FOR DATA ONLY:  (202) 691-5200      USDL 02-263
FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION:          TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN
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http://www.bls.gov/ppi              MAY 10, 2002
                                     
                   Producer Price Indexes -- April 2002

     The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.2 percent in
April, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today.  This decrease, which was led by a drop 
in finished consumer food prices, followed a 1.0-percent increase in March 
and a 0.2-percent gain in February.  The index for finished goods other 
than foods and energy rose 0.1 percent, the same rate of increase as in 
March.  Prices for intermediate goods moved up 0.9 percent in April, 
following a 1.0-percent advance in March.  The crude goods index rose 5.5 
percent in April, after increasing 4.0 percent in the previous month.  
(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  |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 2001                                                    
   Apr.       0.3       0.5         0.4        0.2         3.7         -0.2      0.6
   May         .2         0          .5         .2         3.9           .1     -2.0
   June       -.5       -.4        -2.6         .1         2.6          -.2     -8.1
   July      -1.2       -.4        -7.3         .1         1.4         -1.1     -5.3
   Aug.        .4        .7         1.4          0         2.0          -.2      -.7
   Sept.       .4        .1         1.5         .1         1.6           .1     -4.4
   Oct.      -1.3       -.1        -6.7        -.4         -.3         -1.3     -8.8
   Nov.       -.6       -.8        -3.9         .1        -1.2          -.7      4.9
   Dec.     r -.4       -.1      r -3.0       r .2      r -1.6        r -.6     -7.2
                                                                               
 2002                                                                          
   Jan.       r 0        .8       r -.1      r -.3        -2.6        r -.2      3.7
   Feb.        .2       1.0          .4          0        -2.6          -.1      -.8
   Mar.       1.0        .6         5.5         .1        -1.4          1.0      4.0
   Apr.       -.2      -3.2         2.5         .1        -2.0           .9      5.5
r=revised.  Some of the figures shown above and elsewhere in this release may differ 
from those previously reported because data for December 2001 have been revised to 
reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.

                                    -2-

     Prices for finished consumer foods fell 3.2 percent in April, after 
rising 0.6 percent in March.  Prices for finished energy goods increased 
2.5 percent, following a 5.5-percent jump in March.  After rising 0.1 
percent in March, April's capital equipment index edged down 0.1 percent.  
By contrast, prices for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy
rose 0.3 percent, following a 0.2-percent gain in March.

     Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished
Goods rose 0.1 percent in April to stand at 139.0 (1982=100).  From April
2001 to April 2002, the finished goods index decreased 2.0 percent.  During
the same period, prices for finished energy goods fell 12.1 percent, and
the index for finished consumer foods declined 1.8 percent.  On the other
hand, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.4
percent.  At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers
of intermediate goods decreased 2.4 percent, and the crude goods index
dropped 18.9 percent.

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.) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 2001                                                           
  Apr.   -0.1     -0.6     -0.1        2.1     -0.2       2.1     -2.6       19.6
  May      .6       .4        0        2.3      -.8      -3.2      -.5       13.3
  June    1.0      -.6      -.1        1.2        0     -15.8     -1.0       -4.0
  July     .6     -5.0      -.5        -.2       .6     -12.4      1.0       -7.3
  Aug.    1.8      -.3      -.3        -.2      -.6       -.5     -1.8       -4.5
  Sept.   -.8      1.1      -.1        -.8       .8     -11.0       .2      -14.6
  Oct.    -.4     -6.2      -.4       -2.4     -3.5     -17.9     -1.5      -25.1
  Nov.   -1.6     -3.2      -.2       -3.0     -4.9      19.9      -.3      -20.5
  Dec. r -1.1   r -2.9      -.2       -4.0   r -2.3   r -15.0    r -.5    r -32.5
                                                                          
 2002                                                                     
  Jan.   r .1    r -.9        0       -4.6    r 4.2     r 5.5    r -.6      -40.4
  Feb.      0      -.7        0       -4.4      2.3      -6.5      1.5      -30.9
  Mar.     .2      5.2       .3       -3.2     -1.3      15.2      -.7      -22.6
  Apr.    -.7      4.4       .2       -2.4     -6.4      22.4      3.6      -18.9
r=revised.  Some of the figures shown above and elsewhere in this release may 
differ from those previously reported because data for December 2001 have been 
revised to reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.

                                    -3-

Finished goods

     The index for finished consumer foods turned down 3.2 percent in
April, after registering a 0.6-percent increase in the prior month.  Prices
for fresh and dry vegetables posted a record decline of 46.5 percent in
April, compared with a 22.7-percent jump in March.  The indexes for eggs
for fresh use, beef and veal, and roasted coffee also decreased, after
rising in the previous month.  Prices for pork, fresh fruits and melons,
processed young chickens, and processed turkeys fell more than they did in
March.  By contrast, the finfish and shellfish index turned up 1.7 percent,
following a 9.1-percent decrease in the prior month.  Prices for dairy
products and processed fruits and vegetables declined at a slower pace than
they did in March.  The bakery products index rose, after falling in the
previous month.  Shortening and cooking oil prices advanced more than they
did in March.

     The finished energy goods index rose 2.5 percent in April, following a
5.5-percent gain in the prior month.  This deceleration was primarily due
to gasoline prices, which advanced 4.2 percent compared with a 21.3-percent
increase in March.  The indexes for liquefied petroleum gas, home heating
oil, and diesel fuel also increased at a slower rate than in the previous
month.  On the other hand, prices for residential natural gas moved up 3.0
percent in April, following a 0.8-percent increase a month earlier.  The
index for lubricating and similar oils rose more than it did in March.

     Prices for capital equipment declined 0.1 percent in April, after
inching up 0.1 percent in the previous month.  The light motor trucks index
turned down 1.4 percent, following a 0.8-percent gain in March.  The
indexes for integrating and measuring instruments and agricultural
machinery also turned down in April.  Heavy motor truck prices rose less in
April than they did in the prior month.  X-ray and electromedical equipment
prices showed no change, after increasing in March.  By contrast, the index
for communication and related equipment turned up 0.3 percent in April,
following a 1.1-percent decline in the previous month.  The index for truck
trailers also advanced, after decreasing in the previous month.  Prices for
passenger cars showed no change, after falling in March.

     The index for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy
moved up 0.3 percent in April, following a 0.2-percent rise in the previous
month.  April's increase was primarily due to a 4.4-percent rise in
cigarette prices.  The indexes for sanitary papers and health products,
pharmaceutical preparations, periodical circulation, mobile homes,
alcoholic beverages, and lawn and garden equipment (except tractors) also
increased in April.  On the other hand, falling prices were reported for
light motor trucks, apparel, and book publishing.

Intermediate goods

     Prices for Intermediate Materials, Supplies, and Components rose 0.9
percent in April, after advancing 1.0 percent in the previous month.  A
majority of April's price increase can be traced to the index for
intermediate energy goods, while the indexes for nondurable manufacturing
materials and materials for construction also advanced.  On the other hand,
prices for intermediate foods and feeds decreased in April, and the index
for durable manufacturing materials showed no change in April.  Prices for
intermediate goods other than foods and energy rose 0.2 percent, after
posting a 0.3-percent rise in March.  (See table B.)

     The index for intermediate energy goods advanced 4.4 percent in April,
after posting a 5.2-percent gain in March.  Key to this deceleration,
gasoline prices rose 4.2 percent in April, following a 21.3-percent
increase in the prior month.  The indexes for diesel fuel, liquefied
petroleum gas, jet fuels, natural gas to electric utilities, and commercial
electric power also advanced at a slower rate in April than in March.
Alternatively, industrial electric power prices rose 0.3 percent in April,
after dropping 2.8 percent in the preceding month.  Prices for industrial
natural gas, commercial natural gas, and residual fuel increased at a
faster pace in April than they did in March.

                                    -4-

     After rising 0.8 percent in March, April prices for nondurable
manufacturing materials climbed 1.3 percent.  Much of this acceleration can
be traced to the plastic resins and materials index -- which rose 3.4
percent in April, after falling 3.6 percent in the previous month.  The
indexes for intermediate basic organic chemicals, paint materials, and gray
fabrics advanced at a faster pace in April than they did in March.  By
contrast, the index for primary basic organic chemicals moved up 8.8
percent in April, after registering a 12.7-percent gain in the prior month.
The index for medicinal and botanical chemicals also rose at a slower pace
than it did in March.  Prices for phosphates turned down in April, while
paper prices fell at a faster rate than in the preceding month.

