Cost lines, with sources
Public figures behind the weekly email. A producer price index tracks what US producers are paid for their goods over time. It is an index number, not a price in dollars. Each figure names its month, says if it is preliminary, and links to the table it came from.
The producer price index for steel mill products was 388.580 in September 2026, up 27.6% from 304.579 in September 2025 (preliminary).
The producer price index for aluminum mill shapes was 370.480 in September 2026, up 25.2% from 295.898 in September 2025 (preliminary).
81,049 US manufacturing firms had 10 to 99 employees in 2022, about a third of all 239,265 manufacturing firms.
Guess the move
Question 1
The steel mill products price index went from 304.579 (September 2025) to 388.580 (September 2026, preliminary). About how big a rise is that?
- About 18%
- About 28%
- About 38%
Question 2
Example numbers: steel is $6.00 of a part that costs $23.00 to make. Steel goes up 27.6%, the size of the BLS steel index rise from September 2025 to September 2026 (preliminary). About how much does the cost of the part go up?
- About 7%
- About 14%
- About 28%
Question 3
The producer price index for No. 2 diesel fuel went from 313.893 (September 2025) to 675.626 (September 2026, preliminary). About how big a change is that?
- Up about 15%
- Up about 115%
- Up about 215%
Answers
- About 28%. 388.580 divided by 304.579 is about 1.276, a rise of 27.6%. BLS, PPI series WPU1017
- About 7%. $6.00 times 27.6% is about $1.66. $1.66 divided by $23.00 is about 7.2%. Steel is about a quarter of this part, so the part moves about a quarter as much as steel. BLS, PPI series WPU1017
- Up about 115%. 675.626 divided by 313.893 is about 2.152, a rise of 115.2%. The index more than doubled. BLS, PPI series WPU057303