Construction Materials & Labor Costs Flashcards
7 cards from real CCT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Construction Materials & Labor Costs flashcards as text
Which of the following best describes 'spot market' purchasing versus 'contract purchasing' for construction materials?
Answer: Spot market purchasing is buying at current market prices without a long-term agreement, while contract purchasing locks in prices over a period
Spot market purchases are at prevailing prices with no price guarantee, while supply contracts provide price certainty over a defined period.
A cost estimator applies a 10% waste factor to 500 SF of ceramic tile needed for a bathroom. How many SF should be ordered?
Answer: 550 SF
500 SF × 1.10 = 550 SF to order after accounting for the 10% waste allowance.
In the context of construction labor costs, what is 'shift differential pay'?
Answer: A premium wage paid to workers assigned to evening or night shifts
Shift differential is a wage premium added to the base rate to compensate workers for working non-standard hours such as evening or overnight shifts.
Which of the following materials exhibits the HIGHEST volatility in market pricing, requiring the most frequent cost updates in an estimate?
Answer: Structural lumber (dimensional softwood)
Dimensional lumber prices are highly volatile due to housing demand cycles, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions, requiring frequent estimate updates.
A general contractor's labor burden rate is 42% of base wages. If a carpenter earns $38/hour base wage, what is the total labor cost per hour including burden?
Answer: $53.96
$38 × 1.42 = $53.96 per hour total labor cost including all burden costs.
When a cost estimate separates 'material at job site' from 'material at source,' what additional cost elements are being captured?
Answer: Freight, delivery, unloading, and handling costs to bring material from supplier to the point of installation
The difference between source price and job-site price includes all transportation, delivery, and handling costs required to move material to the work location.
Which of the following best explains why labor productivity in construction tends to decline in the latter stages of a large project?
Answer: Congestion, out-of-sequence work, punch list items, and fatigue reduce efficiency near project closeout
End-of-project conditions including crowded work areas, rework, punch lists, and worker fatigue consistently reduce productivity relative to early phases.