RSMeans Cost Data: How to Use It for Accurate Construction Estimates

RSMeans is a construction cost database published by Gordian. Estimators use it for conceptual budgets (including its assemblies and square-foot models), checking subcontractor numbers, pricing change orders, and filling gaps in their own historical data. It is useful only if you understand what each column means and where national-average data stops being reliable.

This guide covers how a unit cost line is structured, how daily output becomes labor-hours, how to localize cost with the City Cost Index, and common mistakes.

How an RSMeans Unit Cost Line Is Structured

RSMeans unit cost data is organized by CSI MasterFormat, so a concrete line sits under Division 03 Concrete, a CMU wall under Division 04 Masonry, and so on. Each line item generally carries the same set of fields:

Field	What it tells you	How estimators use it
Line number	MasterFormat-based identifier	Traceability back to the source
Description	Item, size, method	Confirm it matches your spec, not just the name
Crew	Alphanumeric crew code	Look up the crew makeup in the Crew Tables
Daily output	Units the crew installs in an 8-hour day	Duration and crew-day planning
Labor-hours	Labor-hours per unit	Labor pricing at your own wage rates
Unit	CY, SF, LF, EA, SFCA, etc.	Must match your takeoff unit
Bare material	Material cost, no markup	Base for material pricing
Bare labor	Labor cost at the book’s wage rates, no markup	Base for labor pricing
Bare equipment	Equipment cost, no markup	Base for equipment pricing
Bare total	Sum of the three bare costs	Direct cost before markups
Total incl. O&P	Bare costs with the installing contractor’s overhead and profit added	Checking sub quotes, pricing change orders

Bare costs vs. “Total incl. O&P”

The bare columns are direct costs with no markup. The “Total Including O&P” column adds overhead and profit for the contractor performing the work. That distinction matters:

• If you are a GC self-performing work, start from bare costs and apply your own labor burden, overhead, and fee.
• If you are checking a subcontractor’s price, the O&P column is closer to what a sub would charge you.
• Do not take the O&P column and then add your full overhead and profit on top as if it were bare cost. That double-counts markup.

Crew codes, daily output, and labor-hours

Each line references a crew. The Crew Tables list who is on that crew (for example, a foreman, several laborers, an equipment operator) and any equipment, with the daily cost of each. Daily output is how many units that crew typically installs in one 8-hour day under normal conditions.

Labor-hours per unit follow directly from those two numbers:

Labor-hours per unit = (workers on crew x 8 hours) / daily output

For a crew of four workers with a daily output of 80 CY: (4 x 8) / 80 = 32 / 80 = 0.400 labor-hours per CY.

The labor-hours column is often more useful than the bare labor dollars, because you can multiply it by your own burdened wage rate instead of relying on the book’s wage assumptions. See our labor burden guide for building that rate.

Worked Example: Localizing a Unit Cost with the City Cost Index

The numbers below are illustrative, chosen to show the method. They are not quoted from any specific RSMeans edition. Use the current data set and your local supplier and labor pricing for a real bid.

Example: 60 CY of footing concrete placed by a four-person crew.

Inputs (illustrative national-average bare costs per CY):

• Bare material: $150.00
• Bare labor: $22.00
• Bare equipment: $6.00
• Bare total: $150.00 + $22.00 + $6.00 = $178.00 per CY
• Daily output: 80 CY; crew of 4 workers (0.400 labor-hours per CY)

Step 1: Quantity-driven labor and duration

• Labor-hours: 60 CY x 0.400 = 24.0 labor-hours
• Crew-days: 60 CY / 80 CY per day = 0.75 crew-days (in practice you would schedule a full day)

Step 2: Apply the City Cost Index

The City Cost Index (CCI) expresses local costs relative to a national average of 100. RSMeans publishes separate material and installation indexes for each location by division, plus a weighted total. Assume an illustrative location with:

