BEIJING — The output of China's building materials sector shrank in the first quarter due to COVID-19 impact, official data showed.

The value-added output of the sector lost 14.1 percent year-on-year in Q1, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The output of flat glass registered year-on-year growth of 1.9 percent despite output declines of most major building materials.

The sector reports steady work resumption, as 99.5 percent of production key building materials firms had restarted by April 17, with 92.1 percent of employees back to work, MIIT data showed.