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http://www.bls.gov/ppi              September 19, 2006
                                     
                                     
                   Producer Price Indexes -- August 2006

     The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 0.1 percent in
August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today.  This advance followed increases of 0.1
percent in July and 0.5 percent in June.  The index for finished goods
other than foods and energy decreased 0.4 percent in August after declining
0.3 percent in the prior month.  At the earlier stages of processing,
prices received by producers of intermediate goods moved up 0.4 percent in
August following a 0.5-percent gain in the previous month, while the crude
goods index rose 2.2 percent after advancing 3.1 percent in July.  (See
table A.)

Table A.  Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of-processing price
indexes, seasonally adjusted
 ______________________________________________________________________________________
|        |                                                         |         |         |
|        |                   Finished goods                        |         |         |
|        |                                                         |         |         |
|        |---------------------------------------------------------|         |         |
|        |          |          |          |         |  Change in   |         |         |
|        |          |          |          | Except  |finished goods| Inter-  |         |
|        |          |          |          |foods and|from 12 months| mediate |  Crude  |
| Month  |  Total   |  Foods   |  Energy  | energy  |  ago(unadj.) | goods   |  goods  |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

2005                                                    
  Aug.        0.5      -0.2         3.0       0.0         5.3          0.5       3.5
  Sept.       1.4       1.2         5.4        .2         6.9          2.3      10.5
  Oct.         .8        .1         4.3       -.3         5.9          3.0       5.7
  Nov.        -.5        .6        -3.1        .1         4.4         -1.3      -1.4
  Dec.         .7        .8         2.4         0         5.4           .3      -3.5
                                                        
2006                                                    
  Jan.         .3       -.2          .1        .4         5.6          1.0       -.8
  Feb.       -1.2      -2.2        -4.5        .3         3.9          -.5      -8.4
  Mar.         .4        .4         1.5        .2         3.6           .2      -2.6
  Apr.         .9      r .3         4.0        .1       r 4.1        r 1.0     r 2.6
  May        r .1     r -.8        r .5        .3         4.5         r .8      r .8
  June         .5       1.4          .7        .2         4.9           .7      -1.7
  July         .1       -.3         1.3       -.3         4.2           .5       3.1
  Aug.         .1       1.4          .3       -.4         3.7           .4       2.2
r=revised.  Some of the figures shown above and elsewhere in this release may differ 
from those previously reported because data for April 2006 have been revised to
reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.

                                    -2-

     Among finished goods in August, prices for consumer foods climbed 1.4
percent and the index for energy goods moved up 0.3 percent.  These
increases slightly outweighed falling prices for consumer goods other than
foods and energy and for capital equipment, which fell 0.5 percent and 0.3
percent, respectively.

     Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished
Goods rose 0.1 percent in August to 162.1 (1982 = 100).  From August 2005
to August 2006, prices for finished goods advanced 3.7 percent.  Over the
same period, the index for finished energy goods jumped 13.2 percent,
prices for finished consumer foods moved up 2.8 percent, and the index for
finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.9 percent.  At the
earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods climbed 8.8
percent, and the crude goods index rose 5.3 percent for the 12 months ended
August 2006.

Finished goods

     The index for finished consumer foods advanced 1.4 percent in August
after moving down 0.3 percent in July.  Prices for fresh and dry vegetables
surged 20.7 percent following a rise of 6.5 percent in the previous month.
The index for processed young chickens also increased more in August than
it had a month earlier.  Prices for fresh fruits and melons, eggs for fresh
use, dairy products, soft drinks, and processed turkeys turned up after
falling in July.  By contrast, the beef and veal index decreased 1.5
percent in August following a 0.2-percent decline in the prior month.  The
index for portion controlled meat products moved down after advancing in
July, and pork prices rose less in August than they had in the preceding
month.  (See table 2.)

Table B.  Monthly and annual percent changes in selected price indexes for 
intermediate goods and crude goods, seasonally adjusted
 __________________________________________________________________________________
|      |                                     |                                     |
|      |       Intermediate goods            |       Crude goods                   |
|      |                                     |                                     |
|      |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|      |       |        |         |Change in |       |         |         | Change  |
|      |       |        |         | interme- |       |         |         |in crude |
|      |       |        |         |  diate   |       |         |         | goods   |
|      |       |        |         |goods from|       |         |         | from 12 |
|      |       |        | Except  |12 months |       |         | Except  | months  |
|      |       |        |foods and|   ago    |       | Energy  |foods and|  ago    |
|Month | Foods | Energy | energy  | (unadj.) | Foods | (unadj.)| energy  |(unadj.) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

2005                                                            
  Aug.   -0.1     3.0      -0.1         6.3     -1.2     6.0       4.6       12.1
  Sept.   -.1     7.4       1.0         8.7      1.7    17.1       5.6       29.7
  Oct.     .4     8.8       1.4        10.9      -.1    10.9      -1.5       31.8
  Nov.      0    -6.9        .4         8.5      1.0    -3.4       2.4       21.6
  Dec.     .3     -.4        .4         8.6      2.5    -8.1       1.9       21.1
                                                                
2006                                                            
  Jan.     .7     1.6        .9         9.2     -3.1      .2       -.2       22.1
  Feb.   -1.1    -3.2        .3         8.0     -3.0   -14.9       3.1       12.6
  Mar.    -.1     -.4        .4         7.2     -2.4    -4.3       1.3        4.7
  Apr.  r -.7   r 3.0      r .6       r 7.7   r -1.0   r 3.6     r 5.3      r 4.6
  May   r -.5    r .9      r .7         8.9   r -2.6    r .8     r 5.0        8.6
  June    1.0      .4        .8         9.3      4.8    -6.8       1.7        8.6
  July     .4     -.1        .7         8.9      1.8     4.8       1.3        6.6
  Aug.    -.2      .7        .4         8.8       .1     5.9      -2.8        5.3
r=revised.  Some of the figures shown above and elsewhere in this release may 
differ from those previously reported because data for April 2006 have been 
revised to reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.

                                    -3-

     The index for finished energy goods increased 0.3 percent in August
following a 1.3-percent gain in July.  Prices for liquefied petroleum gas
rose 0.9 percent after climbing 11.5 percent in the prior month.  The index
for residential electric power also moved up less in August than it had in
July.  Gasoline prices turned down following advances in the preceding
month.  Alternatively, the index for residential natural gas increased 1.6
percent in August after rising 0.9 percent a month earlier.  Prices for
home heating oil and diesel fuel turned up following declines in July.

     The index for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy
decreased 0.5 percent in August after moving down 0.3 percent in July.
Passenger car prices fell 2.6 percent in August following a 0.8-percent
decline a month earlier.  The indexes for pharmaceutical preparations and
light motor trucks also decreased more than they had in July.  Prices for
alcoholic beverages, tires, and periodical circulation turned down in
August after rising in the preceding month.  Conversely, the index for
men's and boys' apparel advanced 1.2 percent following a 0.6-percent
decline in July.  Prices for newspaper circulation and household appliances
also increased in August after falling in the previous month.

     The capital equipment index decreased 0.3 percent in August after
moving down 0.2 percent in July.  Leading the August decline, prices for
light motor trucks dropped 3.4 percent.  The indexes for passenger cars,
electronic computers, and communication and related equipment also fell in
August.  By contrast, prices for civilian aircraft, industrial material
handling equipment, transformers and power regulators, truck trailers, and
heavy motor trucks increased in August.

Intermediate goods

     The Producer Price Index for Intermediate Materials, Supplies, and
Components advanced 0.4 percent in August following a 0.5-percent gain in
July.  In August, rising prices for energy goods, materials and components
for construction, and materials for both durable and nondurable
manufacturing outweighed falling prices for foods and feeds.  The index for
intermediate goods excluding foods and energy moved up 0.4 percent in
August following a 0.7- percent increase a month earlier.  (See table B.)

     Prices for intermediate energy goods rose 0.7 percent in August after
edging down 0.1 percent in July.  The jet fuels index climbed 6.7 percent
compared with a 5.3-percent decline a month earlier.  Prices for diesel
fuel and residual fuel also moved up after decreasing in July.  The index
for industrial natural gas increased more than it had in the previous
month.  Alternatively, gasoline prices fell 2.2 percent subsequent to a 0.7-
percent advance in July.  The index for commercial electric power also
turned down in August.  Prices for liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas
to electric utilities advanced less than they had in the previous month.
(See table 2.)

     The index for materials and components for construction increased 0.4
percent in August following a 0.7-percent gain in July.  Prices for
concrete products inched up 0.1 percent after advancing 1.4 percent a month
earlier.  The indexes for steel mill products, paving mixtures and blocks,
plumbing fixtures and brass fittings, and plastic construction products
also rose less than they had in the prior month.  Prices for softwood
lumber fell more than they had in July.  The indexes for plywood and
millwork turned down in August.  Conversely, prices for nonferrous wire and
cable moved up 3.3 percent following a 1.0-percent decline in July.  The
asphalt felts and coatings index advanced in August after remaining
unchanged in the previous month.

                                    -4-

     The materials for durable manufacturing index rose 0.4 percent in
August after moving up 2.3 percent in July.  The rate of increase for the
cold rolled steel sheet and strip index slowed from 8.6 percent in July to
0.8 percent in August.  Prices for hot rolled steel sheet and strip also
advanced less than in the prior month.   The indexes for primary nonferrous
metals; hot rolled steel bars, plates and structural shapes; and copper and
brass mill shapes turned down in August after rising a month earlier.  The
index for softwood lumber fell more than in July.  By contrast, prices for
aluminum mill shapes edged up 0.1 percent in August after declining 2.3
percent in the previous month.  Prices for semifinished steel mill products
increased more than they had a month earlier.

     The materials for nondurable manufacturing index edged up 0.2 percent
in August, the same rate as in July.  In August, rising prices for primary
and intermediate basic organic chemicals, plastic resins and materials,
inedible fats and oils, stemmed and redried tobacco, and paper outweighed
falling prices for fertilizer materials and ethanol.

     The index for intermediate foods and feeds declined 0.2 percent in
August after increasing 0.4 percent in July.  Flour prices fell 5.1 percent
subsequent to a 2.8-percent rise in the prior month.  The indexes for
prepared animal feeds and for refined sugar and byproducts also turned down
in August after rising a month earlier.  Prices for beef and veal decreased
at faster rates in August, while the index for fluid milk products rose
less than it had in July.  By contrast, prices for natural, processed, and
imitation cheese advanced 2.4 percent compared with a 2.0-percent decline a
month earlier.  The index for dry, condensed, and evaporated milk products
also turned up in August, and prices for processed young chickens increased
more than they had in July.

Crude goods

     The Producer Price Index for Crude Materials for Further Processing
advanced 2.2 percent in August following a 3.1-percent rise in the previous
month.  Prices for crude foodstuffs and feedstuffs increased less than in
the prior month, and the index for basic industrial materials turned down
after rising in July.  By contrast, prices for crude energy materials rose
more in August than they had a month earlier.  (See table B.)

     The index for crude foodstuffs and feedstuffs increased 0.1 percent
following a 1.8-percent gain in the preceding month.  Price increases for
slaughter broilers and fryers slowed from 6.4 percent in July to 3.2
percent in August.  The indexes for corn, wheat, and soybeans turned down
after rising a month earlier.  By contrast, the index for slaughter cattle
advanced 3.7 percent following a 1.0-percent rise in the prior month.  The
index for fresh vegetables (except potatoes) also increased at a faster
rate in August than it had a month earlier.  Prices for fresh fruits and
melons and for slaughter hogs turned up after declining in July.  (See
table 2.)

