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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Producer Price Indexes > About > Notices

Rebasing of Selected Producer Price Indexes

Effective with the release of data for May 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has rebased 37 PPI commodity-based and 36 PPI industry-based price indexes to December 1998=100. Most of these data can normally be found in table 5 and table 6 of the PPI Detailed Report. To be considered for rebasing, an index must have dropped below 30.0, with little chance of rising to previous levels, or the index must be part of an index aggregate where the majority of the shipment value was rebased. The indexes for high-technology goods such as computers and semiconductors were most affected by this rebasing. (See the tables below.)

Rebasing is beneficial when indexes decline to such a low level that relatively sizable month-to-month price changes are not reflected in the index in a timely fashion. For example, the first-released index for April 1999 for portable computers stood at 9.1 (December 1992=100). This index level is so low that prices must change approximately 1.0 percent for the published index to indicate a change. Of course, a 1.0-percent movement in prices may accumulate over, say, two months, but the lack of precision at this low index level could place the entire price change in the second month.

The general index base for the PPI program remains 1982=100. Only the indexes listed in the attached tables are affected by this change. For further information on this change, please contact the Section of Index Analysis at (202) 691-7705.

Table C. Commodity indexes selected for rebasing

Commodity code	Commodity title	Final December 1998 index before rebasing
05810111	Petroleum coke	10.0
102108	Uranium-radium-vanadium ores	NA
10210802	Uranium concentrated and precipitates	NA
10220141	Cadmium metal, 99.90 pct. min.	10.1
115	Electronic computers and computer equipment	30.2
1151	Electronic computers	21.8
115101	Electronic computers	21.8
11510111	Large-scale general purpose computers	60.2
11510112	Mid-range general purpose computers	41.4
11510114	Personal computers and workstations	13.3
11510115	Portable computers	10.7
11510121	Other computers	85.5
1152	Computer storage devices	38.5
115201	Computer storage devices, except parts	35.4
11520101	Computer storage devices, except parts	35.4
115202	Parts and components	NA
11520201	Parts and components	NA
1153	Computer terminals and parts	88.7
115301	Computer terminals	90.0
11530101	Computer terminals	90.0
115302	Computer terminal parts and subassemblies	NA
11530201	Computer terminal parts and subassemblies	NA
1154	Computer peripheral equipment and parts	77.6
115401	Optical scanning devices	82.1
11540101	Optical scanning devices	82.1
115402	Computer printers	62.0
11540201	Computer printers	62.0
115403	Other input/output devices, inc. monitors	70.5
11540301	Other input/output devices, inc. monitors	70.5
115404	Other peripheral equipment	87.1
11540401	Other peripheral equipment	87.1
115405	Parts for computer peripheral equipment	101.4
11540501	Parts for computer peripheral equipment	101.4
117842	Digital MOS integrated circuits	18.5
11784221	MOS, memory	13.7
11784223	Other MOS, incl. logic, MCU and MPR	54.7
11784225	MOS, microprocessors	6.1

Table D. Industry-based indexes selected for rebasing

Product code	Product title	Final December 1998 index before rebasing
2037197	Citrus pulp and other nonedible citrus byproducts	17.2
2911D21	Petroleum coke, made in refineries	10.0
3571	Electronic computers	26.6
3571P	Primary products	21.3
35711	General purpose digital computers	27.1
357111	Large-scale (64 MB or more in minimum main memory configuration)	49.0
357112	Mid-range (<64 MB min. main memory) excl. PCs and workstations	41.4
357114	Personal computers and workstations (excluding portable computers)	13.3
357115	Portable computers (with attached display)	10.7
35712	Other computers	85.5
357121	Other computers (array, database, image processors, & other analog, hybrid, or special purpose)	NA
3571M	Miscellaneous receipts	51.1
3571XY9	Contract work and other miscellaneous receipts	NA
3571Z89	Resales	NA
3571S	Secondary products	61.9
3571SS	Other secondary products	75.3
3572	Computer storage devices	42.2
3572P	Primary products	39.2
35721	Computer storage devices, except parts	35.4
357211	Random access storage devices	24.4
3572111	Hard disk drives (rigid magnetic media)	18.1
35721115	With media size smaller than 3.5 inches	NA
35721117	With media size of 3.5 inches and over but less than 5.25 inches	14.2
35721141	With media size of 5.25 inches and over	NA
35721145	Disk subsystems and disk arrays (RAID)	45.3
3674	Semiconductors and related devices	69.3
3674P	Primary products	55.2
36741	Integrated circuits	41.3
36741A	Digital monolithic integrated circuits	23.6
36741A1	MOS memory devices	11.2
36741A101	DRAM (dynamic random access memory)	13.1
36741A109	Other MOS memory devices	73.0
36741A2	Other digital MOS integrated circuits	45.4
36741A201	Microprocessors	5.6
36741A209	All other digital MOS integrated circuits	98.8
36741A9	Other digital integrated circuits, including bipolar and nonsilicon	81.6

Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001