CostWorks contains Location Factors for over 900 three-digit zip code locations in the United States and more than 70 areas in Canada.

These index figures represent relative construction factors for material and installation costs, as well as weighted averages for Total In Place costs for each CSI MasterFormat division. Installation costs include both labor and equipment rental costs.

Developing the index

To create a reliable index, RSMeans researched the building types most often constructed in the United States and Canada. To get the best overall view of building construction types, nine different types of buildings were combined to create a composite model.

To begin the development process, exact material, labor and equipment quantities are gathered from a detailed analysis of the nine building types. Then each quantity is weighted in proportion to expected usage. The various material items, labor hours, and equipment rental rates are then combined to form a composite building that represents as closely as possible the actual usage of materials, labor and equipment used in the North American building construction Industry.

The following structures are used to create the composite model:

In addition, the following data is used in creating the composite model:

• Specific quantities of 66 commonly used construction materials
• Specific labor-hours for 21 building construction trades
• Using the previous two data sets, the specific days of equipment rental for 6 types of construction equipment required to install the 66 material items by the 21 trades