     Prices for crude nonfood materials less energy fell 2.8 percent after
a 1.3-percent increase in July.  Leading this downturn, the iron and steel
scrap index dropped 14.7 percent in August following a 2.0-percent decrease
in the previous month.  Aluminum base scrap prices also fell more than in
July.  The index for wastepaper rose less than in the preceding month.
Prices for softwood logs, bolts, and timber turned down after rising in the
previous month.  Conversely, the miscellaneous roundwood products index
rose 4.0 percent in August after declining 0.1 percent a month ago.  The
index for raw cotton also climbed following a decrease in July.  Prices for
copper base scrap were unchanged following a decline in the prior month,
and the index for construction sand, gravel, and crushed stone rose more
than a month earlier.

     The crude energy materials index advanced 5.9 percent in August after
rising 4.8 percent a month earlier.  This acceleration can be attributed to
natural gas prices, which jumped 15.7 percent after a 1.2-percent increase
in the preceding month.  Conversely, the crude petroleum index turned down
1.9 percent following a 9.4-percent rise in July.  The index for coal fell
1.4 percent after increasing 0.6 percent in the previous month.

                                    -5-

Net output price indexes for mining, manufacturing, and services industries

Mining.  The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Mining
Industries rose 4.7 percent in August after advancing 5.0 percent in the
preceding month.  (Net output price indexes are not seasonally adjusted.)
Contributing to this slower rate of increase, prices received by the oil
and gas well drilling industry moved up 1.5 percent following a 2.3-percent
gain in July.  The industry index for bituminous coal and lignite surface
mining turned down subsequent to rising in the prior month.  Prices paid to
the industry for oil and gas operations support activities were unchanged
in August after increasing a month earlier.  The industry indexes for gold
ore mining, crushed and broken granite mining and quarrying, and
construction sand and gravel mining advanced less than they had in July.
Conversely, prices received by the natural gas liquid extraction industry
climbed 8.1 percent in August compared with a 7.1-percent gain in the
preceding month.  The industry index for bituminous coal underground mining
also advanced more than it had in July.  In August, the Producer Price
Index for Total Mining Industries was 222.9 (December 1984 = 100), 9.5
percent above its year-ago level.

Manufacturing.  The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total
Manufacturing Industries rose 0.1 percent in August after increasing at the
same rate in July.  In August, higher prices  received by the manufacturers
of petroleum and coal products, electrical equipment and appliances,
plastic and rubber products, fabricated metal products, and machinery
outweighed falling prices paid to the industry groups for transportation
equipment, wood product manufacturing, and computer and electronic
products.  In August, the Producer Price Index for Total Manufacturing
Industries was 159.8 (December 1984 = 100), 5.3 percent above its year-ago
level.

Services.  Among services industries, prices received by commercial bankers
increased 2.0 percent in August following a 3.6-percent decline in July.
The industry index for cellular and other wireless services also turned up
after falling in the previous month, and prices received by the portfolio
management industry were unchanged in August subsequent to decreasing a
month earlier.  Alternatively, the industry index for investment banking
and securities dealing declined 1.1 percent after moving up 1.8 percent in
July.  Prices also turned down in August for hotels and motels (excluding
casino hotels), passenger car rental, and scheduled freight air
transportation.  The index for general medical and surgical hospitals rose
less in August compared with the prior month, and prices received by
internet service providers fell more than they had in July.

                                   *****
Producer Price Index data for September 2006 are scheduled to be released
on Tuesday, October 17, 2006, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).



Technical Note

               Brief Explanation of Producer Prices Indexes

     The Producer Price Index (PPI) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
is a family of indexes that measure the average change over time in the
prices received by domestic producers of goods and services.  PPIs measure
price change from the perspective of the seller.  This contrasts with other
measures, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  CPIs measure price
change from the purchaser's perspective.  Sellers' and purchasers' prices
can differ due to government subsidies, sales and excise taxes, and
distribution costs.

     More than 8,000 PPIs for individual products and groups of products
are released each month.  PPIs are available for the products of virtually
every industry in the mining and manufacturing sectors of the U.S. economy.
New PPIs are gradually being introduced for the products of industries in
the construction, trade, finance, and services sectors of the economy.

     More than 100,000 price quotations per month are organized into three
sets of PPIs:  (1) Stage-of-processing indexes, (2) commodity indexes, and
(3) indexes for the net output of industries and their products.  The stage-
of-processing structure organizes products by class of buyer and degree of
fabrication.  The commodity structure organizes products by similarity of
end use or material composition.  The entire output of various industries
is sampled to derive price indexes for the net output of industries and
their products.
     
                        Stage-of-Processing Indexes
                                     
     Within the stage-of-processing system, finished goods are commodities
that will not undergo further processing and are ready for sale to the
final-demand user, either an individual consumer or business firm.
Consumer foods include unprocessed foods such as eggs and fresh vegetables,
as well as processed foods such as bakery products and meats.  Other
finished consumer goods include durable goods such as automobiles,
household furniture, and appliances, as well as nondurable goods such as
apparel and home heating oil.  Capital equipment includes durable goods
such as heavy motor trucks, tractors, and machine tools.

     The stage-of-processing category for intermediate materials, supplies,
and components consists partly of commodities that have been processed but
require further processing.  Examples of such semifinished goods include
flour, cotton yarn, steel mill products, and lumber.  The intermediate
goods category also encompasses nondurable, physically complete items
purchased by business firms as inputs for their operations.  Examples
include diesel fuel, belts and belting, paper boxes, and fertilizers.

     Crude materials for further processing are products entering the
market for the first time that have not been manufactured or fabricated and
that are not sold directly to consumers.  Crude foodstuffs and feedstuffs
include items such as grains and livestock.  Examples of crude nonfood
materials include raw cotton, crude petroleum, coal, hides and skins, and
iron and steel scrap.
                                     
                             Commodity Indexes

     The commodity classification structure of the PPI organizes products
by similarity of end use or material composition, disregarding industry of
origin.  Fifteen major commodity groupings (two-digit commodity codes) make
up the All Commodities Index. Each major commodity grouping includes (in
descending order of aggregation) subgroups (three-digit codes), product
classes (four-digit codes), subproduct classes (six-digit codes), and
individual items (eight-digit codes).  Nearly all eight-digit commodities
under the traditional commodity coding system are now derived from
corresponding industry-classified product indexes.  In such instances,
movements in the traditional commodity price indexes and corresponding
percent changes will be virtually identical to their industry-based
counterparts, even if their index levels differ.
                                     
                     Industry Net-Output Price Indexes
                                     
     PPIs for the net output of industries and their products are grouped
according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
Prior to the release of January 2004, industry-based PPIs were published
according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.  Industry
price indexes are compatible with other economic time series organized by
industry, such as data on employment, wages, and productivity.  Table 5 of
the PPI Detailed Report includes data for NAICS industries and industry
groups (3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-digit codes); Census product classes (7- and 8-
digit codes), products (9-digit codes), and more detailed subproducts (11-
digit codes); and, for some industries, indexes for other sources of
revenue.

     Indexes may represent one of three kinds of product categories.  Every
industry has primary product indexes to show changes in prices received by
establishments classified in the industry for products made primarily, but
not necessarily exclusively, by that industry.  The industry classification
of an establishment is determined by which products make up a plurality of
its total shipment value.  In addition, most industries have secondary
product indexes that show changes in prices received by establishments
classified in the industry for products chiefly made in some other
industry.  Finally, some industries have miscellaneous receipts indexes to
show price changes in other sources of revenue received by establishments
within the industry that are not derived from sales of their products-for
example, resales of purchased materials, or revenues from parking lots
owned by a manufacturing plant.
                                     
                              Data Collection
                                     
     PPIs are based on selling prices reported by establishments of all
sizes selected by probability sampling, with the probability of selection
proportionate to size.  Individual items and transaction terms from these
firms also are chosen by probability proportionate to size.  BLS strongly
encourages cooperating companies to supply actual transaction prices at the
time of shipment to minimize the use of list prices.  Prices submitted by
survey respondents are effective on the Tuesday of the week containing the
13th day of the month.  This survey is conducted primarily through the
mail.

     Price data are provided on a voluntary and confidential basis; only
sworn BLS employees are allowed access to individual company price reports.
BLS publishes price indexes instead of actual prices.  All PPIs are subject
to revision 4 months after original publication to reflect the availability
of late reports and corrections by respondents.

     BLS periodically updates the PPI sample of survey respondents to
better reflect current conditions when the structure, membership,
technology, or product mix of an industry shifts significantly and to
spread reporting burden among smaller firms.  Results of these resampling
efforts are incorporated into the PPI with the release of data for January
and July.

     As part of an ongoing effort to expand coverage to sectors of the
economy other than mining and manufacturing, an increasing number of
service sector industries have been introduced into the PPI.  The following
list of recently introduced industries includes the month and year in which
an article describing the industry's content appeared in the PPI Detailed
Report.

                                                                      PPI
                                                                      Detailed
                                                                      Report
              Title                                           Code    Issue

                                                              SIC             
Wireless telecommunications...................................4812    July 1999
Telephone communications, except radio telephone..............4813    July 1995
Television broadcasting.......................................4833    July 2002
Grocery stores................................................5411    July 2000
Meat and fish (seafood) markets...............................5421    July 2000
Fruit and vegetable markets...................................5431    July 2000
Candy, nut, and confectionery stores..........................5441    July 2000
Retail bakeries...............................................5461    July 2000
Miscellaneous food stores.....................................5499    July 2000
New car dealers...............................................5511    July 2000
Gasoline service stations.....................................5541    January 2002
Boat dealers..................................................5551    January 2002
Recreational vehicle dealers..................................5561    January 2002
Miscellaneous retail..........................................59      January 2001
Security brokers, dealers, and investment bankers.............6211    January 2001
Investment advice.............................................6282    January 2003
Life insurance carriers.......................................6311    January 1999
Property and casualty insurance...............................6331    July 1998
Insurance agencies and brokerages.............................6412    January 2003
Operators and lessors of nonresidential buildings.............6512    January 1996
Real estate agents and managers...............................6531    January 1996
Prepackaged software..........................................7372    January 1998
Data processing services......................................7374    January 2002
Home health care services.....................................8082    January 1997
Legal services................................................8111    January 1997
Engineering design, analysis, and consulting services.........8711    January 1997
Architectural design, analysis, and consulting services.......8712    January 1997
Premiums for property and casualty insurance..................9331    July 1998
                                                         
                                                              NAICS            
New warehouse building construction...........................236221  July 2005
New school construction.......................................236222  July 2006
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods...........................423     July 2005
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods........................424     July 2005
Wholesale trade agents and brokers............................425120  July 2005
Furniture and home furnishings stores.........................442     January 2004
Electronics and appliance stores..............................443     January 2004
Building  material and garden equipment and supplies dealers..444     January 2004
Clothing and clothing accessories stores......................448     January 2004
Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores.................451     January 2004
General merchandise stores....................................452     January 2004
Miscellaneous store retailers.................................453     January 2004
Internet service providers....................................518111  July 2005
Web search portals............................................518112  July 2005
Commercial banking............................................522110  January 2005
Savings institutions..........................................522120  January 2005
Direct health and medical insurance carriers..................524114  July 2004
Construction, mining, and forestry machinery and equipment 
rental and leasing............................................532412  January 2005
Security guards and patrol services...........................561612  July 2005
Amusement and theme parks.....................................713110  July 2006
Golf courses and country clubs................................713910  July 2006
Fitness and recreational sports centers.......................713940  July 2005
                                     
                                  Weights

     Weights for most traditional commodity groupings of the PPI, as well
as weights for commodity-based aggregate indexes calculated using
traditional commodity groupings, such as stage-of-processing indexes,
currently reflect 1997 values of shipments as reported in the Census of
Manufactures and other sources.  From January 1996 through December 2001,
PPI weights were derived from 1992 shipment values.  Industry indexes also
are now calculated with 1997 net output weights.  This periodic update of
the value weights used to calculate the PPI is done to more accurately
reflect changes in production and marketing patterns in the economy.  Net
output values of shipments are used as weights for industry indexes.  Net
output values refer to the value of shipments from establishments within
the industry to buyers outside the industry.  However, weights for
commodity price indexes are based on gross shipment values, including
values of shipments between establishments within the same industry.  As a
result, broad commodity grouping indexes, such as the PPI for All
Commodities, are affected by the multiple counting of price change at
successive stages of processing, which can lead to exaggerated or
misleading signals about inflation.  Stage-of-processing indexes partially
correct for this defect, but industry indexes consistently correct for this
at all levels of aggregation.  Therefore, industry and stage-of-processing
indexes are more appropriate than broad commodity groupings for economic
analysis of general price trends.
     
