This item shows the amount of major materials consumed in mining within the year. Included are those materials which were important parts of the cost of production in a particular industry and for which cost information was available from establishments' records. Establishments consuming less than a specified amount (usually $25,000) of a specific material were not requested to report consumption of that material separately. Also, the cost of materials for the small establishments for which either administrative records or short forms were used was imputed as "not specified by kind."