Assessed price (benchmark)

A market price set by a private price-reporting agency's editors, who interview buyers and sellers and publish one judged figure that contracts then settle against. It is useful and widely used — but proprietary, usually paywalled, and resting on human judgment a reader cannot fully audit.

Why it matters

It's the kind of number a vendor points to when they say "the market" moved — fast, granular, and contract-standard, but one you rent and can't fully audit. The Cost Index is deliberately not an assessed benchmark: it's built only from public, free, transaction-based government data (USDA and BLS), so anyone can re-pull the inputs. Knowing the difference tells you which kind of number you're looking at, and what you can check.

Frequently asked

What is an assessed price?

An assessed price is a benchmark figure published by a private price-reporting agency. Its editors interview buyers and sellers about real deals, weigh what they hear, and publish one judged number for a commodity on a given day. Contracts often settle against that number, so the assessment becomes the market reference. Well-known examples in food and commodities include Urner Barry, Platts, and Mintec. It is a real, useful service — it exists because timely, deal-level prices are otherwise hard to see.

How is an assessed price different from a government price report?

A government report such as USDA Market News or the BLS Producer Price Index publishes prices from reported transactions on a fixed public schedule, free for anyone to pull and re-check. An assessed price adds a layer of editorial judgment — a person decides what the day's number is from what they heard — and that method is proprietary and usually behind a paywall. The trade-off is real: assessment can be faster and more granular day to day, but you cannot fully audit how the figure was reached.

Is the Muntin Cost Index an assessed benchmark?

No, and that is on purpose. The Cost Index is built only from public, free, transaction-based government data — USDA and BLS — so anyone can re-pull the same inputs and reach the same reading. It does not interview the market or publish a judged figure. It is not trying to out-quote an assessed benchmark on daily granularity; it is offering a number you can check rather than one you have to trust.

Assessed price vs transaction price — what is the difference?

A transaction price is what actually changed hands in a reported deal; an assessed price is one number an editor judges from many such deals and conversations. Government series like USDA Market News publish transaction-based prices anyone can re-check; an assessed benchmark adds editorial judgment, usually behind a paywall. The Cost Index is built only from the transaction-based public kind.