                        Price Index Reference Base
                                     
     Effective with publication of January 1988 data, many important PPI
series (including stage-of-processing groupings and most commodity groups
and individual items) were placed on a new reference base, 1982 = 100.
From 1971 through 1987, the standard reference base for most PPI series was
1967 = 100.  Except for rounding differences, the shift to the new
reference base did not alter any previously published percent changes for
affected PPI series.  (See "Calculating Index Changes," below.)  The 1982
reference base is not used for commodity indexes with a base later than
December 1981 or for industry net output indexes and their products.

     For further information on the underlying concepts and methodology of
the Producer Price Index, see chapter 14, "Producer Prices," in BLS
Handbook of Methods (April  1997), Bulletin 2490.  This document can be
downloaded from the BLS Web site at (www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch14_itc.htm).
Reprints are available on request.

                         Calculating Index Changes
                                     
     Each PPI measures price changes from a reference period that equals
100.0.  An increase of 5.5 percent from the reference period in the
Finished Goods Price Index, for example, is shown as 105.5.  This change
also can be expressed in dollars, as follows:  prices received by domestic
producers of a sample of finished goods have risen from $100 in 1982 to
$105.50.  Likewise, a current index of 90.0 would indicate that prices
received by producers of finished goods are 10 percent lower than they were
in 1982.

     Movements of price indexes from one month to another are usually
expressed as percent changes, rather than as changes in index points.
Index point changes are affected by the level of the index in relation to
its base period, whereas percent changes are not.  The following example
shows the computation of index point and percent changes.
     
          Index point change
     Finished Goods Price Index        107.5
     Less previous index               104.0
     Equals index point change           3.5

          Index percent change
     Index point change 3.5
     Divided by the previous index     104.0
     Equals                              0.034
     Result multiplied by 100            0.034 x 100
     Equals percent change               3.4


                  Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data

     Because price data are used for different purposes by different
groups, BLS publishes seasonally adjusted and unadjusted changes each
month.  Seasonally adjusted data are preferred for analyzing general price
trends in the economy because these data eliminate the effect of changes
that normally occur at about the same time, and in about the same
magnitude, every year-such as price movements resulting from normal weather
patterns, regular production and marketing cycles, model changeovers,
seasonal discounts, and holidays.  For these reasons, seasonally adjusted
data more clearly reveal underlying cyclical trends.  Unadjusted data are
of primary interest to users who need information that can be related to
actual dollar values of transactions.  Individuals requiring this
information include marketing specialists, purchasing agents, budget and
cost analysts, contract specialists, and commodity traders.  It is the
unadjusted data that are generally cited when escalating long-term
contracts such as purchasing agreements or real estate leases.  For more
information, see Escalation and Producer Price Indexes: A Guide for
Contracting Parties, BLS Report 807, September 1991, on the Web at
(www.bls.gov/ppi/ppiescalation.htm).  Reprints are available on request.

     In 1998, the PPI implemented the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment
Method; prior to that year, the PPI employed the X-11 method.  Each year,
the seasonal status of most commodity indexes is reevaluated to reflect
more recent price behavior.  Industry net output indexes are not seasonally
adjusted.  For time series that exhibit seasonal pricing patterns, new
seasonal factors are estimated and applied to the unadjusted data for the
previous 5 years.  These updated seasonally adjusted indexes replace the
most recent 5 years of seasonal data.

     Seasonal factors may be applied to series using either a direct or an
aggregative method.  Generally, commodity indexes are seasonally adjusted
using direct seasonal adjustment, which produces a more complete
elimination of seasonal movements than does the aggregative method.
However, the direct seasonal adjustment process may not yield figures that
possess additive consistency.  Thus, a seasonally adjusted index for a
broad category that is directly adjusted may not be logically consistent
with all seasonally adjusted indexes for its components.  Seasonal
movements for stage-of-processing indexes are derived indirectly through an
aggregative method that combines movements of a wide variety of subproduct
class (six-digit) series.

     Seasonally adjusted indexes can become problematic when previously
stable and predictable price patterns abruptly change.  If the new pattern
persists, the seasonal adjustment method will eventually reflect it
adequately; if the pattern keeps shifting, however, seasonally adjusted
data will become chronically troublesome.  This problem occurs relatively
infrequently for farm and food-related products, but has more often
affected manufactured products such as automobiles and steel.

     Since January 1988, the PPI has used Intervention Analysis Seasonal
Adjustment methods to enhance the calculation of seasonal factors.  With
this technique, outlier values that may distort the seasonal pattern are
removed from the data prior to applying the standard seasonal factor
estimation procedure.  For example, a possible economic cause for large
price movements for petroleum-based products might have been the Persian
Gulf War.  In this case, intervention techniques allowed for better
estimates of seasonally adjusted data.  On the whole, very few series have
required intervention.  Out of nearly 900 seasonally adjusted series, only
16 were subject to intervention in 1997.

     For more information relating to seasonal adjustment methods, see (1)
"Appendix A: Seasonal Adjustment Methodology at BLS," in the BLS Handbook
of Methods (April 1997), Bulletin 2490 and (2) "Summary of Changes to the
PPI's Seasonal Adjustment Methodology" in the January 1995 issue of
Producer Price Indexes.

                 Producer Price Index Data on the Internet

     In 1995, the BLS began posting PPI series, news releases, and
technical information to both a World Wide Web (WWW) site and a file
transfer protocol (FTP) site.  During the years following the introduction
of PPI Internet services, use of these sites eclipsed more traditional
methods of data dissemination, such as subscriptions to the PPI Detailed
Report.  There were more than 1.6 million instances of PPI series being
downloaded from the Internet during the 12 months ended December 31, 2003.

                 Retrieving PPI data from the PPI Web site
                                     
     PPI data can be obtained from the WWW address (www.bls.gov/ppi).
Scrolling down the page to the "Get Detailed PPI Statistics" header reveals
the following methods of data retrieval:
     
     Most Requested Series is a form-based application that allows the user
to quickly obtain PPI time series data by selecting from two separate lists
(commodity and industry) of the most commonly requested time series,
including the All Commodities Index and the stage-of-processing indexes
(for example, Finished Goods).  Within each list, any one-or all-of the
time series shown can be selected.  A user can modify the date range and
output options after executing the query, using the reformat button above
the data output table.

     Create Customized Tables is a form-based query application designed
for users unfamiliar with the PPI coding structure.  The application guides
a user through the PPI classification system by listing index titles and
does not require knowledge of commodity or industry codes.  Data retrieved
are based on a query formulated by selecting data characteristics from
lists provided.  Two options are available to create customized tables,
depending on a user's browser capability.  The one-screen option is a
JavaScript application that uses a single screen to guide a user through
the available time series data.  The second option is a multiple-screen,
non-Java-based application.  Both methods allow a user to browse the PPI
coding structure and select multiple series codes.  Using the one-screen
option, users can modify the date range and output options after executing
the query using the reformat button above the data output table.

     Series Report is a form-based application that uses formatted PPI time
series identifiers (commodity or industry codes) as input in extracting
data according to a specified set of date ranges and output options.  This
application provides the most efficient path for users who are familiar
with the format of PPI time series identifiers.  Up to 300 indexes can be
extracted at a time.

     There are five alphabetic prefixes used to create unique PPI time
series identifiers:  WP, WD, PC, PD, and ND.  Each provides the user access
to a different PPI database.  Adding either a "u" (not seasonally adjusted)
or an "s" (seasonally adjusted) to the end of these prefixes further
specifies the type of data needed.

     For commodity and stage-of-processing indexes, series identifiers
combine a "wpu" prefix (not seasonally adjusted) or a "wps" prefix
(seasonally adjusted) with a commodity code.
  
Commodity code            Provides data for:
wps141101                 Passenger cars, seasonally adjusted
wpu141101                 Passenger cars, not seasonally adjusted
wpusop3000                Finished goods, not seasonally adjusted
     
     For discontinued commodity indexes, series identifiers combine a "wdu"
prefix (not seasonally adjusted) or a "wds" prefix (seasonally adjusted)
with a commodity code.
     
Commodity code            Provides data for:
wds019                    Other farm products, seasonally adjusted
wdu0635                   Preparations, ethical (prescription), not seasonally
                          adjusted
wdusi138011               Stainless steel mill products, not seasonally adjusted
     
     Current price indexes for products grouped by industry according to
NAICS have series identifiers that begin with the prefix "pcu." After the
prefix, there are 12 digits (the 6-digit industry code is listed twice)
followed by up to 7 alphanumeric characters identifying product detail.
Dashes are used as placeholders for higher-level industry group codes.

Industry-product code,
current NAICS series       Provides data for:
pcu325---325---            Chemical manufacturing, not seasonally
                           adjusted
pcu336110336110            Automobile and light duty motor vehicle
                           manufacturing
pcu621111621111411         Offices of physicians, one- and two-physician practices and
                           single-specialty group practices, general/family practice
pcu325412325412A           Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, pharmaceuticals 
                           acting on the respiratory system                    
  
     Discontinued industry-product codes based on SIC combine a "pdu"
prefix and "#" between the fourth and fifth characters of the product code.
Series identifiers for the discontinued dataset use underscores as
placeholders to complete a reference to an SIC industry group code of fewer
than four digits.  (All PPI industry-based indexes organized by SIC were
discontinued with the introduction of NAICS.)
  
Industry-product code,
discontinued SIC series    Provides data for:
pdu28__#                   Chemicals and allied products, not seasonally adjusted
pdu331_#                   Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling and
                           finishing mills, not seasonally adjusted
pdu3711#111                Passenger cars
  
     Price indexes for discontinued series grouped by industry according to
NAICS have series identifiers that begin with the prefix "ndu." After the
prefix, there are 12 numeric digits (the 6-digit industry code is listed
twice), and up to 7 additional alphanumeric characters that identify
product detail.  Dashes are used as placeholders for higher-level industry
group codes.
  
Industry-product code,
discontinued NAICS series  Provides data for:
ndu212231212231            Lead ore and zinc ore mining
ndu2122312122312           Lead and zinc concentrates
ndu212231212231214         Lead concentrates

     Flat Files and the FTP server are best suited for users requiring
access to either a large volume of time series data or other PPI-related
documentation (such as seasonal factor and relative importance tables).
The FTP site can be accessed at ftp://ftp.bls.gov or directly from the
links on the "Get Detailed Statistics" page or the PPI homepage.  Data and
documentation available for download include the following:

                                      Directory:
NAICS series, current                 /pub/time.series/pc
NAICS series, discontinued            /pub/time.series/nd
SIC series, discontinued              /pub/time.series/pd
Commodity series, current             /pub/time.series/wp
Commodity series, discontinued        /pub/time.series/wd
Special requests                      /pub/special.requests/ppi
Latest news release                   /pub/news.release/ppi.txt

     The FTP site maintains files to help with searches and downloads.
These files are centrally located in the /pub/doc directory.  Within this
directory, the overview.txt file contains an overview relating to all BLS
data available through the FTP site.  For current commodity-based PPI data,
the program help file is wp.txt; for discontinued commodity series, wd.txt;
for current industry-based PPI data based on NAICS, pc.txt; for industry-
based SIC time series that have been discontinued, pd.txt; and for industry-
based NAICS series that have been discontinued, nd.txt.
      
