About Live Data Calc

Live Data Calc builds free construction calculators. Every price figure comes from a named U.S. government source — BLS Producer Price Index, FRED, USGS, or EIA — with a verification date and source link visible next to the number.

Why We Built This

Most online construction calculators show a single number with no source. The figure is often years out of date, pulled from a trade publication behind a paywall, or simply invented. A contractor or homeowner who plugs in those numbers and orders materials ends up short or wastes money on overage.

Government price data is public, updated regularly, and carries the credibility of a named agency. The problem is that it's hard to navigate — BLS PPI series codes aren't intuitive, FRED has thousands of series, and translating a "per ton" price to "per cubic yard of finished slab" requires knowing the unit conversions. We do that translation work and show you the math.

What We Cover

Construction materials first: concrete, gravel, aggregates, masonry. Calculators for volume, cost, mix design, curing time, and regional price variation. More niches — lumber, steel, earthwork, MEP — are in development, each following the same sourcing standard.

Our Sourcing Standard

No number appears on this site without a publicly accessible government source URL. We re-verify figures after each BLS monthly release. The methodology page explains every source in detail and what "verified" means in practice.

Limitations

These are estimates. National averages don't capture local contractor markup, delivery distance, or site conditions. Use our regional tables as a starting point, then confirm with your actual supplier quote before ordering. We are not engineers, contractors, or financial advisors — nothing on this site constitutes professional advice.

Contact

Found a stale figure or broken source link? Send us a correction and we'll update within 48 hours.