyers have stepped back due to rising home prices and higher mortgage rates.

“Elevated mortgage rates have locked homeowners into existing loans, freezing the home-sale cycle that triggers the full appliance-bundle replacement a move sets off,” noted IBISWorld.

Also read: Are groceries cheaper at Publix than Walmart and Target?

Building permits sagged 3% year over year in September, while privately-owned housing starts tumbled 7.4%, according to the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, median home prices hit $393,000 in the third quarter, up from $317,000 in the second quarter of 2020, when Covid-era low mortgage rates set off a dramatic price surge.

Absent a drop in prices or mortgage rates, appliance makers like Whirlpool are navigating a lower-demand environment even as their own supply costs for materials like steel rise. Partly due to 50% tariffs cutting supply of lower-cost foreign metals, steel hot-rolled coil prices have surged to a four-year high near $1,400 per short ton.

“Steel is — in particular for North America has seen a massive price increase over the last 12 months, actually of 50%,” said Bitzer.

Whirlpool targets prices to shore up profits

Whirlpool’s price increases so far this year haven’t been enough to offset the drags from lower demand and higher supply costs. As a result, the company’s U.S. sales slipped 8.3% year over year in the third quarter, to $2.5 billion. Whirlpool currently expects global sales this year to total $14.5 billion, down from $15.5 billion last year.

The real challenge is on the bottom line, though. Management says it will lose $1.30 per share this year, largely because supply costs are outpacing its price increases.

The company is pulling other levers, including closing plants and consolidating distribution, but absent lower supply costs, price increases are the main lever to profitability again.

“These structural cost initiatives together with the additional pricing actions set up a strong foundation for margin expansion in 2027,” said Bitzer.

Higher prices suggest Black Friday buying

Whirlpool says its appliance price increases will take effect in December, suggesting that shoppers eager to upgrade to new units may want to take advantage of November holiday sales promotions rather than wait.

November and December historically account for about one-fifth of all retail sales, according to the National Retail Federation, and “Black Friday” is a big driver, with retailers and manufacturers pushing aggressive discounts and bundles to clear out inventory.

This year, NRF expects total holiday sales to increase 4.2% from 2025 to $1.013 trillion; at least some of that will be spent at retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Best Buy on stoves, refrigerators, and laundry machines.

Major retailers have already begun early Black Friday sales to drive foot traffic. For instance, Best Buy is advertising a Samsung 3-door French Door Smart Refrigerator for $1,799, down from $2,160, while Home Depot is selling a GE top-load washer for $559, down from $849, when I checked earlier today.

Whirlpool prices are also on sale, including on its website, where it is offering a “buy more, save more” deal that gives an extra 5% or 10% discount when buying two or three major appliances, respectively. The offer ends Nov. 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Those deals aren’t likely to change Whirlpool’s full-year financials, but given how expensive appliances are, taking advantage of promotions before price increases take effect could make a lot of sense for customers.

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