     Users who prefer downloading PPI datasets as individual ZIP files
should go to the directory labeled /pub/time.series/compressed/tape.format/
on the FTP site.  This directory includes six PPI-specific ZIP files, one
for each of the PPI databases-WP, WD, PC, ND, and PD-and a ZIP file for the
annual 5-year revision to historical seasonal PPIs.
                                     
                         Other Sources of PPI Data

     PPI data can also be accessed via the BLS homepage (www.bls.gov).
Clicking on the "Get Detailed Statistics" link at the top of the homepage
calls up a chart listing all available BLS programs.  The following methods
are available for retrieving PPI data:  Most requested statistics, create
customized tables (one screen or multiple screens), and flat files.
Additional sources of BLS data also are accessible from this page,
including economic news releases, series report, and economy at a glance.

                          Additional information

     The PPI homepage (www.bls.gov/ppi) contains additional information
regarding PPI data and methodology.  The top section of the homepage
provides PPI news releases, both current and archived, as well as general
PPI information.  The "Tables Created by BLS" section found beneath the
statistics section provides relative importance and seasonal factor tables.
The remaining sections offer special notices and publications pertaining to
PPI methodology and applications.
     
     For questions or comments regarding PPI data classification,
methodology, or data availability on the Internet, call or e-mail the
Section of Index Analysis and Public Information at (202) 691-7705 or ppi-
info@bls.gov.



Table 1.  Producer price indexes and percent changes by stage of processing                                                          
(1982=100)                                                                                                                           
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________     
                                                 |          |                       |Unadjusted     |                                
                                                 |          |                       |percent        |Seasonally adjusted             
                                                 | Relative |    Unadjusted index   |change to      |percent change from:            
                    Grouping                     |importance|                       |Aug. 2006 from:|                                
                                                 |          |                       |               |                                
                                                 |          |_______________________|_______________|___________________________     
                                                 |   Dec.   |       |       |       |       |       |       |         |              
                                                 |          |Apr.   |July   |Aug.   |  Aug. | July  | May to| June to |July to       
                                                 |   2005 1/|2006 2/|2006 2/|2006 2/|  2005 | 2006  |  June |   July  |  Aug.        
_________________________________________________|__________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_________|_________     
                                                 |                                                                                   
Finished goods...................................|  100.000   160.7   162.0   162.1     3.7    0.1      0.5      0.1     0.1         
  Finished consumer goods........................|   75.270   166.5   168.4   168.8     4.6     .2       .6       .2      .2         
    Finished consumer foods......................|   20.272   154.8   156.1   158.3     2.8    1.4      1.4      -.3     1.4         
      Crude......................................|    1.688   156.7   138.6   160.9    27.4   16.1      5.5     -3.1    14.4         
      Processed..................................|   18.583   154.5   157.5   158.0     1.1     .3      1.1      -.1      .4         
    Finished consumer goods, excluding foods.....|   54.998   170.7   172.9   172.5     5.3    -.2       .4       .3     -.2         
      Nondurable goods less foods................|   40.114   184.7   188.6   188.8     7.6     .1       .4       .8      .1         
      Durable goods..............................|   14.884   137.1   135.7   134.1    -1.0   -1.2       .2      -.7    -1.0         
  Capital equipment..............................|   24.730   146.6   146.4   145.9     1.0    -.3       .3      -.2     -.3         
    Manufacturing industries.....................|    6.662   148.3   149.1   149.4     2.3     .2       .3       .1      .2         
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   18.068   145.9   145.4   144.6      .6    -.6       .3      -.3     -.5         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Intermediate materials, supplies, and components.|  100.000   163.1   166.8   167.4     8.8     .4       .7       .5      .4         
  Materials and components for manufacturing.....|   45.283   153.9   158.2   158.5     9.8     .2      1.0       .8      .2         
    Materials for food manufacturing.............|    2.584   143.7   147.2   147.0     1.8    -.1      1.2       .5     0           
    Materials for nondurable manufacturing.......|   15.086   173.1   177.9   178.2    10.5     .2      1.0       .2      .2         
    Materials for durable manufacturing..........|    9.920   175.4   185.9   186.6    21.3     .4      1.1      2.3      .4         
    Components for manufacturing.................|   17.693   133.8   135.1   135.3     4.1     .1      1.1       .5      .2         
  Materials and components for construction......|   12.604   186.7   190.3   190.9     8.8     .3       .3       .7      .4         
  Processed fuels and lubricants.................|   20.719   165.6   169.7   171.6    11.9    1.1       .5       .1     1.2         
    Manufacturing industries.....................|    8.064   158.5   160.6   161.8     7.9     .7     -1.3      1.2     1.6         
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   12.655   170.1   175.5   177.7    14.2    1.3      1.5      -.4      .9         
  Containers.....................................|    3.015   172.8   176.6   176.6     5.9    0        1.8      -.1     -.1         
  Supplies.......................................|   18.379   156.2   157.3   157.6     3.5     .2       .2       .3      .2         
    Manufacturing industries.....................|    4.016   160.5   160.9   161.5     3.8     .4      -.2       .2      .4         
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   14.363   153.8   155.1   155.3     3.5     .1       .3       .3      .1         
      Feeds......................................|    0.931   109.5   108.2   106.8    -4.8   -1.3       .3       .1     -.9         
      Other supplies.............................|   13.432   159.2   160.8   161.2     4.1     .2       .3       .4      .2         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Crude materials for further processing...........|  100.000   183.0   186.9   191.5     5.3    2.5     -1.7      3.1     2.2         
  Foodstuffs and feedstuffs......................|   28.028   113.1   118.9   119.0     -.5     .1      4.8      1.8      .1         
  Nonfood materials..............................|   71.972   232.4   234.7   242.6     7.8    3.4     -4.2      3.7     3.1         
    Nonfood materials except fuel 3/.............|   35.218   213.8   229.9   225.3    20.0   -2.0     -1.0      5.2    -2.3         
      Manufacturing 3/...........................|   34.753   198.2   213.2   208.9    20.2   -2.0     -1.0      5.2    -2.3         
      Construction...............................|    0.466   201.7   203.2   201.3     1.1    -.9      -.1       .5     -.8         
    Crude fuel 4/................................|   36.754   239.6   218.0   246.6    -6.9   13.1     -9.3      1.2    13.1         
      Manufacturing industries...................|    3.261   227.6   207.6   233.9    -6.5   12.7     -9.0      1.1    12.7         
      Nonmanufacturing industries................|   33.493   245.1   222.9   252.2    -7.0   13.1     -9.3      1.2    13.1         
                                                 |                                                                                   
               Special groupings                 |                                                                                   
                                                 |                                                                                   
Finished goods, excluding foods..................|5/ 79.728   161.9   163.3   162.8     4.0    -.3       .3       .2     -.2         
Intermediate materials less foods and feeds......|6/ 96.486   164.6   168.3   169.0     9.1     .4       .7       .5      .5         
Intermediate foods and feeds.....................|6/  3.514   133.0   134.9   134.3     -.1    -.4      1.0       .4     -.2         
Crude materials less agricultural products 3/ 7/.|8/ 71.305   239.0   241.4   249.6     7.9    3.4     -4.2      3.7     3.2         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Finished energy goods............................|5/ 20.140   149.6   154.9   155.4    13.2     .3       .7      1.3      .3         
Finished goods less energy.......................|5/ 79.860   157.2   157.4   157.4     1.4    0         .5      -.3      .1         
Finished consumer goods less energy..............|5/ 55.130   161.9   162.2   162.5     1.5     .2       .6      -.3      .2         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Finished goods less foods and energy.............|5/ 59.588   158.5   158.3   157.5      .9    -.5       .2      -.3     -.4         
Finished consumer goods less foods and energy....|5/ 34.858   166.5   166.3   165.4      .8    -.5       .2      -.3     -.5         
Consumer nondurable goods less foods and energy..|5/ 19.974   191.0   192.1   191.7     2.0    -.2       .1       .1     -.2         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Intermediate energy goods........................|6/ 21.301   165.9   169.8   170.9    11.7     .6       .4      -.1      .7         
Intermediate materials less energy...............|6/ 78.699   160.3   163.8   164.3     8.0     .3       .8       .7      .3         
Intermediate materials less foods and energy.....|6/ 75.185   162.0   165.6   166.2     8.4     .4       .8       .7      .4         
                                                 |                                                                                   
Crude energy materials 3/........................|8/ 54.210   231.6   228.1   241.6     1.7    5.9     -6.8      4.8     5.9         
Crude materials less energy......................|8/ 45.790   146.4   154.9   153.6     9.2    -.8      3.4      1.6    -1.2         
Crude nonfood materials less energy 4/...........|8/ 17.762   239.4   255.7   250.4    25.1   -2.1      1.7      1.3    -2.8         
                                                 |                                                                                   
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________      
                                                                                                                                     
  1/  Comprehensive relative importance figures are initially computed          5/  Percent of total finished goods.                 
      after the publication of December indexes and are recalculated            6/  Percent of total intermediate materials.         
      after final December indexes are available.                               7/  Formerly titled "Crude materials for             
  2/  The indexes for April 2006 have been recalculated to incorporate              further processing, excluding crude              
      late reports and corrections by respondents.  All indexes                     foodstuffs and feedstuffs, plant and             
      are subject to revision 4 months after original publication.                  animal fibers, oilseeds, and leaf tobacco."      
  3/  Includes crude petroleum.                                                 8/  Percent of total crude materials.                
  4/  Excludes crude petroleum.                                                                                                      

