| Course | MT382 Construction Cost Estimating |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Labor productivity analysis |
| Length | About 890 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT382 Unit 5
Cost and Output Built Separately: An MT382 Unit 5 Labor Productivity Analysis for a Masonry Crew
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT382: Construction Cost Estimating
Unit 5 Labor Productivity Analysis
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The wage rates, burden rates and production history are composite and supplied with the case; the sources cited are real.
The Crew and Its Wages
Base wages and fringe benefits come from the county's prevailing wage determination supplied with the case. A bricklayer earns a base wage of 38.40 dollars an hour with 21.15 in fringe. A tender earns 31.80 with 14.25 in fringe. The forklift operator earns 44.10 with 19.82 in fringe.
Payroll Burden
Burden is applied to base wages only, because employer contributions to bona fide fringe benefit plans are generally not subject to payroll taxes, a point the case's wage determination notes. For masonry trades, burden totals 24.11 percent of base wage: the employer's 7.65 percent FICA share, unemployment insurance at a combined 3.4 percent, workers' compensation at the masonry class rate of 11.41 percent, and general liability at 1.65 percent. For the operator, workers' compensation is 9.12 percent at the equipment operator class rate, so burden totals 21.82 percent.
Loaded Rates
A bricklayer costs 38.40 dollars, plus 9.26 of burden, plus 21.15 of fringe, for 68.81 an hour. A tender costs 31.80 plus 7.67 plus 14.25, for 53.72. The operator costs 44.10 plus 9.62 plus 19.82, for 73.54. The crew of four bricklayers, three tenders and one operator costs 509.94 dollars an hour, or 4,079.52 for an eight-hour day.
Output From Three Earlier Gyms
Productivity starts from the contractor's own history rather than a textbook figure. On three earlier gymnasiums with similar 12-inch walls, its cost reports show an average of 92 block per bricklayer per day. Four bricklayers therefore lay about 368 block a day under the conditions of those jobs.
Two adjustments fit this job. Walls here climb to 32 feet, and placement slows on scaffold lifts above twelve feet, as block must be raised and the masons work from planks; a factor of 0.88 reflects the contractor's experience on tall walls. Roughly 30 percent of the work falls in months when temperatures drop below 40 degrees, when the specification requires the cold-weather protection that TMS 602 sets out, including heated materials and enclosures (The Masonry Society, 2022). The contractor's records show output about 15 percent lower in those conditions, so the blended factor is 0.955. Together, the adjustments give 368 times 0.88 times 0.955, or 309.27 block a day. Thomas and Yiakoumis (1987) describe productivity as a standard rate modified by factors for specific disruptions, and these two are the disruptions this job can predict.
A textbook rate would describe someone else's crew; the contractor's own three gyms describe this one.
Labor Per Block
Joining cost and output, 4,079.52 dollars a day divided by 309.27 block a day gives 13.19 dollars of labor per block. At 1.125 block per square foot of wall, that is 14.84 dollars per square foot, or 1,319 dollars per 100 block.
A Check Against the Crew's Own Records
As a check, the rate was compared with the masonry subcontractor's final cost on the most recent of the three gyms, adjusted to current wages. That job recorded 12.80 dollars of labor per block on walls that topped out at 24 feet and ran entirely in warm months. The 13.19-dollar rate here is about 3 percent higher, which matches the taller walls and partial winter work on this job.
Applied to the Job
The recreation center has 12,994 block, mostly in locker room, corridor and split-face base walls after the gym's exterior walls moved to panels. At 13.19 dollars a block, masonry labor costs 171,403 dollars. At 309.27 block a day, the work takes 42.02 crew days, scheduled as 43. If the adjustments were ignored and 368 block a day assumed, the same work would appear to take 36 days and cost about 144,000 dollars, an understatement of roughly 27,000 dollars and seven days.
How Sensitive the Rate Is
The two adjustments are judgments, so the analysis tests each. If half the work, rather than 30 percent, fell in cold months, the blended factor would drop to 0.925, output to about 300 block a day and the labor rate to 13.62 dollars, raising masonry labor to roughly 176,960 dollars, about 5,560 more. If the scaffold penalty proved smaller than expected, 0.92 instead of 0.88, output would rise to about 323 block a day, the rate would fall to 12.62 dollars and labor to roughly 163,950, about 7,450 less. Neither change is large against the total estimate, but the cold-weather share depends on when masonry is scheduled, which makes the rate a reason to keep masonry out of midwinter if the schedule allows.
