About Live Data Calc
Every calculator on this site was built and sourced by me. My rule: no number goes live unless I can point to
a named U.S. government source — BLS Producer Price Index, FRED, USGS, or EIA — with a verification date and
a direct link to the exact table or series. If I can't find it, the number doesn't appear.
That standard matters because most construction calculators pull figures from trade publications, contractor
blogs, or each other — none of which disclose where the number actually came from or when it was last checked.
Government price data is public, updated on a published schedule, and carries a named agency behind it.
Translating a BLS "per ton" series into a usable "per square foot installed" estimate requires knowing the
unit conversions and waste factors — that's the work I do here.
I have no affiliate relationships with material suppliers, contractors, or estimating software. No numbers are
inflated to make a product look cheap by comparison.
What We Cover
Construction materials first: concrete, gravel, aggregates, masonry, flooring. Calculators for volume, cost, mix
design, curing time, and regional price variation. More niches — lumber, steel, earthwork, MEP — follow the same
sourcing standard.
Sourcing Standard
No number appears on this site without a publicly accessible government source URL. Figures are re-verified after
each BLS monthly release. The methodology page explains every source series used and
what "verified" means in practice.
Limitations
These are estimates. National averages don't capture local contractor markup, delivery distance, or site
conditions. Use the regional tables as a starting point, then confirm with your actual supplier quote before
ordering. Nothing on this site constitutes professional engineering or financial advice.
Contact
Found a stale figure or broken source link? Send a correction and I'll update
within 48 hours.