Table 2.  Producer price indexes and percent changes for selected commodity groupings by stage of processing                         
(1982=100 unless otherwise indicated)                                                                                                
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
           |                                                       |                       |Unadjusted     |                         
           |                                                       |                       |percent        |Seasonally adjusted      
           |                                                       |   Unadjusted index    |change to      |percent change from:     
 Commodity |                                                       |                       |Aug. 2006 from:|                         
   code    |                      Grouping                         |_______________________|_______________|________________________ 
           |                                                       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         
           |                                                       |Apr.   |July   |Aug.   | Aug.  | July  | May to|June to|July to  
           |                                                       |2006 1/|2006 1/|2006 1/| 2005  | 2006  |  June |  July |  Aug.   
___________|_______________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________ 
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |FINISHED GOODS.........................................| 160.7   162.0   162.1     3.7    0.1      0.5     0.1     0.1   
           | FINISHED CONSUMER GOODS...............................| 166.5   168.4   168.8     4.6     .2       .6      .2      .2   
           |  FINISHED CONSUMER FOODS..............................| 154.8   156.1   158.3     2.8    1.4      1.4     -.3     1.4   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-11      |   Fresh fruits and melons 2/..........................|  97.6   109.7   130.6    38.2   19.1     15.0     -.2    19.1   
01-13      |   Fresh and dry vegetables 2/.........................| 166.7   141.2   170.4    34.8   20.7     -7.5     6.5    20.7   
01-71-07   |   Eggs for fresh use (Dec. 1991=100)..................|  90.5    66.6    87.1    27.7   30.8     27.7   -26.1    20.5   
02-11      |   Bakery products 2/..................................| 205.2   207.7   208.3     3.2     .3       .2      .2      .3   
02-13      |   Milled rice 2/......................................| 129.8   132.4   137.4    15.7    3.8       .5     1.1     3.8   
02-14-02   |   Pasta products (June 1985=100) 2/...................| 128.0   128.0   128.0      .1    0        0       0       0     
02-21-01   |   Beef and veal 2/....................................| 139.8   142.1   139.9     1.6   -1.5       .4     -.2    -1.5   
02-21-04   |   Pork................................................| 119.1   134.3   136.0     2.6    1.3      3.9     2.0     1.4   
02-22-03   |   Processed young chickens............................| 105.1   124.1   127.7    -9.9    2.9     12.1     1.9     4.6   
02-22-06   |   Processed turkeys...................................|  98.7    98.4   110.8     7.4   12.6      1.6    -3.9    12.6   
02-23      |   Finfish and shellfish...............................| 278.9   229.0   208.3    -1.8   -9.0      1.0    -9.1    -9.1   
02-3       |   Dairy products......................................| 144.2   143.8   145.3    -5.3    1.0       .8     -.8     1.5   
02-4       |   Processed fruits and vegetables.....................| 146.8   149.4   149.0     5.9    -.3      1.2     -.4     -.1   
02-55      |   Confectionery end products 2/.......................| 201.6   206.8   206.7      .1    0        1.6      .1     0     
02-62      |   Soft drinks.........................................| 162.1   161.8   163.5     2.6    1.1       .5    -1.4      .8   
02-63-01   |   Roasted coffee 2/...................................| 152.7   153.0   152.8     0      -.1       .1      .1     -.1   
02-78      |   Shortening and cooking oils 2/......................| 184.4   183.9   183.7     4.5    -.1       .8      .6     -.1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  FINISHED CONSUMER GOODS EXCLUDING FOODS..............| 170.7   172.9   172.5     5.3    -.2       .4      .3     -.2   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
02-61      |   Alcoholic beverages.................................| 162.0   160.8   157.5     -.7   -2.1       .4      .1    -1.9   
03-81-06   |   Women's, girls', & infants' apparel (12/03=100) 2/..| 100.2    99.9   100.4      .4     .5      -.4      .3      .5   
03-81-07   |   Men's and boys' apparel (Dec. 2003=100) 2/..........|  98.0    96.8    98.0    -1.4    1.2      0       -.6     1.2   
03-82      |   Textile housefurnishings 2/.........................| 122.9   122.9   123.0      .5     .1      -.1      .1      .1   
04-3       |   Footwear 2/.........................................| 148.8   149.4   149.7     1.1     .2      0        .3      .2   
05-41      |   Residential electric power (Dec. 1990=100)..........| 133.3   136.6   138.6     7.4    1.5     -2.8     1.8     1.3   
05-51      |   Residential gas (Dec. 1990=100).....................| 226.6   215.4   218.2     5.2    1.3     -3.7      .9     1.6   
05-71      |   Gasoline............................................| 217.7   235.9   229.6    20.9   -2.7      6.3      .7    -2.2   
05-73-02-01|   Home heating oil and distillates....................| 212.3   227.8   235.1    25.1    3.2      6.5    -2.7      .7   
06-38      |   Pharmaceutical preparations (June 2001=100) 2/......| 123.2   125.8   124.7     3.5    -.9       .3     -.2     -.9   
06-71      |   Soaps and synthetic detergents 2/...................| 141.8   141.8   141.8     5.9    0         .1      .2     0     
06-75      |   Cosmetics and other toilet preparations 2/..........| 144.5   145.0   145.1     1.3     .1       .1      .3      .1   
07-12      |   Tires, tubes, tread, etc 2/.........................| 112.3   117.3   117.1     7.2    -.2      0       3.2     -.2   
09-15-01   |   Sanitary paper products 2/..........................| 160.5   160.3   160.1     2.9    -.1      -.1     -.5     -.1   
09-31-01   |   Newspaper circulation...............................| 244.8   241.6   241.6     0      0         .2    -1.2      .2   
09-32-01   |   Periodical circulation 2/...........................| 227.3   229.1   228.8     1.3    -.1       .2      .7     -.1   
09-33      |   Book publishing 2/..................................| 273.2   273.7   275.5     4.4     .7       .2      .3      .7   
12-1       |   Household furniture 2/..............................| 171.7   172.6   172.7     3.6     .1      0        .1      .1   
12-3       |   Floor coverings 2/..................................| 153.4   152.8   153.1     4.4     .2      -.6     -.1      .2   
12-4       |   Household appliances 2/.............................| 104.3   104.2   104.9     1.5     .7      0       -.1      .7   
12-5       |   Home electronic equipment 2/........................|  61.9    59.7    59.1    -6.3   -1.0     -1.5    -2.0    -1.0   
12-62      |   Household glassware.................................| 170.9   172.0   170.7    -2.1    -.8       .2      .7     -.6   
12-64      |   Household flatware 2/...............................| 148.8   149.9     (3)     (3)    (3)      (3)     (3)     (3)   
12-66      |   Lawn and garden equip., ex. tractors 2/.............| 134.3   135.4   135.5     1.2     .1       .1      .8      .1   
14-11-01   |   Passenger cars......................................| 129.2   125.9   122.0    -5.4   -3.1       .9     -.8    -2.6   
15-11      |   Toys, games, and children's vehicles 2/.............| 128.5   128.5   128.5     1.2    0        0       0       0     
15-12      |   Sporting and athletic goods 2/......................| 125.7   126.3   126.6     1.2     .2       .4     0        .2   
15-2       |   Tobacco products 2/.................................| 458.9   459.6   461.5      .3     .4       .2     0        .4   
15-5       |   Mobile homes 2/.....................................| 206.0   211.6   210.6     4.4    -.5       .7     -.7     -.5   
15-94-02   |   Jewelry, platinum, & karat gold 2/..................| 148.6   149.7   150.5     8.7     .5     -3.3     -.6      .5   
15-94-04   |   Costume jewelry and novelties 2/....................| 153.6   153.9   153.9      .3    0         .3     -.1     0     
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | CAPITAL EQUIPMENT.....................................| 146.6   146.4   145.9     1.0    -.3       .3     -.2     -.3   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
11-1       |   Agricultural machinery and equipment 2/.............| 177.8   179.6   179.7     2.5     .1      0        .3      .1   
11-2       |   Construction machinery and equipment 2/.............| 175.0   175.7   175.5     3.2    -.1       .1     0       -.1   
11-37      |   Metal cutting machine tools 2/......................| 162.9   163.9   163.7     5.7    -.1       .1      .6     -.1   
11-38      |   Metal forming machine tools 2/......................| 182.5   183.3   183.8     2.3     .3      -.2     -.1      .3   
11-39      |   Tools, dies, jigs, fixtures, and ind. molds 2/......| 143.0   144.1   144.1     1.1    0         .1      .5     0     
11-41      |   Pumps, compressors, and equipment...................| 184.2   185.3   186.1     3.7     .4       .2     -.1      .6   
11-44      |   Industrial material handling equipment 2/...........| 154.7   156.2   157.8     4.2    1.0       .6      .3     1.0   
11-51      |   Electronic computers (Dec. 2004=100) 2/.............|  70.2    64.8    63.1   -24.2   -2.6     -3.2    -1.8    -2.6   
11-62      |   Textile machinery 2/................................| 161.7   163.0   162.2     1.0    -.5      -.2     0       -.5   
11-64      |   Paper industries machinery (June 1982=100) 2/.......| 180.7   180.7   180.8     1.6     .1      -.9      .2      .1   
11-65      |   Printing trades machinery 2/........................| 145.0   145.7   145.5      .7    -.1      -.1     0       -.1   
11-74      |   Transformers and power regulators 2/................| 163.2   177.8   183.1    21.5    3.0      2.8     5.9     3.0   
11-76      |   Communication & related equip. (Dec. 1985=100) 2/...| 102.5   102.6   102.5     0      -.1      -.1     -.1     -.1   
11-79-05   |   X-ray and electromedical equipment 2/...............|  94.9    95.4    95.0     -.8    -.4       .6      .2     -.4   
11-91      |   Oil field and gas field machinery ..................| 167.4   173.0   173.8    11.1     .5       .9     1.1     1.0   
11-92      |   Mining machinery and equipment 2/...................| 183.3   184.7   184.6     5.2    -.1       .8     -.4     -.1   
11-93      |   Office and store machines and equipment 2/..........| 114.6   115.2   115.2     -.1    0         .3      .1     0     
12-2       |   Commercial furniture 2/.............................| 175.4   177.2   177.1     2.3    -.1      -.1      .3     -.1   
14-11-05   |   Light motor trucks..................................| 145.3   138.2   133.3    -7.4   -3.5       .4    -3.1    -3.4   
14-11-06   |   Heavy motor trucks 2/...............................| 168.8   168.8   169.3     2.9     .3       .1     0        .3   
14-14      |   Truck trailers 2/...................................| 162.7   165.5   167.5     5.7    1.2       .6      .8     1.2   
14-21-02   |   Civilian aircraft (Dec. 1985=100)...................| 211.4   212.4   213.4     4.8     .5       .3     -.1      .4   
14-31      |   Ships (Dec. 1985=100) 2/............................| 180.8   186.1   184.2     4.0   -1.0       .3     2.4    -1.0   
14-4       |   Railroad equipment 2/...............................| 168.2   169.3   169.5     4.8     .1      1.1    -1.2      .1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, AND COMPONENTS.......| 163.1   166.8   167.4     8.8     .4       .7      .5      .4   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE FOODS AND FEEDS..........................| 133.0   134.9   134.3     -.1    -.4      1.0      .4     -.2   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
02-12-03   |   Flour 2/............................................| 142.7   152.5   144.7     9.0   -5.1      1.6     2.8    -5.1   
02-53      |   Refined sugar and byproducts 2/.....................| 154.6   156.7   152.3    24.1   -2.8       .5     1.6    -2.8   
02-54      |   Confectionery materials.............................| 137.0   135.9   135.7     9.2    -.1       .6     -.1      .1   
02-64-01-11|   Soft drink beverage bases (Dec. 1985=100) 2/........| 189.0   189.0   189.0     4.7    0        0       0       0     
02-9       |   Prepared animal feeds 2/............................| 117.3   116.5   115.3    -3.7   -1.0      0        .2    -1.0   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS LESS FOODS AND FEEDS...........| 164.6   168.3   169.0     9.1     .4       .7      .5      .5   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
03-1       |   Synthetic fibers 2/.................................| 114.3   116.2   114.9     1.7   -1.1      1.6      .2    -1.1   
03-2       |   Processed yarns and threads 2/......................| 113.3   114.3   114.5     3.0     .2      -.1      .6      .2   
03-3       |   Gray fabrics 2/.....................................| 119.6   120.6   120.7     5.0     .1       .2     -.2      .1   
03-4       |   Finished fabrics 2/.................................| 126.4   127.7   127.5     2.3    -.2      -.2      .6     -.2   
03-83-03   |   Industrial textile products 2/......................| 137.2   137.2   137.6     2.2     .3      0       -.1      .3   
04-2       |   Leather 2/..........................................| 224.0   225.3   225.9     3.0     .3       .2     -.3      .3   
05-32      |   Liquefied petroleum gas 2/..........................| 269.0   307.4   310.3    22.5     .9      1.8    11.5      .9   
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
See footnotes at end of table.                                                                                                       


