Price Normalisation

Indexed Cost Converter

Convert historical prices to today’s dollars using configurable index blends (AIQS BCI, Rawlinsons, ABS CPI/WPI, IHC).

Convert historical prices to today’s dollars. Pick origin and target dates, select the indices (or blend), and we’ll compute the indexed amount.

Historical data available from 30/09/1948 onwards.

Enter amounts in AUD; we apply the selected index blend between origin and target.

Historical data available from 30/09/1948 onwards.

Enter amounts in AUD; we apply the selected index blend between origin and target.

Index blend & sensitivity

Pick origin and target dates to compute the indexed amount.

West-Edge BCI unavailable

Blend the indices or choose a preset to compare escalation scenarios.

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Result

Original amount × (Target index ÷ Origin index)

Result pending — compute to reveal the indexed amount and formula.

Blend the indices

100%

Pick a preset or fine-tune the sliders to ensure the total equals 100%.

AIQS BCI 16.7%

Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors composite cost index.

Rawlinsons BCI 16.7%

Rawlinsons national construction cost benchmark series.

ABS: CPI Overall 16.7%

Australian Bureau of Statistics headline inflation.

ABS: CPI Housing 16.7%

ABS housing-specific consumer price index.

ABS: IHC Inputs 16.7%

Inputs to the House Construction Index by capital city.

ABS: Wage Price Index 16.7%

Wage Price Index (total hourly rates excluding bonuses) by state.

Method statement

To convert a historical rate from date Dorig to date Dnow, we:

  1. Search & filter the HistoricalRate dataset for records matching the selected location.
  2. Find the nearest records on or before and on or after Dorig, then interpolate to determine an index Iorig.
  3. Repeat the interpolation for Dnow to find Inow.
  4. Apply normalized rate = (original rate × Inow) / Iorig.
  5. Output the resulting converted or normalized price.

If a selected date falls outside our data range, we extend that series in line with the ABS CPI trend for the same city (falling back to the national CPI when required). Projected spans appear as shaded regions on the chart and dotted lines along the series.

Ratenormalized = Rateitem × [Rate(Dnow) ÷ Rate(Dorig)]

Sources & abbreviations

AIQS (Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors)
AIQS Building Cost Index – a quarterly composite index of trade packages compiled by the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Widely used for escalation clauses in lump-sum contracts.
Rawlinsons
Refer to Rawlinsons National Construction Cost Index – annual benchmark series published in the Rawlinsons Construction Handbook.
ABS CPI
Consumer Price Index – All Groups, Eight Capital Cities. Headline inflation measure across all expenditure groups.
ABS CPI Housing
Consumer Price Index – Housing Group. Focuses on dwelling purchase, rents, maintenance and utilities; useful when labour and material costs dominate.
ABS IHC
Inputs to the House Construction Index – All groups (capital city series capturing materials and labour inputs for detached housing).
ABS WPI
Wage Price Index – Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, covering private and public sectors by state.

Why the mix? Inflation doesn’t hit every cost centre equally. We display several indices side-by-side so you can pick the lens that best matches your project’s risk profile.

Source-of-truth reminder

  • Consult the original release notes for the chosen index to confirm inclusions, exclusions, or regional caveats.
  • Check the edition or issue date to ensure you reference the correct historical series.
  • Apply professional judgement when your project includes atypical materials, procurement routes, or geographic factors not fully captured by the index.

“West-Edge Cost Consulting and Analytics Pty Ltd offers the Price Normalizer as a decision-support aid. While every effort is made to use reputable cost indices, final cost determinations and contractual adjustments remain the sole responsibility of the user after reviewing the relevant source publications and their inclusions and exclusions. Outputs are for decision support; confirm applicability to your contract clauses and index definitions.”