     The Producer Price Index for Materials and Components for Construction
moved up 0.3 percent, following a 0.1-percent increase in March.  Prices
for plastic construction products rose 2.3 percent in April, after falling
0.6 percent a month ago.  The indexes for fabricated structural metal
products, hardwood lumber, and gypsum products also turned up in April.
Prices for wiring devices rose faster in April than they did in March.  On
the other hand, the index for plywood turned down 0.6 percent, after
posting a 4.3-percent increase in March.  Prices for heating equipment and
metal valves (except fluid power) also turned down, after rising in the
prior month.  The softwood lumber index rose at a slower pace in April than
it did in March.

     The index for intermediate foods and feeds decreased 0.7 percent in
April, after increasing 0.2 percent in March.  Beef and veal prices fell
2.6 percent, following a 0.8-percent rise in March.  The index for flour
also turned down in April, after rising in the prior month.  Prepared
animal feed prices rose at a slower rate in April than in March.  The
indexes for pork and fluid milk products fell faster than they did in the
prior month.  By contrast, the index for natural, processed, and imitation
cheese rose 1.0 percent in April, following a 3.0-percent decline in the
previous month.  Prices for confectionery materials also increased, after
falling in March.  The indexes for refined sugar and crude vegetable oils
climbed at a faster rate in April than they did in the preceding month.

     Prices for durable manufacturing materials showed no change in April,
following a 0.7-percent increase in the previous month.  The index for
aluminum mill shapes dropped 2.3 percent, after posting a 0.3-percent gain
in March.  Prices for hot rolled bars, plates and structural shapes;
primary aluminum, except extrusion billet; and building paper and board
also turned down in April.  Hot rolled sheet and strip prices rose at a
slower rate in April than they did in March.  By contrast, the index for
cold finished bars advanced 2.8 percent in April, following a 0.4-percent
decline a month ago.  Prices for semi-finished steel mill products, flat
glass, and hardwood lumber also turned up, after falling in the prior
month.  Cold rolled sheet and strip prices rose at a faster pace in April
than they did in March.

Crude goods

     The Producer Price Index for Crude Materials for Further Processing
advanced 5.5 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, following a 4.0-percent
increase in March.  Prices for crude energy materials rose more than they
did in the prior month.  Basic industrial material prices increased, after
declining in March.  By contrast, the index for crude foodstuffs and
feedstuffs fell at a faster rate in April than it did in the previous
month.  (See table B.)

     The index for crude energy materials climbed 22.4 percent in April,
following a 15.2-percent increase in March.  Natural gas prices rose 39.5
percent, after increasing 19.7 percent in the prior month.  On the other
hand, the coal index fell 1.0 percent, after advancing 4.7 percent in the
previous month.  Price increases for crude petroleum slowed to 15.2 percent
in April, compared with a 16.1-percent rise in March.

                                    -5-

     The index for basic industrial materials moved up 3.6 percent in
April, after falling 0.7 percent in March.  Iron and steel scrap prices
advanced 10.8 percent, following a 2.5-percent increase in the previous
month.  Prices for nonferrous scrap also rose more quickly in April than
they did a month earlier.  The indexes for wastepaper and gold ores turned
up, after decreasing in March.  Conversely, the pulpwood index decreased
1.3 percent in April, after advancing 12.7 percent in March.  The index for
phosphates also turned down, following an increase a month ago.  Prices for
hides and skins and for softwood logs, bolts, and timber rose at a slower
pace in April than they did in March.

     The index for crude foodstuffs and feedstuffs declined 6.4 percent in
April, following a 1.3-percent decrease in March.  Slaughter cattle prices
dropped 6.5 percent, after a 3.0-percent rise in the prior month.  The
index for fresh vegetables (except potatoes) also fell, following a gain in
March.  Prices for slaughter hogs, slaughter broilers and fryers,
unprocessed shellfish, and fresh fruits and melons declined at a greater
rate in April than they did a month earlier.  On the other hand, the fluid
milk index decreased 1.6 percent, after dropping 5.3 percent in March.
Prices for corn, alfalfa hay, and unprocessed finfish turned up in April,
following declines in the previous month.

Net output price indexes for mining, manufacturing, and services industries

Mining.  The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Domestic
Mining Industries advanced 16.2 percent in April, after registering a 10.4-
percent gain in March.  (Net output price indexes are not seasonally
adjusted.)  Most of the faster rate of increase in mining industry prices
can be traced to the index for the oil and gas extraction industry group,
which surged 24.3 percent in April, following a 15.6-percent rise in the
previous month.  Prices received by the metal mining industry group
increased 0.8 percent, after falling 2.7 percent in March.  By contrast,
the index for the coal mining industry group declined 1.0 percent in April,
compared with a 3.8-percent rise a month earlier.  Prices received by the
industry group for mining and quarrying of nonmetallic minerals (except
fuels) edged down 0.1 percent in April, following a 0.1-percent gain in the
prior month.  In April, the Producer Price Index for Total Mining
Industries stood at 99.9 (December 1984=100), 24.4 percent below its year-
ago level.

Manufacturing.  For the second consecutive month, the Producer Price Index
for the Net Output of Total Domestic Manufacturing Industries advanced at a
0.7-percent rate.  April's jump in manufacturing industry prices was led by
a 12.6-percent rise in the industry group index for petroleum refining and
related products.  The industry group indexes for tobacco manufactures,
chemicals and allied products, and paper and allied products also increased
in April.  Conversely, April prices received by the industry groups for
food and kindred products, electrical and electronic machinery and
equipment, transportation equipment, measuring and controlling instruments,
and machinery (except electrical) declined.  In April, the Producer Price
Index for Total Manufacturing Industries stood at 133.8 (December
1984=100), 1.3 percent lower than a year ago.

Services.  Among service industries in April, price increases were
registered by the industries for engineering services, data processing
services, wireless telecommunications, skilled and intermediate care
facilities, general medical and surgical hospitals, and advertising
agencies.  Alternatively, falling prices were experienced by the industries
for scheduled air transportation, telephone communications (except
radiotelephone), prepackaged software, travel agencies, deep sea foreign
transportation of freight, air courier services, and help supply services.