Table 2.  Producer price indexes and percent changes for selected commodity groupings by stage of processing - Continued             
(1982=100 unless otherwise indicated)                                                                                                
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
           |                                                       |                       |Unadjusted     |                         
           |                                                       |                       | percent       |Seasonally adjusted      
           |                                                       |   Unadjusted index    |change to      |percent change from:     
 Commodity |                                                       |                       |Aug. 2006 from:|                         
   code    |                      Grouping                         |_______________________|_______________|________________________ 
           |                                                       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         
           |                                                       |Apr.   |July   |Aug.   | Aug.  | July  | May to|June to|July to  
           |                                                       |2006 1/|2006 1/|2006 1/| 2005  | 2006  |  June |  July |  Aug.   
___________|_______________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________ 
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS LESS FOODS AND FEEDS           |                                                                 
           |   -Continued                                          |                                                                 
05-42      |   Commercial electric power...........................| 158.1   168.5   167.7     7.1   -0.5      0.3     0.2    -1.2   
05-43      |   Industrial electric power...........................| 169.6   180.9   180.9    11.3    0         .9      .6      .1   
05-52      |   Commercial natural gas (Dec. 1990=100)..............| 240.2   225.9   227.7     3.2     .8     -4.4     1.6     1.8   
05-53      |   Industrial natural gas (Dec. 1990=100)..............| 248.3   228.2   231.3    -2.9    1.4     -7.3     2.9     3.8   
05-54      |   Natural gas to electric utilities (Dec. 1990=100)...| 196.3   183.8   185.1    -4.5     .7     -4.9     5.5     2.6   
05-72-03   |   Jet fuels...........................................| 213.3   210.8   226.7    32.2    7.5      2.8    -5.3     6.7   
05-73-03   |   No. 2 Diesel fuel...................................| 230.4   239.4   254.0    26.6    6.1      5.4    -5.0     2.7   
05-74      |   Residual fuels 2/...................................| 147.1   168.9   170.3    13.0     .8      7.3    -3.0      .8   
06-1       |   Industrial chemicals 2/.............................| 207.4   219.9   222.7    21.2    1.3      2.4     1.1     1.3   
06-21      |   Prepared paint......................................| 201.5   202.8   203.7     7.8     .4      -.1      .6      .6   
06-22      |   Paint materials 2/..................................| 200.8   194.9   195.7     3.1     .4      -.1     -.8      .4   
06-31      |   Medicinal and botanical chemicals 2/................| 137.3   138.1   138.0     1.5    -.1      0        .6     -.1   
06-4       |   Fats and oils, inedible 2/..........................| 139.9   146.2   156.6     5.7    7.1      -.8      .8     7.1   
06-51      |   Mixed fertilizers...................................| 145.7   143.6   145.0     5.7    1.0       .3      .3     1.1   
06-52-01   |   Nitrogenates........................................| 213.3   196.9   183.1    -2.9   -7.0       .6     -.8    -6.0   
06-52-02   |   Phosphates 2/.......................................| 139.7   135.6   134.0     2.3   -1.2      -.5     1.0    -1.2   
06-53      |   Other agricultural chemicals 2/.....................| 151.8   155.6   154.9     2.0    -.4     -1.7      .6     -.4   
06-6       |   Plastic resins and materials 2/.....................| 194.3   200.3   202.1    10.2     .9      1.3      .7      .9   
07-11-02   |   Synthetic rubber 2/.................................| 159.8   160.1   160.4     6.2     .2      -.4      .2      .2   
07-21      |   Plastic construction products 2/....................| 182.0   183.6   183.9    20.1     .2      -.1      .8      .2   
07-22      |   Unsupported plastic film, sheet, & other shapes 2/..| 175.6   172.2   176.3     8.8    2.4     -2.0     -.1     2.4   
07-26      |   Plastic parts and components for manufacturing 2/...| 129.4   128.9   129.4     9.3     .4       .4      .3      .4   
08-11      |   Softwood lumber 2/..................................| 204.0   189.0   178.4    -9.4   -5.6     -6.8    -2.7    -5.6   
08-12      |   Hardwood lumber 2/..................................| 196.2   197.1   198.3     1.1     .6       .1      .3      .6   
08-2       |   Millwork............................................| 202.2   203.1   202.6     2.9    -.2       .1      .3     -.2   
08-3       |   Plywood 2/..........................................| 182.4   173.4   166.0    -6.1   -4.3     -2.2      .3    -4.3   
09-11      |   Woodpulp 2/.........................................| 142.2   144.0   144.7     3.8     .5      1.7      .2      .5   
09-13      |   Paper 2/............................................| 165.7   167.0   168.0     4.3     .6       .8     -.2      .6   
09-14      |   Paperboard 2/.......................................| 184.3   197.1   197.8    17.4     .4      1.0      .3      .4   
09-15-03   |   Paper boxes and containers 2/.......................| 189.4   195.9   195.1     6.4    -.4      2.9     -.4     -.4   
09-2       |   Building paper and board 2/.........................| 182.4   176.1   172.6     4.9   -2.0     -4.9    -1.6    -2.0   
09-37      |   Commercial printing (June 1982=100) 2/..............| 164.7   164.7   165.3     2.1     .4       .2     -.1      .4   
10-15      |   Foundry and forge shop products 2/..................| 160.7   164.0   163.9     4.7    -.1       .7      .4     -.1   
10-17      |   Steel mill products 2/..............................| 165.2   180.5   182.6    23.3    1.2      4.1     3.7     1.2   
10-22      |   Primary nonferrous metals 2/........................| 231.1   251.8   251.5    62.2    -.1     -3.5    11.4     -.1   
10-25-01   |   Aluminum mill shapes 2/.............................| 179.5   184.0   184.1    15.6     .1      2.4    -2.3      .1   
10-25-02   |   Copper and brass mill shapes 2/.....................| 339.0   433.6   423.1    81.0   -2.4      -.1     4.8    -2.4   
10-26      |   Nonferrous wire and cable 2/........................| 206.2   236.0   243.9    44.6    3.3      -.1    -1.0     3.3   
10-3       |   Metal containers 2/.................................| 126.7   127.0   127.3     1.7     .2       .2     -.2      .2   
10-4       |   Hardware 2/.........................................| 172.2   175.2   175.3     3.4     .1       .6     1.1      .1   
10-5       |   Plumbing fixtures and brass fittings................| 204.7   209.4   209.7     6.3     .1      -.2     3.2      .2   
10-6       |   Heating equipment 2/................................| 183.3   184.3   184.7     2.2     .2       .3      .1      .2   
10-7       |   Fabricated structural metal products 2/.............| 179.1   183.7   185.5     5.9    1.0      1.1     1.0     1.0   
10-88      |   Fabricated ferrous wire products (June 1982=100) 2/.| 160.5   163.7   164.6     5.4     .5      -.3     1.7      .5   
10-89      |   Other misc. metal products 2/.......................| 140.4   141.2   141.9     3.7     .5       .6      .1      .5   
11-45      |   Mechanical power transmission equipment.............| 195.3   196.6   197.2     3.8     .3       .1      .9      .3   
11-48      |   Air conditioning and refrigeration equipment 2/.....| 148.1   151.2   151.5     3.1     .2      1.6      .7      .2   
11-49-02   |   Metal valves, ex.fluid power (Dec. 1982=100)........| 199.5   212.2   212.6    11.6     .2      4.1     1.6      .5   
11-49-05   |   Ball and roller bearings 2/.........................| 192.2   193.8   194.4     3.1     .3       .1     1.0      .3   
11-71      |   Wiring devices 2/...................................| 185.6   189.2   190.0     8.7     .4      1.4      .2      .4   
11-73      |   Motors, generators, motor generator sets............| 162.4   164.7   169.4     7.4    2.9      1.0      .2     2.9   
11-75      |   Switchgear, switchboard, etc., equipment............| 176.5   177.2   178.6     5.6     .8      0        .7      .7   
11-78      |   Electronic components and accessories 2/............|  88.6    89.1    89.3     2.2     .2      3.1      .5      .2   
11-94      |   Internal combustion engines 2/......................| 152.0   152.6   153.2     3.3     .4       .2      .3      .4   
11-95      |   Machine shop products 2/............................| 153.5   156.2   155.7     3.0    -.3       .3     2.0     -.3   
13-11      |   Flat glass 2/.......................................| 112.6   114.6   113.8     2.4    -.7       .3     1.1     -.7   
13-22      |   Cement..............................................| 199.1   199.8   200.4    11.0     .3      0        .4      .1   
13-3       |   Concrete products...................................| 193.9   197.4   197.4    10.4    0         .2     1.4      .1   
13-6       |   Asphalt felts and coatings..........................| 143.0   144.4   146.2     9.2    1.2      1.1     0       2.0   
13-7       |   Gypsum products 2/..................................| 271.6   279.6   287.7    21.2    2.9      -.6      .9     2.9   
13-8       |   Glass containers....................................| 153.1   152.3   152.6     5.0     .2      0       -.2      .5   
14-12      |   Motor vehicle parts 2/..............................| 116.0   117.7   117.7     4.0    0         .2      .9     0     
14-23      |   Aircraft engines & engine parts (Dec. 1985=100).....| 172.8   172.5   172.5     4.0    0         .3      .8      .3   
14-25      |   Aircraft parts & aux.equip.,nec (June 1985=100) 2/..| 156.5   155.7   155.7     -.8    0        -.3     0       0     
15-42      |   Photographic supplies 2/............................| 121.6   121.6   121.6      .6    0        0       0       0     
15-6       |   Medical/surgical/personal aid devices...............| 161.6   161.7   161.8     1.6     .1      -.6      .6     -.1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | CRUDE MATERIALS FOR FURTHER PROCESSING................| 183.0   186.9   191.5     5.3    2.5     -1.7     3.1     2.2   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  CRUDE FOODSTUFFS AND FEEDSTUFFS......................| 113.1   118.9   119.0     -.5     .1      4.8     1.8      .1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-21      |   Wheat 2/............................................| 115.3   124.7   109.7    13.2  -12.0      -.9     7.8   -12.0   
01-22-02   |   Corn 2/.............................................|  88.9    95.3    82.1     5.7  -13.9     -1.2     8.0   -13.9   
01-31      |   Slaughter cattle 2/.................................| 124.3   121.9   126.4     5.0    3.7      2.5     1.0     3.7   
01-32      |   Slaughter hogs......................................|  63.5    86.5    86.9     3.5     .5     20.3     -.4     1.6   
01-41-02   |   Slaughter broilers/fryers 2/........................| 136.6   167.3   172.7   -11.3    3.2     14.7     6.4     3.2   
01-42      |   Slaughter turkeys...................................| 119.6   134.4   144.8     6.2    7.7      3.4     -.1     4.6   
01-6       |   Fluid milk..........................................|  91.3    89.0    89.0   -19.6    0        1.7     -.9    -1.9   
01-83-01-31|   Soybeans 2/.........................................|  92.6    98.6    90.7   -16.9   -8.0     -1.4     2.0    -8.0   
02-52-01-03|   Cane sugar, raw (Dec. 2003=100) 2/..................| 126.3   128.2   126.1     4.3   -1.6       .5     -.4    -1.6   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  CRUDE NONFOOD MATERIALS..............................| 232.4   234.7   242.6     7.8    3.4     -4.2     3.7     3.1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-51      |   Raw cotton 2/.......................................|  81.0    77.0    78.6     6.5    2.1      -.6    -1.4     2.1   
04-1       |   Hides and skins 2/..................................| 193.5   198.7   198.5     3.3    -.1      2.1     -.7     -.1   
05-1       |   Coal 2/.............................................| 127.5   128.1   126.3     9.0   -1.4      0        .6    -1.4   
05-31      |   Natural gas 2/......................................| 277.4   248.0   287.0    -9.2   15.7    -10.8     1.2    15.7   
05-61      |   Crude petroleum 2/..................................| 187.1   202.9   199.1    15.7   -1.9     -3.7     9.4    -1.9   
08-5       |   Logs, timber, etc 2/................................| 196.9   197.8   199.7     2.0    1.0      -.1     0       1.0   
09-12      |   Wastepaper..........................................| 219.4   241.1   250.5     8.4    3.9      -.6     6.7     3.9   
10-11      |   Iron ore 2/.........................................| 135.6   135.7   135.2    13.9    -.4      0        .1     -.4   
10-12      |   Iron and steel scrap................................| 344.2   368.0   326.7    20.1  -11.2      6.2    -2.0   -14.7   
10-21      |   Nonferrous metal ores (Dec. 1983=100) 2/............| 203.8   231.6   242.7    59.7    4.8      2.3     9.7     4.8   
10-23-01   |   Copper base scrap 2/................................| 380.4   467.9   467.9    75.2    0        -.2    -1.1     0     
10-23-02   |   Aluminum base scrap.................................| 289.9   281.9   266.0    30.1   -5.6     -4.4    -1.0    -4.6   
13-21      |   Construction sand, gravel, and crushed stone........| 211.1   214.1   217.4    10.2    1.5      -.1     1.4     1.8   
13-99-01   |   Industrial sand.....................................| 182.5   183.2   183.4     5.3     .1       .9      .4      .7   
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
                                                                                                                                     
