Source: National Bureau of Economic Research  

Release: NBER Macrohistory Database  

Units:  Index 1947-1949=100, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Monthly

Notes:

The Building Materials And Construction Industries Division Of The Business And Defense Services Administration Is Responsible For Compiling These Data. The Composite Index Measures Changes In The Physical Volume Of Output Of Ten Groups Of Construction Materials, Which Together Represented About 50 Per Cent Of The Estimated Value Of Shipments Of All Construction Materials In 1947. Materials Included Are Iron And Steel Products; Lumber And Wood Products; Portland Cement, Millwork, Paint, Varnish, And Lacquer, Asphalt Products; Heating And Plumbing Equipment; Clay Construction Products; Gypsum Products; And Plumbing Fixtures. An Index For Each Of The Ten Groups Is Constructed From Data On Production, Sales, Or Shipments Of One Or More Specific Materials.Data Are Compiled Quarterly For Gypsum Products And Plumbing Fixtures, And Monthly For The Other Eight Groups. Indexes Are Derived On A 1947-49 Base, Using Physical Output Data Multiplied By 1947 Prices. Seasonal Adjustment Is By The Source. (See Lipsey And Preston, P. 283) Source: 1947-1954:"Construction Review", January 1959. Revised Figures For January 1952 Were Obtained Directly From The Office Of Business Economics. 1955-1958: Office Of Business Economics, U.S.Department Of Commerce (Unpublished Revisions). 1959-1962:"Business Statistics, " Supplement To "Survey Of Current Business", 1963 Edition. 1963: "Survey Of Current Business", Monthly Issues, 1964 (Lipsey And Preston, P. 283).

This NBER data series m02245 appears on the NBER website in Chapter 2 at http://www.nber.org/databases/macrohistory/contents/chapter02.html.

NBER Indicator: m02245