Other Agricultural Chemicals PPI: What the Index Measures
Other Agricultural Chemicals, down about 5.1% from a year ago. WPU0653 measures other agricultural chemicals. This page previously mislabeled it as industrial gases. It contains no industrial-gas price observation and must not be used to price oxygen, argon, nitrogen, hydrogen or a welding-gas mixture.
The BLS Other Agricultural Chemicals Producer Price Index (WPU0653) reads 208.53 index (1982=100) for Aug 2026, down about 5.1% from a year ago. The reference period identifies the observation; a later website refresh does not turn it into a daily price. This is a producer price index, not a delivered quote in dollars per unit.
WPU0653 measures other agricultural chemicals. This page previously mislabeled it as industrial gases. It contains no industrial-gas price observation and must not be used to price oxygen, argon, nitrogen, hydrogen or a welding-gas mixture.
Read the definition before the number
For a relevant agricultural chemical purchase, compare the specified formulation, concentration, packaging, handling and contract terms. For welding gas, use an actual gas supplier quote and measured consumption, including cylinder rental or bulk delivery charges where applicable.
An index describes price movement for its specified basket. It does not say that every product or every supplier moved by the same amount. Distribution, customer mix and the terms of an individual transaction can produce a different invoice result. Keep the agency identifier beside the label so a similar-sounding category is not silently substituted.
Index points and percentage changes
For two observations from the same series, the percentage change is 100 × (new index / old index − 1). A rise from 200 to 210 is 5%, not 10%. Different PPIs can have different bases and product baskets; subtracting their raw levels does not yield a dollar premium.
This agricultural chemical price series is not a manufacturing activity gauge, a welding-cost benchmark or a measure of industrial-gas demand. Its direction cannot support any of those conclusions.
Source and update notes
The source is BLS series WPU0653, also published by FRED at https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WPU0653. The linked data page provides the current observation and available history. A successful refresh changes readings only when the source returns changed data. Missing or failed observations must retain their original periods and be reported as unavailable or delayed.