1/  The indexes for April 2006 have been recalculated to incorporate late            2/  Not seasonally adjusted.                    
    reports and corrections by respondents.  All indexes are subject to              3/  Not available.                              
    revision 4 months after original publication.                                                                                    

Table 3.  Producer price indexes for selected commodity groupings                                                                    
(1982=100 unless otherwise indicated)                                                                                                
_______________________________________________________________________________________________                                      
         |                                                |                                   |                                      
         |                                                |         Unadjusted index 1/       |                                      
Commodity|                                                |___________________________________|                                      
  code   |                    Grouping                    |April 2006 | July 2006 | Aug. 2006 |                                      
_________|________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________|                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         | Finished Goods (1967=100)......................|   450.9   |   454.7   |   455.0   |                                      
         | All commodities................................|   164.3   |   167.1   |   167.9   |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         |            MAJOR COMMODITY GROUPS              |           |           |           |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         | Farm products and processed foods and feeds....|   138.1   |   140.8   |   141.5   |                                      
01       |   Farm products................................|   111.3   |   115.5   |   118.3   |                                      
02       |   Processed foods and feeds....................|   152.2   |   154.0   |   153.7   |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         | Industrial commodities.........................|   168.8   |   171.6   |   172.4   |                                      
03       |   Textile products and apparel.................|   124.2   |   124.5   |   124.9   |                                      
04       |   Hides, skins, leather, and related products..|   167.8   |   168.9   |   169.3   |                                      
05       |   Fuels and related products and power.........|   170.5   |   174.1   |   177.0   |                                      
06       |   Chemicals and allied products 2/.............|   203.1   |   208.9   |   209.9   |                                      
07       |   Rubber and plastic products..................|   153.1   |   153.9   |   154.4   |                                      
08       |   Lumber and wood products.....................|   198.3   |   194.3   |   191.4   |                                      
09       |   Pulp, paper, and allied products.............|   207.8   |   210.5   |   210.8   |                                      
10       |   Metals and metal products....................|   176.9   |   186.7   |   186.9   |                                      
11       |   Machinery and equipment......................|   125.7   |   126.6   |   126.8   |                                      
12       |   Furniture and household durables.............|   142.2   |   142.5   |   142.7   |                                      
13       |   Nonmetallic mineral products.................|   178.1   |   181.6   |   182.6   |                                      
14       |   Transportation equipment.....................|   152.8   |   151.6   |   150.0   |                                      
15       |   Miscellaneous products.......................|   205.3   |   207.0   |   207.5   |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         | Industrial commodities less fuels and related  |           |           |           |                                      
         |   products and power...........................|   164.8   |   167.3   |   167.3   |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
         |             OTHER COMMODITY GROUPINGS          |           |           |           |                                      
         |                                                |           |           |           |                                      
01-1     | Fruits and melons, fresh and dry vegetables,   |           |           |           |                                      
         |   and tree nuts................................|   138.2   |   134.1   |   158.0   |                                      
01-2     | Grains.........................................|    95.8   |   102.7   |    90.5   |                                      
01-3     | Slaughter livestock............................|   108.4   |   113.1   |   116.4   |                                      
01-4     | Slaughter poultry..............................|   131.5   |   158.4   |   164.6   |                                      
01-5     | Plant and animal fibers........................|    81.6   |    77.6   |    79.3   |                                      
01-7     | Chicken eggs...................................|    98.0   |    74.2   |    96.6   |                                      
01-8     | Hay, hayseeds, and oilseeds....................|   120.2   |   126.5   |   119.1   |                                      
01-83    | Oilseeds.......................................|   102.2   |   108.4   |   101.0   |                                      
02-1     | Cereal and bakery products.....................|   181.7   |   184.8   |   184.0   |                                      
02-2     | Meats, poultry, and fish.......................|   135.3   |   139.9   |   139.3   |                                      
02-22    | Processed poultry..............................|   109.7   |   120.4   |   124.0   |                                      
02-5     | Sugar and confectionery........................|   168.5   |   171.3   |   170.1   |                                      
02-6     | Beverages and beverage materials...............|   162.3   |   161.7   |   161.1   |                                      
02-63    | Packaged beverage materials....................|   151.9   |   152.5   |   152.3   |                                      
02-7     | Fats and oils..................................|   174.6   |   175.3   |   177.4   |                                      
03-81    | Apparel........................................|   125.8   |   125.2   |   126.1   |                                      
04-4     | Other leather and related products.............|   153.4   |   153.1   |   153.4   |                                      
05-3     | Gas fuels......................................|   268.0   |   250.9   |   282.7   |                                      
05-4     | Electric power.................................|   159.4   |   167.1   |   167.8   |                                      
05-7     | Refined petroleum products.....................|   207.4   |   220.3   |   220.4   |                                      
06-3     | Drugs and pharmaceuticals......................|   309.6   |   315.3   |   313.1   |                                      
06-5     | Agricultural chemicals and products............|   160.7   |   157.8   |   154.5   |                                      
06-7     | Other chemicals and allied products............|   157.5   |   157.5   |   157.9   |                                      
07-1     | Rubber and rubber products.....................|   134.9   |   137.5   |   137.4   |                                      
07-11    | Rubber, except natural rubber..................|   159.0   |   159.3   |   159.5   |                                      
07-13    | Miscellaneous rubber products..................|   151.4   |   151.8   |   151.8   |                                      
07-2     | Plastic products...............................|   165.1   |   165.2   |   166.0   |                                      
08-1     | Lumber.........................................|   198.8   |   188.9   |   182.1   |                                      
09-1     | Pulp, paper, and products, excluding building  |           |           |           |                                      
         |   paper and board..............................|   175.4   |   179.8   |   180.5   |                                      
09-15    | Converted paper and paperboard products........|   182.1   |   185.4   |   185.3   |                                      
10-1     | Iron and steel.................................|   180.7   |   194.1   |   191.7   |                                      
10-2     | Nonferrous metals..............................|   210.6   |   230.1   |   231.5   |                                      
10-25    | Nonferrous mill shapes.........................|   198.9   |   213.7   |   214.6   |                                      
11-3     | Metalworking machinery and equipment...........|   160.8   |   161.7   |   162.0   |                                      
11-4     | General purpose machinery and equipment........|   173.4   |   176.4   |   177.2   |                                      
11-6     | Special industry machinery.....................|   175.8   |   177.2   |   177.4   |                                      
11-7     | Electrical machinery and equipment.............|   114.7   |   115.3   |   115.6   |                                      
11-9     | Miscellaneous machinery and equipment..........|   149.1   |   151.1   |   151.2   |                                      
12-6     | Other household durable goods..................|   164.7   |   165.9   |   166.4   |                                      
13-2     | Concrete ingredients...........................|   203.2   |   205.3   |   207.5   |                                      
14-1     | Motor vehicles and equipment...................|   131.5   |   129.7   |   127.4   |                                      
15-1     | Toys, sporting goods, small arms, etc..........|   136.0   |   136.9   |   137.1   |                                      
15-4     | Photographic equipment and supplies............|   106.3   |   106.3   |   106.3   |                                      
15-9     | Other miscellaneous products...................|   150.5   |   151.4   |   151.6   |                                      
__________________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________|                                      
                                                                                                                                     
1/  Data for April 2006 have been revised to reflect the availability of late reports and                                            
    corrections by respondents.  All data are subject to revision 4 months after original                                            
    publication.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
2/  Prices of some items in this grouping are lagged 1 month.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                     

Table 4.  Producer price indexes for the net output of selected industries and industry groups, not seasonally       
adjusted                                                                                                             
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
                  |                                              |     |         Index         |  Percent change     
  Industry        |                Industry 1/                   |Index|_______________________|to_Aug._2006_from:__ 
    code          |                                              |base |       |       |       |        |            
                  |                                              |     |Apr.   |July   |Aug.   |  Aug.  |  July      
                  |                                              |     |2006 2/|2006 2/|2006 2/|  2005  |  2006      
__________________|______________________________________________|_____|_______|_______|_______|________|___________ 
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Total mining industries...................... |12/84| 210.6   212.9   222.9      9.5      4.7     
       211        | Oil and gas extraction...................... |12/85| 257.1   256.3   272.3      2.6      6.2     
       212        | Mining (except oil & gas)................... |12/03| 146.1   151.7   154.1     20.8      1.6     
       213        | Mining support activities................... |12/03| 172.7   177.1   178.4     30.8       .7     
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Total manufacturing industries............... |12/84| 157.2   159.7   159.8      5.3       .1     
       311        | Food mfg.................................... |12/84| 144.1   147.1   147.3       .9       .1     
       312        | Beverage & tobacco mfg...................... |12/03| 106.5   106.2   106.1      1.0      -.1     
       313        | Textile mills............................... |12/03| 106.1   106.8   107.1      3.3       .3     
       314        | Textile product mills....................... |12/03| 107.9   108.0   108.1      2.6       .1     
       315        | Apparel manufacturing....................... |12/03| 100.4   100.1   100.7       .7       .6     
       316        | Leather & allied product mfg................ |12/84| 146.4   146.7   146.9      1.6       .1     
       321        | Wood products manufacturing................. |12/03| 110.2   109.1   107.4    0         -1.6     
       322        | Paper manufacturing......................... |12/03| 110.6   113.3   113.5      6.5       .2     
       323        | Printing and related support activities..... |12/03| 105.3   105.5   105.8      2.3       .3     
       324        | Petroleum and coal products mfg............. |12/84| 249.2   268.1   269.9     25.2       .7     
       325        | Chemical mfg................................ |12/84| 195.7   198.1   198.2      6.3       .1     
       326        | Plastics and rubber products mfg............ |12/84| 148.8   149.6   150.9      7.6       .9     
       327        | Nonmetallic mineral product mfg............. |12/84| 162.5   164.4   164.7      7.6       .2     
       331        | Primary metal mfg........................... |12/84| 171.4   185.8   186.7     24.1       .5     
       332        | Fabricated metal product mfg................ |12/84| 153.6   156.9   157.5      5.1       .4     
       333        | Machinery mfg............................... |12/03| 108.0   108.9   109.1      3.0       .2     
       334        | Computer & electronic product mfg........... |12/03|  96.7    96.7    96.5     -1.1      -.2     
       335        | Electrical equip, appliance & component mfg. |12/03| 114.1   117.1   119.0     10.5      1.6     
       336        | Transportation equipment mfg................ |12/03| 103.4   102.3   101.1      -.7     -1.2     
       337        | Furniture & related product mfg............. |12/84| 161.6   162.8   163.0      3.0       .1     
       339        | Miscellaneous mfg........................... |12/03| 104.5   104.8   105.1      2.0       .3     
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Wholesale trade industries                    |     |                                             
       423        | Merchant wholesalers, durable goods......... |06/04| 103.8   108.1   106.7      4.8     -1.3     
       424        | Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods...... |06/05| 105.6   108.1   109.9      9.0      1.7     
       425        | Wholesale trade agents and brokers.......... |06/05| 102.2   102.1   102.2      3.0       .1     
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Retail trade industries                       |     |                                             
       441        | Motor vehicle and parts dealers............. |12/03| 113.2   114.2   114.2      7.5    0         
       442        | Furniture and home furnishings stores....... |12/03| 114.9   116.7   118.8      7.0      1.8     
       443        | Electronics and appliance stores............ |12/03| 105.6    98.7    96.6       .8     -2.1     
       444        | Bldg material and garden equip and supp      |     |                                             
                  |  dealers.................................... |12/03| 117.2   121.4   122.5     12.7       .9     
       445        | Food and beverage stores.................... |12/99| 134.2   136.0   135.9      4.4      -.1     
       446        | Health and personal care stores............. |12/03| 120.1   118.8   118.5     10.9      -.3     
       447        | Gasoline stations........................... |06/01|  44.4    45.9    55.2     30.5     20.3     
       448        | Clothing and clothing accessories stores.... |12/03| 104.3   106.0   107.3      4.6      1.2     
       451        | Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores |12/03|  99.1    98.3    98.5      2.9       .2     
       452        | General merchandise stores.................. |12/03| 109.0   106.7   111.8     10.9      4.8     
       454        | Nonstore retailers.......................... |12/03| 111.8   112.0   120.4      8.7      7.5     
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Transportation and warehousing                |     |                                             
       481        | Air transportation.......................... |12/92| 182.7   187.3   187.8      8.7       .3     
       482        | Rail transportation......................... |12/96| 133.3   137.9   138.2      9.5       .2     
       483        | Water transportation........................ |12/03| 110.5   113.2   111.9      4.6     -1.1     
       484        | Truck transportation........................ |12/03| 112.3   114.1   114.9      5.0       .7      
       486110     | Pipeline transportation of crude oil........ |06/86| 133.6   137.5   137.0      7.1      -.4     
       486910     | Pipeline transportation of refined petroleum |     |                                             
                  |  products................................... |06/86| 122.0   123.2   125.1      2.8      1.5     
       488        | Transportation support activities........... |12/03| 106.5   106.7   107.1      2.5       .4     
       491        | Postal service.............................. |06/89| 164.7   164.7   164.7      6.3    0         
       492        | Couriers and messengers..................... |12/03| 120.3   122.8   122.8      7.8    0         
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Utilities                                     |     |                                             
       221        | Utilities................................... |12/03| 121.5   122.2   125.6      4.8      2.8     
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Health care and social assistance             |     |                                             
       6211       | Offices of physicians....................... |12/96| 117.1   117.2   117.2       .6    0         
       6215       | Medical and diagnostic laboratories......... |12/03| 104.4   104.5   104.5       .3    0         
       6216       | Home health care services................... |12/96| 121.7   121.9   121.6       .6      -.2     
       622        | Hospitals................................... |12/92| 152.1   153.5   153.8      4.9       .2     
       6231       | Nursing care facilities..................... |12/03| 108.7   109.0   109.7      2.9       .6     
       62321      | Residential mental retardation facilities... |12/03| 108.0   108.1   108.4      4.0       .3     
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
See footnotes at end of table.                                                                                       