                                   *****
                                     
              Producer Price Index data for May 2002 will be
          released on Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 8:30 a.m. (EDT)
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|                       |Apr. 2002 from:|                          
                                                 |          |_______________________|_______________|__________________________
                                                 |   Dec.   |       |       |       |       |       |       |         |        
                                                 |          |Dec.   |Mar.   |Apr.   |  Apr. | Mar.  |Jan. to|Feb.  to |Mar.  to
                                                 |   2001 1/|2001 2/|2002 2/|2002 2/|  2001 | 2002  |  Feb. |   Mar.  |  Apr.  
_________________________________________________|__________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_________|________
                                                 |                                                                             
Finished goods...................................|  100.000   137.4   138.9   139.0    -2.0    0.1      0.2      1.0    -0.2   
  Finished consumer goods........................|   72.937   137.1   139.2   139.4    -2.4     .1       .4      1.3     -.2   
    Finished consumer foods......................|   21.004   140.4   143.7   139.2    -1.8   -3.1      1.0       .6    -3.2   
      Crude......................................|    1.556   130.9   159.6   114.4   -16.0  -28.3      5.1     10.0   -27.8   
      Processed..................................|   19.448   141.2   142.2   141.3     -.6    -.6       .7      -.3     -.8   
    Finished consumer goods, excluding foods.....|   51.934   135.4   137.2   139.2    -2.8    1.5      0        1.7      .9   
      Nondurable goods less foods................|   35.348   134.2   137.0   140.0    -3.5    2.2       .1      2.3     1.4   
      Durable goods..............................|   16.585   134.5   133.7   133.7     -.6    0        -.1       .3     -.2   
  Capital equipment..............................|   27.063   139.9   139.5   139.4     -.4    -.1       .1       .1     -.1   
    Manufacturing industries.....................|    7.945   140.3   140.2   140.0     -.4    -.1       .1      0       -.2   
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   19.118   139.7   139.1   139.1     -.4    0        0         .1     -.1   
                                                 |                                                                             
Intermediate materials, supplies, and components.|  100.000   125.4   126.5   127.6    -2.4     .9      -.1      1.0      .9   
  Materials and components for manufacturing.....|   47.159   124.7   125.3   125.7    -2.3     .3       .2       .4      .2   
    Materials for food manufacturing.............|    2.914   122.3   123.2   122.0    -1.2   -1.0       .5      -.3    -1.1   
    Materials for nondurable manufacturing.......|   14.182   126.1   126.7   128.4    -5.0    1.3       .6       .8     1.3   
    Materials for durable manufacturing..........|    9.183   122.4   123.6   123.7    -1.7     .1      0         .7     0     
    Components for manufacturing.................|   20.880   126.3   126.5   126.3     -.2    -.2      -.1       .1     -.2   
  Materials and components for construction......|   13.125   149.9   150.5   151.1      .5     .4      -.1       .1      .3   
  Processed fuels and lubricants.................|   14.837    89.6    92.8    97.0    -8.8    4.5      -.7      5.2     4.4   
    Manufacturing industries ....................|    6.118    94.2    96.1    98.9    -6.9    2.9      -.6      1.8     3.5   
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|    8.719    86.8    90.9    96.0    -9.5    5.6      -.9      7.7     4.9   
  Containers.....................................|    3.429   152.3   151.6   151.2    -1.7    -.3      -.1      -.5     -.3   
  Supplies.......................................|   21.450   138.2   138.3   138.5     -.3     .1      -.1       .1      .1   
    Manufacturing industries.....................|    4.735   144.7   144.2   144.5    -1.1     .2      -.3      -.1      .1   
    Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   16.715   135.3   135.7   135.8     -.1     .1      -.1       .3      .1   
      Feeds......................................|    1.088    95.3    94.6    95.0     1.9     .4     -1.4      1.6      .4   
      Other supplies.............................|   15.627   140.2   140.6   140.8     -.1     .1      0         .1      .1   
                                                 |                                                                             
Crude materials for further processing...........|  100.000    94.7   102.3   107.9   -18.9    5.5      -.8      4.0     5.5   
  Foodstuffs and feedstuffs......................|   46.246    96.2   102.9    96.4   -11.7   -6.3      2.3     -1.3    -6.4   
  Nonfood materials..............................|   53.754    90.3    98.3   113.5   -21.6   15.5     -3.4      8.6    15.5   
    Nonfood materials except fuel 3/.............|   32.086    83.4    93.1   100.3    -5.0    7.7      5.0      5.1     7.6   
      Manufacturing 3/...........................|   31.041    75.9    85.1    91.9    -5.3    8.0      5.2      5.2     7.9   
      Construction...............................|    1.045   179.2   180.2   181.8      .4     .9      -.2       .8      .8   
    Crude fuel 4/................................|   21.668    92.6    96.2   123.3   -34.0   28.2    -15.8     15.3    28.2   
      Manufacturing industries...................|    1.994    90.4    94.3   119.3   -35.8   26.5    -15.1     14.7    26.5   
      Nonmanufacturing industries................|   19.674    94.4    98.0   125.8   -33.9   28.4    -15.8     15.3    28.4   
                                                 |                                                                             
               Special groupings                 |                                                                             
                                                 |                                                                             
Finished goods, excluding foods..................|5/ 78.996   136.4   137.4   138.7    -2.1     .9      0        1.1      .6   
Intermediate materials less foods and feeds......|6/ 95.998   126.1   127.1   128.4    -2.4    1.0      -.1      1.0      .9   
Intermediate foods and feeds.....................|6/  4.002   114.0   114.4   113.7     -.4    -.6      0         .2     -.7   
Crude materials less agricultural products 3/ 7/.|8/ 51.619    90.6    99.5   115.2   -21.9   15.8     -3.5      9.5    15.8   
                                                 |                                                                             
Finished energy goods............................|5/ 13.761    80.8    85.6    89.3   -12.1    4.3       .4      5.5     2.5   
Finished goods less energy.......................|5/ 86.239   147.8   148.3   147.3     -.2    -.7       .3       .2     -.7   
Finished consumer goods less energy..............|5/ 59.176   151.1   152.0   150.6     -.1    -.9       .3       .3     -.9   
                                                 |                                                                             
Finished goods less foods and energy.............|5/ 65.235   150.7   150.2   150.5      .4     .2      0         .1      .1   
Finished consumer goods less foods and energy....|5/ 38.173   158.0   157.4   158.0      .9     .4      -.1       .2      .3   
Consumer nondurable goods less foods and energy..|5/ 21.588   176.7   176.2   177.4     2.0     .7      -.1       .1      .7   
                                                 |                                                                             
Intermediate energy goods........................|6/ 14.961    89.3    92.4    96.6    -8.8    4.5      -.7      5.2     4.4   
Intermediate materials less energy...............|6/ 85.039   133.4   133.8   134.1    -1.3     .2       .1       .2      .2   
Intermediate materials less foods and energy.....|6/ 81.037   134.6   135.1   135.5    -1.4     .3      0         .3      .2   
                                                 |                                                                             
Crude energy materials 3/........................|8/ 32.249    76.8    87.2   106.7   -26.5   22.4     -6.5     15.2    22.4   
Crude materials less energy......................|8/ 67.751   103.2   108.8   105.3    -8.3   -3.2      2.0     -1.0    -3.3   
Crude nonfood materials less energy 4/...........|8/ 21.505   124.3   126.7   131.4     -.5    3.7      1.5      -.7     3.6   
_________________________________________________|______________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                                               
  1/  Comprehensive relative importance figures are initially computed          3/  Includes crude petroleum.                  
      after the publication of December indexes and are recalculated            4/  Excludes crude petroleum.                  
      after final December indexes are available.  The first-published          5/  Percent of total finished goods.           
      and final December relative importances initially appear,                 6/  Percent of total intermediate materials.   
      respectively, in the release tables containing January and May data.      7/  Formerly titled "Crude materials for       
  2/  The indexes for December 2001 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."
                                                                                8/  Percent of total crude materials.          
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 |                                                       |                       |Apr. 2002 from:|                         
   code    |                      Grouping                         |_______________________|_______________|________________________ 
           |                                                       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         
           |                                                       |Dec.   |Mar.   |Apr.   | Apr.  | Mar.  |Jan. to|Feb. to|Mar. to  
           |                                                       |2001 1/|2002 1/|2002 1/| 2001  | 2002  |  Feb. |  Mar. |  Apr.   
___________|_______________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________ 
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |FINISHED GOODS.........................................| 137.4   138.9   139.0    -2.0    0.1      0.2     1.0    -0.2   
           | FINISHED CONSUMER GOODS...............................| 137.1   139.2   139.4    -2.4     .1       .4     1.3     -.2   
           |  FINISHED CONSUMER FOODS..............................| 140.4   143.7   139.2    -1.8   -3.1      1.0      .6    -3.2   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-11      |   Fresh fruits and melons 2/..........................| 116.9    89.7    84.0   -12.5   -6.4    -13.3    -3.3    -6.4   
01-13      |   Fresh and dry vegetables 2/.........................| 120.4   217.0   116.1   -10.0  -46.5     22.2    22.7   -46.5   
01-71-07   |   Eggs for fresh use (Dec. 1991=100)..................|  79.2    92.6    71.2   -31.7  -23.1    -10.8    17.7   -17.2   
02-11      |   Bakery products 2/..................................| 188.3   189.6   189.7     1.2     .1       .4     -.1      .1   
02-13      |   Milled rice 2/......................................|  84.0    81.9    81.6    -8.2    -.4     -2.8     -.5     -.4   
02-14-02   |   Pasta products (June 1985=100) 2/...................| 122.2   122.3   121.3     -.8    -.8      0        .1     -.8   
02-21-01   |   Beef and veal 2/....................................| 113.2   121.0   117.9    -7.5   -2.6      7.4      .8    -2.6   
02-21-04   |   Pork................................................| 114.4   115.0   109.9    -8.6   -4.4      0      -1.6    -6.0   
02-22-03   |   Processed young chickens............................| 115.4   112.9   108.2    -6.6   -4.2      0      -3.4    -4.7   
02-22-06   |   Processed turkeys...................................| 105.4    96.6    95.4    -3.6   -1.2       .1    -1.2    -2.8   