• Division 03 material index: 102.5
• Division 03 installation index: 118.0

Material is adjusted by the material index, and labor plus equipment by the installation index:

• Adjusted material: $150.00 x 1.025 = $153.75 per CY
• Adjusted installation: ($22.00 + $6.00) x 1.180 = $28.00 x 1.180 = $33.04 per CY
• Adjusted bare total: $153.75 + $33.04 = $186.79 per CY
• Extended: $186.79 x 60 CY = $11,207.40, or about $11,210

Step 3: Compare with a single weighted index

If you had used an illustrative weighted total index of 108.0 on the whole bare cost instead:

• $178.00 x 1.080 = $192.24 per CY
• $192.24 x 60 CY = $11,534.40

That is $327.00 higher ($11,534.40 - $11,207.40), because concrete is material-heavy and the weighted index assumes a different material/labor mix. On a large package, split indexes by division are noticeably more accurate than one blanket factor.

Adjusting for time

If you are using older data, RSMeans also publishes a Historical Cost Index. The adjustment is a ratio:

Cost now = cost then x (index now / index then)

For example, with illustrative indexes of 275.0 now and 250.0 then, the factor is 275.0 / 250.0 = 1.100, so a $10,000 historical cost becomes $11,000. Apply the time adjustment and the location adjustment separately, and be aware that a broad index will not capture a sharp swing in one commodity such as copper wire or rebar.

Where National Averages Fall Short

RSMeans represents typical conditions, and real projects rarely are. Treat it as a reasonableness check and starting point, not a final bid price. Common gaps:

• Local market conditions. A busy market with few available subs can push prices well above what any index predicts.
• Prevailing wage and union work. Your actual wage and fringe package may differ substantially from the book’s assumptions. Price labor from labor-hours and your own rates.
• Productivity. Daily output assumes normal access, reasonable quantities, and standard working hours. High-rise work, congested MEP rooms, occupied renovations, winter concreting, and small quantities all reduce productivity.
• Material volatility. Steel, copper, and some specialty items can move faster than annual data updates. Get current supplier quotes for major materials.
• Scope definition. A line item describes one specific method. If your spec calls for a different finish, tighter tolerances than ACI 117, or a different testing regime, the line may not match.
• Bonds, insurance, and general conditions. These are generally priced separately, not buried in unit costs. See our general conditions guide.

RSMeans Checklist

• Note the RSMeans edition or release date in your estimate.
• Match the line description to the spec, not just the item name.
• Check that your takeoff unit matches the RSMeans unit (CY vs. CF, SFCA vs. SF, LF vs. EA).
• Decide deliberately whether you are using bare costs or O&P costs, and mark up accordingly.
• Look up the crew in the Crew Tables and confirm it is realistic for your site.
• Use labor-hours with your own burdened rate where your wage package differs from the book.
• Apply the material and installation CCI separately, by division, for the project location.
• Apply a time adjustment if the data is not current.
• Adjust productivity for site conditions, quantity, and schedule.
• Replace book pricing with supplier and sub quotes for major items, and use a detailed quantity takeoff once design allows.

Common Mistakes

• Double markup. Adding full overhead and profit to the “Total incl. O&P” column.
• Using the wrong index. Applying the weighted total CCI to material-heavy or labor-heavy items instead of the split indexes.
• Unit mismatch. Pricing formwork per SF of slab when the line is per SFCA (square foot of contact area).
• Trusting daily output blindly. Assuming book productivity on a small, congested, or phased job.
• Ignoring the date. Using an older book or export without a time adjustment.
• Treating RSMeans as a sub quote. A national-average number does not reflect a specific sub’s workload, exclusions, or bonding requirements.

How F&K Estimatings Can Help

At F&K Estimatings we use cost data like RSMeans as one reference alongside supplier quotes and location-specific labor burden and cost indexes, and we document which basis each line uses so you can check it. If you want a takeoff and cost model built that way for your project, see our cost estimating service or review pricing and send your drawings.