Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Institutul National de Statistica (INS) Bulevardul Libertatii 16, Bucharest 5 RO-050706
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
26 May 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
26 May 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
26 May 2025
3.1. Data description
The objective of calculation of construction cost indices is to determine the general price changes over a period of time for the main cost items of construction. The construction cost indices are used for calculation of volume index of production in construction.
3.2. Classification system
NACE Rev. 2. and CPA
3.3. Coverage - sector
CANE Section F (compatible with NACE Rev. 2 Section F)
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The index is based on the costs of labour, materials, equipment and transport. The costs of materials, equipment and transport are obtained from PPI and costs of labour from the labour cost survey.
3.5. Statistical unit
Reporting and observation unit : KAU
3.6. Statistical population
Construction enterprises with 50 employees and more for material cost and the largest company of construction in terms of volume of work.
3.7. Reference area
All regions of Romania are covered.
3.8. Coverage - Time
From 2005
3.9. Base period
Base (reference) year is 2021
Indices, percentage changes (%)
Month/quarter
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
REGULATION (EU) 2019/2152 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics and COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics: UE Regulations
According to Law no. 226/2009 all individuals and legal units are required to submit data to the INS on request. Sanctions are possible but the INS prefers to use persuasion to gain the necessary data.All statistical data are collected on the basis of national legal acts approved by Romanian Government ( i.e. the " Programme on Statistical Surveys of Official Statistics).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are transmitted only to Eurostat.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
All statistics collected and published by INS are governed by the statistical Law no. 226/2009 regarding the organisation of official statistics. The Law specifies that: the official statistical services are authorised to ask for and receive free of charge statistical data and information from all natural and legal persons who are located, hold any kind of capital or carry out any type of activity on the Romanian territory. Also under the provision of this law, INS cannot publish, or otherwise make available to one individual or organisation, statistics that could enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. INS has been repeatedly and publicly recognised by the government as fully intellectually independent: it decides by itself which data to collect, which methodology to use, and which results, methodological notes and commentaries are published. Under the provision of the statistical law, INS cannot publish, or otherwise make available to one individual or organisation, statistics that could enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. No government official outside the National Institute of Statistics has access to the data before release to the public. The most important aspects on the organisation of the official statistics in Romanian are posted on the National Institute of Statistics Internet website NIS website. Copies of the statistical laws are available in Romanian from the library of the National Institute of Statistics, 16, Libertatii Avenue, Bucharest, District 5.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The data are not considered to be confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
There is an advance release calendar of data dissemination which can be found on the website Release calendar
8.2. Release calendar access
The release calendar is available on the NIS website Release calendar
8.3. Release policy - user access
Monthly data are available to all users simultaneously at the time of release through Monthly Statsitical Bulletin via INS Internet website NIS website. No organisation or person outside the INS has pre-release access to the published data. Data are transmitted quarterly to Eurostat as indices by e-DAMIS using SDMX format within 50 days (calendar days) from the end of the month.
Monthly at national level and quarterly to Eurostat
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not available as press release, regular or ad hoc.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Data for the construction cost index are published in the "Buletin Statistic Lunar” (Monthly statistical bulletin), "Buletin Statistic de Preturi” (Prices statistical bulletin). Data about the construction cost index are published as a fixed base year index (2021=100) by elements of structure (new construction works, capital repair works, maintenance and current repair works), as well as by construction type (residential and non-residential building, civil engineering). The material cost index (2021=100) for total construction activity is also published.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The construction cost index are available also in our on line data base TEMPO which is available both in Romanian and English: TEMPO online
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
No microdata are disseminated.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Data on construction cost indices are sent quarterly to Eurostat both to be used in European aggregates as well as to be released as national data.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Brief details of the methodology are included with the published data.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
11.1. Quality assurance
The system of official statistics follows international and European quality standards. NIS Romania has adopted the UN Fundamental Principles for Official Statistics as well as the European Statistics Code of Practice.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not available
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Data are relevant because are required by Europen legislation.
The main national users are grouped as following: Presidential administration, Governmental bodies; National Commission for Prognosis; mass-media; other users. Internal users: Directorate „Macroeconomic statistics“.
Their main needs:The Monthly Survey on Short-Term Statistics outcomes, in relation with the information provided by other surveys, are used by policy makers in establishing the actions and measures for economic development strategies.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
NIS Romania has conducted general surveys of user satisfaction in 2024, and plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose is to know the perception of users regarding the quality of the information they use and if their needs are covered.
The users’ specific needs are considered when methodological revisions are carried out in order to tailor the content of the survey to the specific requirements of its users, thereby increasing their levels of satisfaction.
Data are compliant with European legislation and Eurostat requirments. All breakdowns and variable forms are provided, according to the EU regulations in force.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
There are negligible non sampling errors concerning coverage, measurement and non response.
13.2. Sampling error
There are exaustive surveys for enterprises employing 50 persons and more
13.3. Non-sampling error
Usually the typing errors could appear in the processing stage and the data are revised the next month. The difference between initial figures and revised figures represents about +/-1% of the initial figures for total construction cost index.