02-23      |   Finfish and shellfish...............................| 177.3   184.2   187.0    -8.9    1.5     10.1    -9.1     1.7   
02-3       |   Dairy products......................................| 139.4   138.1   137.7    -2.8    -.3      -.3    -1.4     -.4   
02-4       |   Processed fruits and vegetables 2/..................| 131.9   132.0   131.8     2.5    -.2       .5     -.3     -.2   
02-55      |   Confectionery end products 2/.......................| 173.5   175.2   175.2     2.7    0         .5     -.1     0     
02-62      |   Soft drinks.........................................| 148.6   151.9   151.6     2.6    -.2      1.0      .1     0     
02-63-01   |   Roasted coffee 2/...................................| 121.9   123.5   121.6    -2.3   -1.5      0        .2    -1.5   
02-78      |   Shortening and cooking oils 2/......................| 133.7   132.1   133.6     2.0    1.1     -1.1      .2     1.1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  FINISHED CONSUMER GOODS EXCLUDING FOODS..............| 135.4   137.2   139.2    -2.8    1.5      0       1.7      .9   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
02-61      |   Alcoholic beverages.................................| 146.7   146.9   147.1     1.4     .1       .1      .3      .3   
03-81-01   |   Women's apparel 2/..................................| 123.2   121.4   120.8    -2.5    -.5      -.2     -.8     -.5   
03-81-02   |   Men's and boys' apparel 2/..........................| 131.0   130.5   128.7    -2.8   -1.4       .1     -.2    -1.4   
03-81-03   |   Girls', children's, and infants' apparel 2/.........| 116.8   117.0   116.5      .1    -.4      0       0       -.4   
03-82      |   Textile housefurnishings 2/.........................| 122.9   122.0   121.9     -.6    -.1      -.1     0       -.1   
04-3       |   Footwear 2/.........................................| 145.9   145.8   145.7     -.7    -.1      0       -.1     -.1   
05-41      |   Residential electric power (Dec. 1990=100)..........| 114.4   112.8   112.7     -.7    -.1      -.3     -.1     -.1   
05-51      |   Residential gas (Dec. 1990=100).....................| 130.7   127.8   130.8   -24.0    2.3     -1.6      .8     3.0   
05-71      |   Gasoline............................................|  59.2    77.3    88.5   -15.6   14.5      4.5    21.3     4.2   
05-73-02-01|   Fuel oil No. 2......................................|  57.5    69.5    77.1   -11.2   10.9      2.8    19.7     8.8   
06-38      |   Pharmaceutical preparations (June 2001=100) 2/......| 100.3   101.2   101.6     (3)     .4       .4      .2      .4   
06-71      |   Soaps and synthetic detergents 2/...................| 131.0   130.1   130.1     -.3    0        0       -.8     0     
06-75      |   Cosmetics and other toilet preparations 2/..........| 138.1   139.8   139.8      .8    0        0        .9     0     
07-12      |   Tires, tubes, tread, etc 2/.........................|  94.6    95.7    95.2     1.7    -.5      1.4     1.1     -.5   
09-15-01   |   Sanitary papers and health products 2/..............| 150.4   147.4   150.9     3.1    2.4      -.9     0       2.4   
09-31-01   |   Newspaper circulation 2/............................| 223.0   223.7   223.7     2.2    0         .3     0       0     
09-32-01   |   Periodical circulation..............................| 203.1   206.1   208.6     4.4    1.2      1.2     -.8     1.3   
09-33      |   Book publishing.....................................| 230.9   234.5   233.7     4.2    -.3     -1.3     3.0     -.4   
12-1       |   Household furniture.................................| 155.6   156.8   156.8     1.4    0         .2      .1     0     
12-3       |   Floor coverings 2/..................................| 128.8   129.6   130.0    -1.1     .3     -1.9      .9      .3   
12-4       |   Household appliances ...............................| 105.2   104.7   104.9     -.5     .2      -.6      .1      .1   
12-5       |   Home electronic equipment 2/........................|  69.9    69.5    69.2    -2.9    -.4       .3     -.3     -.4   
12-62      |   Household glassware.................................| 169.9   171.5   170.0      .1    -.9      -.1      .7    -1.4   
12-64      |   Household flatware 2/...............................| 143.2   143.5   145.1     1.3    1.1       .3     -.1     1.1   
12-66      |   Lawn and garden equip., ex. tractors 2/.............| 133.3   132.1   134.7     1.7    2.0      -.5      .6     2.0   
14-11-01   |   Passenger cars......................................| 132.6   130.2   130.4    -2.5     .2      -.2     -.4     0     
15-11      |   Toys, games, and children's vehicles 2/.............| 124.0   124.6   124.6     1.3    0        -.1      .1     0     
15-12      |   Sporting and athletic goods 2/......................| 126.1   125.5   125.8     -.6     .2       .8     -.5      .2   
15-2       |   Tobacco products 2/.................................| 455.4   448.7   466.0     9.2    3.9      0        .1     3.9   
15-5       |   Mobile homes 2/.....................................| 165.6   166.1   167.7     3.1    1.0      -.1      .2     1.0   
15-94-02   |   Jewelry, platinum, & karat gold 2/..................| 129.4   130.5   129.3     2.1    -.9       .1      .3     -.9   
15-94-04   |   Costume jewelry and novelties 2/....................| 144.0   144.0   144.0      .1    0        0       0       0     
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | CAPITAL EQUIPMENT.....................................| 139.9   139.5   139.4     -.4    -.1       .1      .1     -.1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
11-1       |   Agricultural machinery and equipment 2/.............| 157.4   157.4   157.2      .9    -.1       .1      .5     -.1   
11-2       |   Construction machinery and equipment................| 148.8   149.3   149.5      .3     .1       .1      .1      .1   
11-37      |   Metal cutting machine tools 2/......................| 153.8   153.3   153.4    -6.3     .1       .1     -.4      .1   
11-38      |   Metal forming machine tools 2/......................| 165.6   166.6   166.5     1.2    -.1       .8     -.2     -.1   
11-39      |   Tools, dies, jigs, fixtures, and ind. molds 2/......| 141.2   140.8   140.0     -.4    -.6      -.3      .1     -.6   
11-41      |   Pumps, compressors, and equipment...................| 159.5   160.5   160.9     2.7     .2       .3      .1      .2   
11-44      |   Industrial material handling equipment 2/...........| 137.2   137.2   137.4      .6     .1      0       -.1      .1   
11-51      |   Electronic computers (Dec. 1998=100) 2/.............|  48.3    45.6    45.0   -26.9   -1.3     -4.1    -1.5    -1.3   
11-62      |   Textile machinery 2/................................| 159.7   157.4   157.7      .2     .2     -1.7      .2      .2   
11-64      |   Paper industries machinery (June 1982=100)..........| 167.5   168.2   168.1     1.1    -.1      -.1      .1      .1   
11-65      |   Printing trades machinery 2/........................| 142.7   142.9   142.3     -.8    -.4      -.2      .1     -.4   
11-74      |   Transformers and power regulators 2/................| 133.5   132.9   133.0    -1.5     .1      0       -.3      .1   
11-76      |   Communication & related equip. (Dec. 1985=100) 2/...| 109.0   108.3   108.6     -.9     .3       .5    -1.1      .3   
11-79-05   |   X-ray and electromedical equipment 2/...............| 100.7   100.6   100.6      .2    0       -1.1     1.0     0     
11-91      |   Oil field and gas field machinery ..................| 135.3   135.8   135.8     1.5    0        -.1      .4      .1   
11-92      |   Mining machinery and equipment 2/...................| 149.5   151.1   151.3     2.3     .1       .6     0        .1   
11-93      |   Office and store machines and equipment 2/..........| 113.3   113.2   114.3     2.1    1.0      -.1      .4     1.0   
12-2       |   Commercial furniture 2/.............................| 160.4   159.9   159.7     -.3    -.1      -.1     -.2     -.1   
14-11-05   |   Light motor trucks..................................| 156.1   153.9   152.9    -2.4    -.6       .6      .8    -1.4   
14-11-06   |   Heavy motor trucks 2/...............................| 148.8   151.7   151.9     3.5     .1       .5      .9      .1   
14-14      |   Truck trailers 2/...................................| 137.9   137.6   137.8     -.7     .1      0       -.4      .1   
14-21-02   |   Civilian aircraft (Dec. 1985=100)...................| 170.5   169.8   170.1     1.9     .2      0        .2      .2   
14-31      |   Ships (Dec. 1985=100) 2/............................| 150.4   150.2   149.1      .3    -.7       .9      .1     -.7   
14-4       |   Railroad equipment 2/...............................| 134.5   134.4   135.1     -.3     .5       .2     0        .5   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, AND COMPONENTS.......| 125.4   126.5   127.6    -2.4     .9      -.1     1.0      .9   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE FOODS AND FEEDS..........................| 114.0   114.4   113.7     -.4    -.6      0        .2     -.7   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
02-12-03   |   Flour 2/............................................| 111.4   113.8   107.9     -.4   -5.2      0        .3    -5.2   
02-53      |   Refined sugar 2/....................................| 113.1   116.5   118.8     9.8    2.0      0        .5     2.0   
02-54      |   Confectionery materials 2/..........................| 109.5   112.3   113.9     8.6    1.4     -1.0     -.4     1.4   
02-72      |   Crude vegetable oils 2/.............................|  73.8    70.7    72.1     8.4    2.0     -6.8      .9     2.0   
02-9       |   Prepared animal feeds 2/............................| 103.4   102.8   103.2      .9     .4     -1.2     1.4      .4   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS LESS FOODS AND FEEDS...........| 126.1   127.1   128.4    -2.4    1.0      -.1     1.0      .9   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
03-1       |   Synthetic fibers 2/.................................| 106.7   106.1   106.1    -4.6    0        -.2      .1     0     
03-2       |   Processed yarns and threads 2/......................| 102.6   102.1   102.7    -4.3     .6      -.3     -.1      .6   
03-3       |   Gray fabrics 2/.....................................| 112.6   111.1   112.8    -2.3    1.5     -2.0      .9     1.5   
03-4       |   Finished fabrics....................................| 121.4   121.3   121.1    -1.6    -.2      -.2     0       -.2   
03-83-03   |   Industrial textile products 2/......................| 133.1   133.5   134.1     1.9     .4      -.4      .2      .4   
04-2       |   Leather 2/..........................................| 194.4   196.7   197.9    -4.1     .6      1.9     -.4      .6   
05-32      |   Liquefied petroleum gas 2/..........................|  68.3   102.0   113.1   -18.2   10.9      1.7    23.8    10.9   
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
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 |                                                       |                       |Apr. 2002 from:|                         
   code    |                      Grouping                         |_______________________|_______________|________________________ 
           |                                                       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         
           |                                                       |Dec.   |Mar.   |Apr.   | Apr.  | Mar.  |Jan. to|Feb. to|Mar. to  
           |                                                       |2001 1/|2002 1/|2002 1/| 2001  | 2002  |  Feb. |  Mar. |  Apr.   
___________|_______________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________ 
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | INTERMEDIATE MATERIALS LESS FOODS AND FEEDS           |                                                                 
           |   -Continued..........................................|                                                                 
05-42      |   Commercial electric power...........................| 137.3   134.3   134.4     0.9    0.1     -0.6     0.7     0.6   
05-43      |   Industrial electric power...........................| 136.9   135.2   135.0     -.1    -.1      -.2    -2.8      .3   
