How To Use Enr's Cost Indexes

摘要

Readers of ENR generate a steady stream of questions about the magazine's indexes and how to accurately apply them to construction projects. To help clarify the nature and uses of the cost indexes, here are answers to the most frequently asked questions and suggestions on how to avoid costly mistakes. The difference is in their labor component. The CCI uses 200 hours of common labor, multiplied by the 20-city average rate for wages and fringe benefits. The BCI uses 68.38 hours of skilled labor, multiplied by the 20-city wage-fringe average for three trades-bricklayers, carpenters and structural ironworkers. For their materials component, both indexes use 25 cwt of fabricated standard structural steel at the 20-city average price, 1.128 tons of bulk portland cement priced locally and 1,088 board-ft of 2x4 lumber priced locally. The ENR indexes measure how much it costs to purchase this hypothetical package of goods compared to what it was in the base year.