What the Rate Does Not Include
The rate covers crew labor only. It excludes block, mortar, grout and reinforcing, which are priced as material; scaffold rental and the forklift's ownership cost, which are equipment; heat and enclosures, which are priced as a cold-weather allowance; and supervision by the masonry foreman, which sits in the subcontractor's overhead. Holm et al. (2005) stress separating labor, material and equipment so that each can be checked against its own source, and the detailed estimate in Unit 10 carries the 13.19-dollar rate as a visible line.
References
Holm, L., Schaufelberger, J. E., Griffin, D., & Cole, T. (2005). Construction cost estimating: Process and practices. Pearson Prentice Hall.
The Masonry Society. (2022). Specification for masonry structures (TMS 602-22). The Masonry Society.
Thomas, H. R., & Yiakoumis, I. (1987). Factor model of construction productivity. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 113(4), 623-639. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1987)113:4(623)
The Purdue Global MT382 Unit 5 instructions
Unit 5 asks students to build a labor unit cost for one trade from crew wages and productivity. The crew should be defined by role and count, with base wages and fringe from a stated source. Instructors expect payroll burden to be itemized and applied to the correct base. Productivity should come from a named source, preferably company history, with any adjustments explained by the conditions of this job. The analysis should join cost and output to give labor per unit, then apply it to the job's quantity. Testing the result, for example against past records or with sensitivity cases, strengthens the work. The paper should state what the labor rate excludes.
Inside the MT382 Unit 5 example
The sample's crew and wage section lists each role's base wage and fringe. Burden is itemized by component and applied to base wage only, with the reason. Loaded rates are computed for each role and the crew. Output starts from the contractor's three gyms, then takes two adjustments for scaffold lifts and cold weather, citing TMS 602 and Thomas and Yiakoumis, under a highlighted line about textbook rates describing someone else's crew. Labor per block, per square foot and per hundred block follow. A records check compares the rate with a recent gym. The job application gives cost and days with and without adjustments, a sensitivity section tests both factors, and exclusions close the paper.
Where the points sit in the MT382 Unit 5 rubric
Labor productivity analyses are typically graded on correct crew costing, defensible productivity, clear adjustments and a tested result. Itemized burden on the right base shows payroll knowledge. Rubrics reward productivity drawn from a named source and adjusted only for stated conditions. Joining cost and output at the end, rather than mixing them, makes errors easier to find. Applying the rate to the job's quantity and comparing it with an unadjusted figure shows the adjustments matter. Sensitivity testing and a records check demonstrate rigor. Stating what the rate leaves to material, equipment and overhead prevents double counting. Sources such as the specification and research appear in APA 7, with the wage determination named as the case supplies it.
MT382 Unit 5 help from the desk
Labor analyses often take a production rate from a textbook without asking whether it fits this crew or these walls. Others apply burden to wage plus fringe, which overstates cost. Adjustments are sometimes stacked without reasons until the result looks right. Many papers report a labor cost per block but never apply it to the job, so its effect on cost and schedule stays invisible. Few test their assumptions, so a reader cannot tell which factor matters most. Before you finish, change each adjustment factor by a few points and see how much the job's labor cost moves. If a small change matters a lot, explain why you chose the value you did.
Get an MT382 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Crew makeup, wage data and output figures from the Unit 5 prompt, the work item being priced, and the rubric are all this takes. A first productivity analysis is then written free in 24-48h, loaded hourly rates assembled one role at a time and each adjustment tied to a job condition and a source. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT382 Unit 5 questions, answered
Should payroll taxes apply to fringe benefits?
Generally not to contributions paid into bona fide benefit plans, which is why many estimators apply burden to base wages only. Rules vary by benefit type, so follow what your course or scenario specifies. Whatever you do, show the base each percentage applies to, so the arithmetic can be verified.
What adjustments to productivity are reasonable?
Ones tied to conditions the base figure did not reflect: working height, cold or hot weather, restricted access, unusual units or an inexperienced crew. Each needs a reason and ideally a source. Two or three well-explained factors are more convincing than a long list that compounds into an implausibly slow crew.
Why express labor per unit rather than per hour?
Because the estimate prices quantities. Dividing the crew's daily cost by its daily output gives a cost per block, square foot or cubic yard that multiplies directly against the takeoff. The hourly rate is an input; the unit labor cost is what the estimate actually carries.
Where can I find a free MT382 Unit 5 sample paper?
The complete MT382 Unit 5 labor productivity analysis is printed here, building a 13.19-dollar labor rate per block for a masonry crew.
Why is burden applied to base wage only in the MT382 Unit 5 sample?
Employer contributions to bona fide fringe benefit plans are generally not subject to payroll taxes, so taxes and insurance are calculated on the base wage.