05-52      |   Commercial natural gas (Dec. 1990=100)..............| 135.9   131.0   132.8   -27.1    1.4     -1.5     2.8     4.1   
05-53      |   Industrial natural gas (Dec. 1990=100)..............| 137.2   133.2   136.5   -29.9    2.5     -2.3     3.2     5.5   
05-54      |   Natural gas to electric utilities (Dec. 1990=100)...| 104.1    90.3   110.8   -34.9   22.7     -5.2    33.9    30.9   
05-72-03   |   Jet fuels...........................................|  56.7    61.3    68.8   -13.0   12.2     -7.3    13.1    10.4   
05-73-03   |   No. 2 Diesel fuel...................................|  56.2    69.4    77.9    -9.8   12.2     -1.1    24.1     7.5   
05-74      |   Residual fuel 2/....................................|  63.0    60.4    74.3    -3.4   23.0      0       4.9    23.0   
06-1       |   Industrial chemicals 2/.............................| 119.5   125.4   128.7    -2.7    2.6      1.7     4.0     2.6   
06-21      |   Prepared paint......................................| 164.8   167.3   168.7     2.6     .8      -.6      .6      .7   
06-22      |   Paint materials 2/..................................| 147.7   159.6   170.5    12.0    6.8      4.5     2.2     6.8   
06-31      |   Medicinal and botanical chemicals 2/................| 140.1   132.2   132.4    -5.8     .2      -.1      .8      .2   
06-4       |   Fats and oils, inedible.............................|  83.8    77.4    77.3    21.7    -.1      9.7    11.0     3.5   
06-51      |   Mixed fertilizers...................................| 114.8   113.8   113.2    -4.2    -.5     -1.3     1.2     -.6   
06-52-01   |   Nitrogenates........................................| 105.8   102.6   101.3   -40.9   -1.3     -5.2    -1.4     -.1   
06-52-02   |   Phosphates 2/.......................................|  90.4    99.9    99.6     1.5    -.3      1.5     2.1     -.3   
06-53      |   Other agricultural chemicals 2/.....................| 148.8   149.4   149.5     1.2     .1      -.3      .7      .1   
06-6       |   Plastic resins and materials 2/.....................| 123.9   119.0   123.1   -13.2    3.4      2.8    -3.6     3.4   
07-11-02   |   Synthetic rubber 2/.................................| 119.7   118.0   117.3    -5.6    -.6      -.8     -.2     -.6   
07-21      |   Plastic construction products ......................| 130.4   130.0   133.9     -.9    3.0     -1.0     -.6     2.3   
07-22      |   Unsupported plastic film, sheet, & other shapes 2/..| 135.0   134.4   138.6     -.1    3.1     -1.2      .4     3.1   
07-26      |   Plastic parts and components for manufacturing 2/...| 117.0   116.5   116.1     -.9    -.3      -.3     -.1     -.3   
08-11      |   Softwood lumber 2/..................................| 161.0   178.1   178.7     7.1     .3      1.2     2.7      .3   
08-12      |   Hardwood lumber ....................................| 177.3   176.2   177.0    -3.5     .5      -.8     -.1      .5   
08-2       |   Millwork 2/.........................................| 179.4   179.5   179.9     1.0     .2       .2      .2      .2   
08-3       |   Plywood 2/..........................................| 148.0   160.1   159.2     8.2    -.6      3.4     4.3     -.6   
09-11      |   Woodpulp 2/.........................................| 113.7   113.9   112.1   -16.5   -1.6      1.9    -2.3    -1.6   
09-13      |   Paper 2/............................................| 146.6   144.5   144.0    -6.3    -.3     -1.0     -.1     -.3   
09-14      |   Paperboard 2/.......................................| 167.0   162.8   162.6    -7.2    -.1      -.7     -.7     -.1   
09-15-03   |   Paper boxes and containers 2/.......................| 174.1   172.1   171.8    -2.3    -.2      -.5     -.6     -.2   
09-2       |   Building paper and board 2/.........................| 125.4   132.7   132.6     4.0    -.1      1.7     4.8     -.1   
09-37      |   Commercial printing (June 1982=100) 2/..............| 156.9   156.1   156.0    -1.5    -.1      -.1     -.5     -.1   
10-15      |   Foundry and forge shop products.....................| 136.9   136.8   136.9     -.1     .1      -.1     -.1      .1   
10-17      |   Steel mill products 2/..............................|  99.1    99.6   100.9    -1.0    1.3      -.3     1.7     1.3   
10-22      |   Primary nonferrous metals 2/........................|  98.8   103.3   102.5    -4.4    -.8      -.4     1.7     -.8   
10-25-01   |   Aluminum mill shapes 2/.............................| 145.1   145.7   142.4    -5.3   -2.3       .1      .3    -2.3   
10-25-02   |   Copper and brass mill shapes 2/.....................| 149.4   152.9   152.9    -2.7    0         .1     1.5     0     
10-26      |   Nonferrous wire and cable 2/........................| 138.3   135.4   134.9    -4.6    -.4     -1.5     -.4     -.4   
10-3       |   Metal containers 2/.................................| 106.3   108.9   107.1      .4   -1.7      1.9     0      -1.7   
10-4       |   Hardware 2/.........................................| 155.8   156.4   156.2     2.0    -.1      -.2      .1     -.1   
10-5       |   Plumbing fixtures and brass fittings................| 180.9   181.8   181.7      .7    -.1       .3     -.1     -.1   
10-6       |   Heating equipment 2/................................| 157.5   158.1   158.0      .8    -.1       .1      .4     -.1   
10-7       |   Fabricated structural metal products................| 144.3   144.0   144.3     -.4     .2      0       -.2      .3   
10-88      |   Fabricated ferrous wire products (June 1982=100) 2/.| 129.6   129.0   128.9    -1.0    -.1       .1      .1     -.1   
10-89      |   Other misc. metal products 2/.......................| 126.9   126.9   126.8     -.2    -.1       .1     0       -.1   
11-45      |   Mechanical power transmission equipment.............| 167.9   169.5   169.5     1.6    0         .1      .1     0     
11-48      |   Air conditioning and refrigeration equipment 2/.....| 136.1   136.4   136.7      .7     .2       .4     -.2      .2   
11-49-02   |   Metal valves, ex.fluid power (Dec. 1982=100) 2/.....| 165.3   167.0   166.8     1.2    -.1       .2      .4     -.1   
11-49-05   |   Ball and roller bearings............................| 169.6   170.1   169.1     -.2    -.6       .4      .2     -.5   
11-71      |   Wiring devices 2/...................................| 151.9   153.1   154.2     -.1     .7       .6      .1      .7   
11-73      |   Motors, generators, motor generator sets............| 146.4   146.7   146.4     -.3    -.2       .1     -.1     0     
11-75      |   Switchgear, switchboard, etc., equipment............| 157.6   158.7   158.6     1.3    -.1       .2      .3     -.1   
11-78      |   Electronic components and accessories 2/............|  92.7    93.7    93.3    -1.7    -.4      -.4     -.1     -.4   
11-94      |   Internal combustion engines.........................| 144.0   144.2   144.3      .4     .1       .1     0        .1   
11-95      |   Machine shop products 2/............................| 139.6   139.8   139.8     -.2    0        -.7      .1     0     
13-11      |   Flat glass 2/.......................................| 111.5   110.8   110.9    -1.2     .1       .2     -.4      .1   
13-22      |   Cement..............................................| 150.5   149.4   150.5      .1     .7       .1     -.1     -.5   
13-3       |   Concrete products...................................| 153.0   152.0   152.4      .7     .3      -.1    -1.0     -.1   
13-6       |   Asphalt felts and coatings..........................| 110.2   109.0   109.1     3.1     .1      0       -.8     -.7   
13-7       |   Gypsum products 2/..................................| 166.3   161.1   164.5     5.6    2.1      1.8    -3.5     2.1   
13-8       |   Glass containers 2/.................................| 133.2   134.9   134.7     1.1    -.1      -.4      .1     -.1   
14-12      |   Motor vehicle parts 2/..............................| 113.2   113.4   113.0     -.5    -.4       .3      .2     -.4   
14-23      |   Aircraft engines & engine parts (Dec. 1985=100).....| 146.2   146.6   146.4     1.0    -.1       .8     0        .2   
14-25      |   Aircraft parts & aux.equip.,nec (June 1985=100).....| 151.4   150.1   149.7     1.1    -.3      0        .1     -.3   
15-42      |   Photographic supplies 2/............................| 129.3   129.6   117.8    -8.9   -9.1      -.1     -.3    -9.1   
15-6       |   Medical/surgical/personal aid devices 2/............| 149.4   150.3   150.4     1.8     .1       .1      .1      .1   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           | CRUDE MATERIALS FOR FURTHER PROCESSING................|  94.7   102.3   107.9   -18.9    5.5      -.8     4.0     5.5   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  CRUDE FOODSTUFFS AND FEEDSTUFFS......................|  96.2   102.9    96.4   -11.7   -6.3      2.3    -1.3    -6.4   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-21      |   Wheat 2/............................................|  85.7    83.8    82.6     -.7   -1.4     -2.1    -1.3    -1.4   
01-22-02-05|   Corn................................................|  81.1    80.0    78.1     -.6   -2.4      -.4    -3.5      .8   
01-31      |   Slaughter cattle 2/.................................|  94.8   111.6   104.3   -11.8   -6.5      9.6     3.0    -6.5   
01-32      |   Slaughter hogs......................................|  52.6    61.0    50.1   -36.6  -17.9     -6.8   -11.2   -23.1   
01-41-02   |   Slaughter broilers/fryers...........................| 126.1   126.5   119.3   -12.2   -5.7      -.1    -3.1    -4.8   
01-42      |   Slaughter turkeys...................................| 110.7    95.9    93.6   -12.4   -2.4     -3.2    -5.9    -6.4   
01-6       |   Fluid milk 2/.......................................| 100.3    94.8    93.3   -13.8   -1.6       .6    -5.3    -1.6   
01-83-01-31|   Soybeans 2/.........................................|  73.6    76.8    78.5     7.1    2.2      -.9     4.1     2.2   
02-52-01-01|   Cane sugar,raw 2/...................................| 112.7   105.8   104.4    -7.5   -1.3     -2.1    -3.3    -1.3   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
           |  CRUDE NONFOOD MATERIALS..............................|  90.3    98.3   113.5   -21.6   15.5     -3.4     8.6    15.5   
           |                                                       |                                                                 
01-51-01-01|   Raw cotton 2/.......................................|  54.3    54.4    53.4   -25.8   -1.8      2.8    -2.7    -1.8   
01-92-01-01|   Leaf tobacco 2/.....................................| 115.2    81.7     (3)     (3)    (3)     -2.4   -26.5     (3)   
04-19      |   Hides and skins (June 2001=100) 2/..................|  71.7    75.7    75.8     (3)     .1      -.1     6.2      .1   
05-1       |   Coal 2/.............................................|  97.0   102.2   101.2     5.1   -1.0     -1.6     4.7    -1.0   
05-31      |   Natural gas 2/......................................|  90.5    93.0   129.7   -41.2   39.5    -20.7    19.7    39.5   
05-61      |   Crude petroleum 2/..................................|  45.4    61.3    70.6    -5.2   15.2     13.3    16.1    15.2   
08-5       |   Logs, timber, etc...................................| 178.7   179.3   180.7    -1.6     .8      -.5     2.5     1.0   
09-12      |   Wastepaper 2/.......................................| 139.1   137.0   145.0    -4.0    5.8     -1.4    -2.1     5.8   
10-11      |   Iron ore 2/.........................................|  96.3    95.2    95.4     -.9     .2      0        .2      .2   
10-12      |   Iron and steel scrap................................| 111.6   122.9   135.7    12.6   10.4      5.2     2.5    10.8   
10-21      |   Nonferrous metal ores (Dec. 1983=100) 2/............|  61.2    65.2    66.0     5.9    1.2      7.4    -2.8     1.2   
10-23-01   |   Copper base scrap 2/................................| 105.0   108.8   112.0    -7.4    2.9      1.3     1.2     2.9   
10-23-02   |   Aluminum base scrap.................................| 144.7   156.2   161.1    -3.1    3.1      -.7     2.8     4.9   
13-21      |   Construction sand, gravel, and crushed stone........| 169.7   171.6   172.2     2.3     .3       .4     0        .1   
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
                                                                                                                                     