Table 4.  Producer price indexes for the net output of selected industries and industry groups, not seasonally       
adjusted -- Continued                                                                                                
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
                  |                                              |     |         Index         |  Percent change     
  Industry        |                Industry 1/                   |Index|_______________________|to_Aug._2006_from:__ 
    code          |                                              |base |       |       |       |        |            
                  |                                              |     |Apr.   |July   |Aug.   |  Aug.  |  July      
                  |                                              |     |2006 2/|2006 2/|2006 2/|  2005  |  2006      
__________________|______________________________________________|_____|_______|_______|_______|________|___________ 
                  |                                              |     |                                             
                  |Other services industries                     |     |                                             
       511        | Publishing industries, except Internet...... |12/03| 105.3   106.0   106.1      1.7      0.1     
       515        | Broadcasting, except Internet............... |12/03| 102.6   101.1   100.1       .3     -1.0     
       517        | Telecommunications.......................... |12/03|  97.8    98.3    99.0       .8       .7     
       5182       | Data processing and related services........ |12/03|  99.0    99.6   100.0      1.2       .4     
       5221       | Depository credit intermediation............ |12/03| 109.6   111.8   113.8      8.4      1.8     
       523        | Security, commodity contracts and like       |     |                                             
                  |  activity................................... |12/03| 111.9   113.6   113.2      3.2      -.4     
       524        | Insurance carriers and related activities... |12/03| 106.0   106.4   106.5      1.7       .1     
       5312       | Offices of real estate agents and brokers... |12/03| 111.3   111.0   111.4      2.0       .4     
       5321       | Automotive equipment rental and leasing..... |06/01| 114.9   116.4   112.5      1.5     -3.4     
       5411       | Legal services.............................. |12/96| 144.7   144.8   144.9      4.4       .1     
       541211     | Offices of certified public accountants..... |12/03| 105.3   105.8   105.9      2.7       .1     
       5413       | Architectural, engineering and related       |     |                                             
                  |  services................................... |12/96| 132.9   135.0   134.9      4.3      -.1     
       54181      | Advertising agencies........................ |12/03| 103.5   105.4   105.0      3.2      -.4     
       5613       | Employment services......................... |12/96| 118.9   119.5   120.5      3.4       .8     
       56151      | Travel agencies............................. |12/03|  98.5    98.8    99.2      2.5       .4     
       56172      | Janitorial services......................... |12/03| 103.3   103.7   104.5      2.7       .8     
       5621       | Waste collection............................ |12/03| 104.0   104.0   104.5      1.9       .5     
       721        | Accommodation............................... |12/96| 135.7   139.6   138.1      2.2     -1.1     
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
                                                                                                                     
1/ Indexes in this table are derived from the net-output-weighted industry price indexes.  Because of differences    
   in coverage and aggregation methodology, they will generally not match the movements of similarly titled          
   indexes which are derived from traditional commodity groupings.                                                   
2/ The indexes for April 2006 have been recalculated to incorporate late reports and corrections by respondents.     
   All indexes are subject to revision 4 months after original publication.                                          
3/ Not available.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                     
Note: NAICS 2002 replaced the SIC system beginning with the release of PPI data for January 2004.                    

Table 5.  Producer price indexes by stage of processing, seasonally adjusted                                 
(1982=100)                                                                                                   
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                       |                                                     
                                                       |                      Index 1/                       
                                                       |_____________________________________________________
               Grouping                                |        |        |        |        |        |        
                                                       |  Mar.  |  Apr.  |  May   |  June  |  July  |  Aug.  
                                                       |  2006  |  2006  |  2006  |  2006  |  2006  |  2006  
_______________________________________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________
                                                       |                                                     
      Finished goods...................................|  159.1    160.6    160.8    161.6    161.8   161.9  
        Finished consumer goods........................|  164.5    166.4    166.6    167.6    167.9   168.3  
          Finished consumer foods......................|  154.7    155.1    153.9    156.1    155.7   157.9  
            Crude......................................|  141.2    160.4    138.3    145.9    141.4   161.7  
            Processed..................................|  155.8    154.5    155.2    156.9    156.8   157.5  
          Finished consumer goods, excluding foods.....|  168.0    170.4    171.1    171.7    172.3   171.9  
            Nondurable goods less foods................|  180.7    184.3    185.1    185.8    187.2   187.3  
            Durable goods..............................|  137.1    137.1    137.5    137.8    136.8   135.4  
        Capital equipment..............................|  146.3    146.5    146.8    147.2    146.9   146.5  
          Manufacturing industries.....................|  148.0    148.3    148.7    149.2    149.3   149.6  
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|  145.6    145.8    146.1    146.5    146.0   145.3  
                                                       |                                                     
      Intermediate materials, supplies, and components.|  161.5    163.1    164.4    165.5    166.4   167.1  
        Materials and components for manufacturing.....|  152.6    153.8    155.3    156.9    158.2   158.5  
          Materials for food manufacturing.............|  144.7    143.8    143.9    145.6    146.3   146.3  
          Materials for nondurable manufacturing.......|  173.2    173.0    176.0    177.7    178.0   178.3  
          Materials for durable manufacturing..........|  170.4    175.0    179.9    181.8    186.0   186.7  
          Components for manufacturing.................|  133.0    133.8    132.9    134.4    135.1   135.4  
        Materials and components for construction......|  185.4    186.5    188.4    188.9    190.2   190.9  
        Processed fuels and lubricants.................|  161.2    166.1    167.2    168.0    168.2   170.2  
          Manufacturing industries ....................|  159.0    158.9    159.4    157.4    159.3   161.8  
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|  162.7    170.7    172.1    174.6    173.9   175.5  
        Containers.....................................|  173.1    172.8    173.6    176.8    176.6   176.5  
        Supplies.......................................|  155.9    156.1    156.5    156.8    157.3   157.6  
          Manufacturing industries.....................|  160.5    160.5    161.0    160.6    160.9   161.5  
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|  153.5    153.7    154.1    154.6    155.1   155.3  
            Feeds......................................|  110.6    109.2    107.3    107.6    107.7   106.7  
            Other supplies.............................|  158.8    159.1    159.8    160.3    160.9   161.2  
                                                       |                                                     
      Crude materials for further processing...........|  178.3    182.9    184.3    181.1    186.8   191.0  
        Foodstuffs and feedstuffs......................|  114.6    113.5    110.6    115.9    118.0   118.1  
        Nonfood materials..............................|  222.8    231.9    236.6    226.7    235.1   242.5  
          Nonfood materials except fuel 2/.............|  196.8    213.0    221.4    219.2    230.5   225.1  
            Manufacturing 2/...........................|  182.2    197.4    205.2    203.2    213.7   208.7  
            Construction...............................|  201.6    201.3    202.2    202.0    203.0   201.3  
          Crude fuel 3/................................|  243.9    239.6    237.6    215.5    218.0   246.6  
            Manufacturing industries...................|  231.4    227.6    225.7    205.3    207.6   233.9  
            Nonmanufacturing industries................|  249.5    245.1    243.0    220.3    222.9   252.2  
                                                       |                                                     
                     Special groupings                 |                                                     
                                                       |                                                     
      Finished goods, excluding foods..................|  160.0    161.7    162.3    162.8    163.1   162.7  
      Intermediate materials less foods and feeds......|  162.8    164.6    165.9    167.1    168.0   168.8  
      Intermediate foods and feeds.....................|  134.0    133.0    132.4    133.7    134.2   133.9  
      Crude materials less agricultural products 2/....|  229.0    238.4    243.4    233.1    241.8   249.5  
                                                       |                                                     
      Finished energy goods............................|  143.3    149.0    149.7    150.7    152.7   153.2  
      Finished goods less energy.......................|  157.1    157.3    157.3    158.1    157.7   157.8  
      Finished consumer goods less energy..............|  161.8    162.0    161.9    162.9    162.4   162.8  
                                                       |                                                     
      Finished goods less foods and energy.............|  158.3    158.4    158.9    159.2    158.8   158.2  
      Finished consumer goods less foods and energy....|  166.5    166.5    167.1    167.4    166.9   166.1  
      Consumer nondurable goods less foods and energy..|  190.9    191.0    191.7    191.9    192.1   191.8  
                                                       |                                                     
      Intermediate energy goods........................|  161.6    166.4    167.9    168.5    168.4   169.6  
      Intermediate materials less energy...............|  159.3    160.2    161.3    162.6    163.8   164.3  
      Intermediate materials less foods and energy.....|  160.9    161.9    163.1    164.4    165.6   166.2  
                                                       |                                                     
      Crude energy materials 2/........................|  223.6    231.6    233.4    217.6    228.1   241.6  
      Crude materials less energy......................|  143.8    146.1    147.2    152.2    154.6   152.8  
      Crude nonfood materials less energy 3/...........|  225.7    237.6    249.4    253.6    257.0   249.9  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                             
  1/  All seasonally adjusted indexes are subject to change up to 5 years after original publication due to  
      the recalculation of seasonal factors each January.  The indexes for April 2006 have been
      recalculated to incorporate late reports and corrections by respondents.                               
  2/  Includes crude petroleum.                                                                              
  3/  Excludes crude petroleum.