The real volume of Soviet civilian industrial production in the years of World War II is estimated from output data for 113 products in physical units, and ruble prices from 1937 or closely adjacent years.

Our product data (table C.1) are taken primarily from the limited-circulation statistical handbook for the war period. An abridged version was published by Goskomstat in 1990; however, the 1959 original is the basis of much of the data utilised here; it is the only source for nonferrous metallurgy, and it doubles the product coverage of light industry compared with the 1990 abridgement.

The product data are comprehensive, and contain no interpolations. Their scope (113 civilian products, which together with 105 defence products make 218 series in total) is sufficient for a reliable measure. It is comparable with Nutter's 203-product index, which spanned 1928–58 with a break between 1940 and 1945 Present coverage exceeds that of the 104-product index used by Khanin for 1928–80; Khanin is said to have also calculated parallel indexes covering approximately 400 and 1,000 products respectively, finding almost no divergence between the three series.

At the same time it is clear that not all branches are covered equally well; as well as products whose output has remained secret, such as gold, there are also many products not included in the quantity data presented here. This is particularly the case with branches such as machinebuilding and the light and food industries, where the product assortment was most varied.