1/  The indexes for December 2001 have been recalculated to incorporate              2/  Not seasonally adjusted.                    
    late reports and corrections by respondents.  All indexes are                    3/  Not available.                              
    subject to 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                    | Dec. 2001 |March 2002 |April 2002 | 
_________|________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________| 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         | Finished Goods (1967=100)......................|   385.6   |   389.7   |   390.0   | 
         | All commodities................................|   128.1   |   129.9   |   131.0   | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         |            MAJOR COMMODITY GROUPS              |           |           |           | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         | Farm products and processed foods and feeds....|   122.8   |   126.0   |   122.0   | 
01       |   Farm products................................|    96.6   |   104.2   |    94.1   | 
02       |   Processed foods and feeds....................|   135.8   |   136.7   |   135.9   | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         | Industrial commodities.........................|   129.1   |   130.6   |   132.6   | 
03       |   Textile products and apparel.................|   120.4   |   119.8   |   119.6   | 
04       |   Hides, skins, leather, and related products..|   152.4   |   154.7   |   154.8   | 
05       |   Fuels and related products and power.........|    82.6   |    87.9   |    94.6   | 
06       |   Chemicals and allied products 2/.............|   147.1   |   149.1   |   151.2   | 
07       |   Rubber and plastic products..................|   126.4   |   125.7   |   126.2   | 
08       |   Lumber and wood products.....................|   170.6   |   175.4   |   175.9   | 
09       |   Pulp, paper, and allied products.............|   184.2   |   184.4   |   184.7   | 
10       |   Metals and metal products....................|   123.6   |   124.4   |   125.0   | 
11       |   Machinery and equipment......................|   123.3   |   123.4   |   123.3   | 
12       |   Furniture and household durables.............|   133.1   |   133.2   |   133.3   | 
13       |   Nonmetallic mineral products.................|   145.2   |   144.8   |   145.2   | 
14       |   Transportation equipment.....................|   146.0   |   145.4   |   145.1   | 
15       |   Miscellaneous products.......................|   183.3   |   181.5   |   182.6   | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         | Industrial commodities less fuels and related  |           |           |           | 
         |   products and power...........................|   142.2   |   142.5   |   142.8   | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
         |             OTHER COMMODITY GROUPINGS          |           |           |           | 
         |                                                |           |           |           | 
01-1     | Fruits and melons, fresh and dry vegetables,   |           |           |           | 
         |   and tree nuts................................|   123.1   |   148.6   |   103.0   | 
01-2     | Grains.........................................|    82.6   |    81.3   |    79.4   | 
01-3     | Slaughter livestock............................|    84.0   |    98.4   |    90.1   | 
01-4     | Slaughter poultry..............................|   121.4   |   118.8   |   112.7   | 
01-5     | Plant and animal fibers........................|    54.8   |    55.2   |    54.3   | 
01-7     | Chicken eggs...................................|    89.7   |   102.4   |    81.2   | 
01-8     | Hay, hayseeds, and oilseeds....................|   103.0   |   105.2   |   108.8   | 
01-83    | Oilseeds.......................................|    85.3   |    88.7   |    90.6   | 
01-9     | Other farm products............................|   171.8   |   121.9   |  'N.A.'   | 
02-1     | Cereal and bakery products.....................|   162.9   |   163.8   |   162.9   | 
02-2     | Meats, poultry, and fish.......................|   120.9   |   123.1   |   120.4   | 
02-22    | Processed poultry..............................|   116.7   |   114.1   |   110.9   | 
02-5     | Sugar and confectionery........................|   138.7   |   140.4   |   141.1   | 
02-6     | Beverages and beverage materials...............|   146.4   |   148.2   |   148.1   | 
02-63    | Packaged beverage materials....................|   123.0   |   124.3   |   122.7   | 
02-7     | Fats and oils..................................|   108.2   |   106.4   |   107.5   | 
03-81    | Apparel........................................|   126.3   |   125.3   |   124.4   | 
04-4     | Other leather and related products.............|   147.1   |   148.7   |   147.8   | 
05-3     | Gas fuels......................................|    83.6   |    94.6   |   123.9   | 
05-4     | Electric power.................................|   135.6   |   133.4   |   133.4   | 
05-7     | Refined petroleum products.....................|    59.2   |    72.3   |    82.1   | 
06-3     | Drugs and pharmaceuticals......................|   263.1   |   263.5   |   264.1   | 
06-5     | Agricultural chemicals and products............|   121.0   |   123.5   |   123.1   | 
06-7     | Other chemicals and allied products............|   139.5   |   139.8   |   139.9   | 
07-1     | Rubber and rubber products.....................|   116.4   |   116.7   |   116.4   | 
07-11    | Rubber, except natural rubber..................|   119.1   |   117.4   |   116.7   | 
07-13    | Miscellaneous rubber products..................|   139.8   |   140.1   |   140.2   | 
07-2     | Plastic products...............................|   134.3   |   133.2   |   134.0   | 
08-1     | Lumber.........................................|   164.1   |   174.5   |   175.1   | 
09-1     | Pulp, paper, and products, excluding building  |           |           |           | 
         |   paper and board..............................|   155.3   |   153.1   |   153.7   | 
09-15    | Converted paper and paperboard products........|   164.7   |   162.7   |   163.7   | 
10-1     | Iron and steel.................................|   107.3   |   108.7   |   110.9   | 
10-2     | Nonferrous metals..............................|   118.8   |   120.6   |   120.5   | 
10-25    | Nonferrous mill shapes.........................|   137.8   |   138.9   |   136.8   | 
11-3     | Metalworking machinery and equipment...........|   150.4   |   150.4   |   150.3   | 
11-4     | General purpose machinery and equipment........|   153.3   |   154.0   |   154.1   | 
11-6     | Special industry machinery.....................|   165.0   |   164.8   |   164.4   | 
11-7     | Electrical machinery and equipment.............|   116.7   |   117.1   |   117.0   | 
11-9     | Miscellaneous machinery and equipment..........|   135.9   |   136.2   |   136.3   | 
12-6     | Other household durable goods..................|   157.7   |   157.9   |   158.6   | 
13-2     | Concrete ingredients...........................|   159.7   |   160.5   |   161.3   | 
14-1     | Motor vehicles and equipment...................|   132.0   |   131.0   |   130.7   | 
15-1     | Toys, sporting goods, small arms, etc..........|   133.5   |   133.5   |   133.7   | 
15-4     | Photographic equipment and supplies............|   111.8   |   111.4   |   104.8   | 
15-9     | Other miscellaneous products...................|   139.1   |   139.0   |   138.9   | 
__________________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________| 
                                                                                                