14.1. Timeliness
The construction cost index is published 47 days after the end of the reference month.
14.2. Punctuality
All deadlines were met. The publication dates are in accordance with the legal EU requirements.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
All definitions and concepts used without deviations. The weighting system is based on a special survey carried out every 5 year (for the year ending in 0 or 5). The survey is adressed to the largest construction operators selected from SBS.
15.2. Comparability - over time
No major methodological changes over the last 10 years.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The construction cost index is published by elements of structure and types of construction as well as for materials. All data are coherent at different aggregation levels by elements of structure and types of construction and total construction.
Number of units =2500;
Cost (NSI) hours per year= 9200
Burden (respondents) hours per year= 24375
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data revisions follow the Revision Policy of the NIS Romania, which represent one of the key documents of the office. The same revision policy is applied to data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat. Calendar of standard revisions is being prepared together with the release calendar:
1. Routine revisions: The revised indices are published together with the preliminary indices for the following month. Notice is given at the time the change is introduced.
2. Major revisions: In the case of regular index rebases (as a rule every five years), the results and changes in the calculation methodology or major changes as classification notice are presented in detail in the Monthly Statistical Bulletin and on the NIS website well in advance of the change.
3. Non scheduled revisions: In case of errors correction are made without waiting for scheduled revisions.
4. The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmissions to Eurostat.
The difference between initial figures and revised figures represents about +/-1% of the initial figures for total construction cost index.
Vintage database are not available.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The data are preliminary when first released and are revised three months after the end of the reference month.
The difference between initial figures and revised figures represents about +/-1% of the initial figures for total construction cost index.
Major changes in methodology are announced in all statistical publications at the time of the change.The status of data is clearly indicated in the publications.
No MAR and MR are not calculated.
18.1. Source data
The construction cost index is derived from the data collection on labour and materials .The statistical data about labour and materials are based on statistical surveys.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly
18.3. Data collection
One combined questionnaire regarding value of construction works, main groups of construction materials used in construction works, number of employees, wages and salaries, investment is used. (CON TS – Short term indicators in construction in month ……., Chapter MAT Main groups of construction materials, used in month ...... and chapter NRSAL Number of employess and wages and salaries). Data are collected in principal using a web questionnaire. For the rest of the respondent units paper questionnaire or electronic format by e-mail is used. The paper questionnaires are sent to the reporting units and then collected by county statistical offices. From 2010 onwards data are collected online using the eSOP portal for statistical data collection.
18.4. Data validation
The IT solution for Monthly survey on short-term statistics was developed to find out the measurement and processing errors occurred in different stages of the survey. The application was designed for on line data collection and validation. Before data transmmition to Eurostat the structure of the data file and format is checked in detail.
18.5. Data compilation
The index is a Laspeyres type index with fixed base. Cost indices in construction are calculated as the weighted mean of construction materials price indices, construction equipment indices, transport expenditure and indirect expenditure as well as the gross nominal earnings index. The weights used for aggregation represent the expenditure structure in construction based on specific statistical surveys with 5 year periodicity (the last one was for the base year 2021). Cost indices in construction are calculated for total construction (CANE Rev. 2 section F), by structural elements (new construction works, capital repairs and maintenance works and current repairs) and by construction type (residential buildings, non-residential buildings and engineering construction).
18.6. Adjustment
Seasonal and calendar adjustment procedures are not applied.
None.
The objective of calculation of construction cost indices is to determine the general price changes over a period of time for the main cost items of construction. The construction cost indices are used for calculation of volume index of production in construction.
26 May 2025
The index is based on the costs of labour, materials, equipment and transport. The costs of materials, equipment and transport are obtained from PPI and costs of labour from the labour cost survey.
Reporting and observation unit : KAU
Construction enterprises with 50 employees and more for material cost and the largest company of construction in terms of volume of work.
All regions of Romania are covered.
Month/quarter
There are negligible non sampling errors concerning coverage, measurement and non response.
Indices, percentage changes (%)
The index is a Laspeyres type index with fixed base. Cost indices in construction are calculated as the weighted mean of construction materials price indices, construction equipment indices, transport expenditure and indirect expenditure as well as the gross nominal earnings index. The weights used for aggregation represent the expenditure structure in construction based on specific statistical surveys with 5 year periodicity (the last one was for the base year 2021). Cost indices in construction are calculated for total construction (CANE Rev. 2 section F), by structural elements (new construction works, capital repairs and maintenance works and current repairs) and by construction type (residential buildings, non-residential buildings and engineering construction).
The construction cost index is derived from the data collection on labour and materials .The statistical data about labour and materials are based on statistical surveys.
Monthly at national level and quarterly to Eurostat
The construction cost index is published 47 days after the end of the reference month.
All definitions and concepts used without deviations. The weighting system is based on a special survey carried out every 5 year (for the year ending in 0 or 5). The survey is adressed to the largest construction operators selected from SBS.
No major methodological changes over the last 10 years.