1/  Data for December 2001 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 major industry groups, not seasonally adjusted             
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                  |                                              |     |         Index         |  Percent change  
  Industry        |                Industry 1/                   |Index|_______________________|to_Apr._2002_from:
    code          |                                              |base |       |       |       |        |         
                  |                                              |     |Dec.   |Mar.   |Apr.   |  Apr.  |  Mar.   
                  |                                              |     |2001 2/|2002 2/|2002 2/|  2001  |  2002   
__________________|______________________________________________|_____|_______|_______|_______|________|_________
                  |                                              |     |                                          
                  |Total mining industries...................... |12/84|  77.6    86.0    99.9    -24.4     16.2  
       10         | Metal mining................................ |12/84|  68.9    71.8    72.4      3.9       .8  
       12         | Coal mining................................. |12/85|  92.5    95.3    94.3      3.7     -1.0  
       13         | Oil and gas extraction...................... |12/85|  78.3    90.2   112.1    -26.1     24.3  
       14         | Mining and quarrying of non-metallic         |     |                                          
                  |  minerals, except fuels..................... |12/84| 141.5   143.1   142.9      1.5      -.1  
                  |                                              |     |                                          
                  |Total manufacturing industries............... |12/84| 131.6   132.9   133.8     -1.3       .7  
       20         | Food and kindred products................... |12/84| 131.7   132.3   131.6      -.7      -.5  
       21         | Tobacco manufactures........................ |12/84| 398.2   392.1   407.9      9.6      4.0  
       22         | Textile mill products....................... |12/84| 116.1   115.5   115.7     -1.5       .2  
       23         | Apparel and other finished products made     |     |                                          
                  |  from fabrics and similar materials......... |12/84| 125.3   125.5   125.1      -.6      -.3  
       24         | Lumber and wood products, except furniture.. |12/84| 153.4   156.9   157.1      1.5       .1  
       25         | Furniture and fixtures...................... |12/84| 145.5   145.9   145.7       .6      -.1  
       26         | Paper and allied products................... |12/84| 144.8   142.8   143.2     -2.8       .3  
       27         | Printing, publishing, and allied industries. |12/84| 190.2   192.3   192.2      1.9      -.1  
       28         | Chemicals and allied products............... |12/84| 154.3   154.8   156.0     -3.3       .8  
       29         | Petroleum refining and related products..... |12/84|  75.9    89.0   100.2    -13.0     12.6  
       30         | Rubber and miscellaneous plastic products... |12/84| 125.2   124.8   124.8     -1.2    0      
       31         | Leather and leather products................ |12/84| 140.3   140.7   140.5     -1.3      -.1  
       32         | Stone, clay, glass, and concrete products... |12/84| 136.7   136.2   136.5       .4       .2  
       33         | Primary metal industries.................... |12/84| 114.0   114.4   114.7     -1.8       .3  
       34         | Fabricated metal products, except machinery  |     |                                          
                  |  and transportation equipment............... |12/84| 131.2   131.4   131.4       .3    0      
       35         | Machinery, except electrical................ |12/84| 117.8   117.7   117.6      -.3      -.1  
       36         | Electrical and electronic machinery,         |     |                                          
                  |  equipment, and supplies.................... |12/84| 106.6   106.8   106.5      -.7      -.3  
       37         | Transportation equipment.................... |12/84| 138.6   137.9   137.7      -.4      -.1  
       38         | Measuring and controlling instruments;       |     |                                          
                  |  photographic, medical, optical goods;       |     |                                          
                  |  watches, clocks............................ |12/84| 127.7   128.4   128.1       .6      -.2  
       39         | Miscellaneous manufacturing industries...... |12/85| 132.7   132.9   133.1       .6       .2  
                  |                                              |     |                                          
                  |Services industries                           |     |                                          
       40         | Railroad transportation..................... |12/96| 105.8   106.3   106.2      2.4     -0.1  
       42         | Motor freight transportation and warehousing |06/93| 123.1   123.2   123.8       .9       .5  
       43         | United States Postal Service................ |06/89| 145.4   145.4   145.4      2.9    0      
       44         | Water transportation........................ |12/92| 129.7   128.7   127.6      1.8      -.9  
       45         | Transportation by air....................... |12/92| 157.1   164.4   160.2      1.7     -2.6  
       46         | Pipe lines, except natural gas.............. |12/86| 112.0   111.3   111.3      2.1    0      
       54         | Food stores................................. |12/99| 110.4   112.4   114.1      5.4      1.5  
       59         | Miscellaneous retail........................ |06/00|  99.0   101.1   100.3    0          -.8  
       80         | Health services............................. |12/94| 117.6   117.9   118.3      2.0       .3  
       81         | Legal services.............................. |12/96| 118.9   120.7   121.0      3.2       .2  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 December 2001 have been recalculated to incorporate late reports and corrections by respondents.
   All indexes are subject to revision 4 months after original publication.


                                   

Table 5.  Producer price indexes by stage of processing, seasonally adjusted
(1982=100)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                       |
                                                       |                      Index 1/   
                                                       |_____________________________________________________
               Grouping                                |        |        |        |        |        |        
                                                       |  Nov.  |  Dec.  |  Jan.  |  Feb.  |  Mar.  |  Apr.  
                                                       |  2001  |  2001  |  2002  |  2002  |  2002  |  2002  
_______________________________________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________
                                                       |                                                     
      Finished goods...................................|  138.3    137.8    137.8    138.1    139.5    139.2
        Finished consumer goods........................|  138.4    137.7    137.8    138.3    140.1    139.8
          Finished consumer foods......................|  140.9    140.7    141.8    143.2    144.1    139.5
            Crude......................................|  122.9    128.2    138.2    145.3    159.9    115.5
            Processed..................................|  142.3    141.7    142.0    143.0    142.6    141.5
          Finished consumer goods, excluding foods.....|  137.1    136.3    136.0    136.0    138.3    139.5
            Nondurable goods less foods................|  137.1    135.7    135.5    135.6    138.7    140.6
            Durable goods..............................|  133.1    133.7    133.5    133.3    133.7    133.4
        Capital equipment..............................|  139.4    139.6    139.3    139.4    139.5    139.3
          Manufacturing industries.....................|  140.3    140.3    140.0    140.2    140.2    139.9
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|  139.0    139.3    139.0    139.0    139.1    138.9
                                                       |
      Intermediate materials, supplies, and components.|  126.7    125.9    125.7    125.6    126.9    128.0
        Materials and components for manufacturing.....|  125.4    124.8    124.6    124.8    125.3    125.6
          Materials for food manufacturing.............|  124.2    122.7    123.3    123.9    123.5    122.2
          Materials for nondurable manufacturing.......|  127.3    126.3    124.9    125.6    126.6    128.3
          Materials for durable manufacturing..........|  122.8    122.5    122.7    122.7    123.6    123.6
          Components for manufacturing.................|  126.3    126.3    126.5    126.4    126.5    126.3
        Materials and components for construction......|  150.3    150.1    150.4    150.3    150.4    150.9
        Processed fuels and lubricants.................|   94.2     91.6     90.8     90.2     94.9     99.1
          Manufacturing industries ....................|   97.7     96.0     96.0     95.4     97.1    100.5
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|   92.0     88.8     87.8     87.0     93.7     98.3
        Containers.....................................|  152.3    152.3    152.5    152.3    151.6    151.2
        Supplies.......................................|  138.3    138.2    138.3    138.1    138.3    138.5
          Manufacturing industries.....................|  144.9    144.7    144.9    144.5    144.3    144.5
          Nonmanufacturing industries..................|  135.5    135.4    135.5    135.3    135.7    135.8
            Feeds......................................|   96.2     95.3     94.4     93.1     94.6     95.0
            Other supplies.............................|  140.3    140.2    140.4    140.4    140.6    140.8
                                                       |
      Crude materials for further processing...........|  102.9     95.5     99.0     98.2    102.1    107.7
        Foodstuffs and feedstuffs......................|   99.9     97.6    101.7    104.0    102.7     96.1
        Nonfood materials..............................|  101.3     90.6     93.5     90.3     98.1    113.3
          Nonfood materials except fuel 2/.............|   88.1     84.0     84.2     88.4     92.9    100.0
            Manufacturing 2/...........................|   80.4     76.5     76.7     80.7     84.9     91.6
            Construction...............................|  180.9    180.1    178.2    177.9    179.4    180.8
          Crude fuel 3/................................|  111.2     92.6     99.0     83.4     96.2    123.3
            Manufacturing industries...................|  107.9     90.4     96.8     82.2     94.3    119.3
            Nonmanufacturing industries................|  113.5     94.4    101.0     85.0     98.0    125.8
                                                       |
                     Special groupings                 |
                                                       |
      Finished goods, excluding foods..................|  137.4    136.9    136.6    136.6    138.1    138.9
      Intermediate materials less foods and feeds......|  127.3    126.6    126.4    126.3    127.6    128.8
      Intermediate foods and feeds.....................|  115.6    114.3    114.4    114.4    114.6    113.8
      Crude materials less agricultural products 2/....|  102.0     91.0     94.0     90.7     99.3    115.0
                                                       |
      Finished energy goods............................|   85.9     83.3     83.2     83.5     88.1     90.3
      Finished goods less energy.......................|  147.5    147.7    147.6    148.0    148.3    147.3
      Finished consumer goods less energy..............|  150.9    151.0    151.1    151.6    152.1    150.7
                                                       |
      Finished goods less foods and energy.............|  150.1    150.4    150.0    150.0    150.2    150.3
      Finished consumer goods less foods and energy....|  157.3    157.7    157.2    157.0    157.3    157.8
      Consumer nondurable goods less foods and energy..|  176.7    176.7    176.1    175.9    176.1    177.4
                                                       |
      Intermediate energy goods........................|   93.9     91.2     90.4     89.8     94.5     98.7
      Intermediate materials less energy...............|  133.8    133.5    133.4    133.5    133.8    134.1
      Intermediate materials less foods and energy.....|  135.0    134.7    134.7    134.7    135.1    135.4
                                                       |
      Crude energy materials 2/........................|   90.4     76.8     81.0     75.7     87.2    106.7
      Crude materials less energy......................|  106.5    104.6    107.5    109.6    108.5    104.9
      Crude nonfood materials less energy 3/...........|  126.4    125.8    125.1    127.0    126.1    130.7
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  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 December 2001 have been
      recalculated to incorporate late reports and corrections by respondents.
  2/  Includes crude petroleum.
  3/  Excludes crude petroleum.
Technical Note



                Brief Explanation of Producer Price Indexes

     The term Producer Price Index (PPI) refers to a family of indexes that
measure the average change over time in the selling 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 may differ due to
government subsidies, sales and excise taxes, and distribution costs.

     More than 10,000 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 transportation, utilities, trade, finance, and services  sectors of the
economy.

     More than 100,000 price quotations per month are organized into three
sets of producer price indexes: (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 (tables 1, 2, and 5)
organizes products by class of buyer and degree of fabrication.  The
commodity structure (tables 2 and 3) 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 (table 4).

     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; and nondurable goods such as apparel
and home heating oil.  Capital equipment includes producer 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.

     Producer price indexes for the net output of industries and their
products are grouped according to the Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC).  Industry price indexes are compatible with other economic time
series organized by SIC codes, such as data on employment, wages, and
productivity.  Table 4 lists indexes for the net output of major mining and
manufacturing industry groups at the 2-digit level.

     Producer price indexes 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 are also 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 are normally reported by mail questionnaire for
the Tuesday of the week containing the 13th.

    Price data are provided on a voluntary and confidential basis; no one
but sworn BLS employees are allowed access to individual company price
reports.  The Bureau publishes price indexes instead of unit dollar prices.
All producer price indexes are routinely subject to revision once, 4 months
after original publication, to reflect the availability of late reports and
corrections by respondents.

    The 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 every 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 service industries includes the month in which
an article describing the industry's content appeared in the PPI Detailed
Report:

		                                 PPI Detailed	
        Industry                     SIC     Report Issue	
			
Wireless Telecommunications          4812     July 1999	
Telephone Communications, Except 
   Radio Telephone                   4813     July 1995
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
Life Insurance Carriers              6311     January 1999	
Property and Casualty Insurance      6331     July 1998	
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	


     Weights for most traditional commodity groupings of the PPI, as well
as all indexes (such as stage-of-processing indexes) calculated from
traditional commodity groupings, currently reflect 1992 values of shipments
as reported in the Census of Manufactures and other sources.  From January
1992 through December 1995, PPI weights were derived from 1987 shipment
values.  Industry indexes shown in table 4 are also now calculated with
1992 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 in one industry to establishments classified in another
industry.  However, weights for commodity price indexes are based on gross
shipment values, including shipment values between establishments within
the same industry. As a result, broad commodity grouping indexes such as
the all commodities index 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 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.

     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 changes to previously published percent changes for
affected PPI series. (See "Calculating Index Changes," below.) The new
reference base is not used for indexes with a base later than December
1981, nor for indexes for the net output of industries 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. Reprints are available
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on request.

                         Calculating Index Changes

     Each index measures price changes from a reference period which equals
100.0 (1982 or some later month). 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 can also be expressed in dollars as follows:
"Prices received by domestic producers of a systematic sample of finished
goods have risen from $100 in 1982 to $105.50 today." Likewise, a current
index of 90.0 would indicate that prices received by producers of finished
goods today 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 because
index point changes are affected by the level of the index in relation to
its base period, whereas percent changes are not.  The example below 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, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes seasonally adjusted and
unadjusted changes each month.  Seasonally adjusted data are preferred for
analyzing general price trends in the economy because they 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 in escalating
long-term contracts such as purchasing agreements or real estate leases.
(See Escalation and Producer Price Indexes:  A Guide for Contracting
Parties, BLS Report 807, September 1991, available on request from BLS.)

     For more information, 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.