Home » Bookkeeping 101 » 2-1 The three major elements of product costs in a manufacturing company are direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. 2-2
2-1 The three major elements of product costs in a manufacturing company are direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. 2-2
Depreciation on factory equipment, factory rent, factory insurance, factory property taxes, and factory utilities are all examples of manufacturing overhead costs. Together, the direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead are referred to as manufacturing costs. The costs of selling the product are operating expenses (period cost) and not part of manufacturing overhead costs because they are not incurred to make a product. 2-5The schedule of cost of goods manufactured lists the manufacturing costs that have been incurred during the period. These costs are organized under the three major categories of direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. The total costs incurred are adjusted for any change in the Work in Process inventory to determine the cost of goods manufactured (i.e. finished) during the period. Product costs in managerial accounting are those that are necessary to manufacture a product. Product costs equal the sum of your direct materials costs, direct labor costs and manufacturing overhead costs. Using the actual costing method, you can determine your small business’s overall product costs and product costs per unit based on the actual costs you incurred during a period. Manufacturing overhead costs are those necessary to making a product, but that you cannot trace directly to a specific product. Examples include indirect materials, such as masking tape, and indirect labor costs, such as the costs to employ a maintenance worker. Examples of other overhead costs are property taxes, rent and utilities. Add together each manufacturing overhead cost you incurred during the month to determine total manufacturing overhead costs. The $226,000 figure also does not recognize that some costs incurred during the period are in the ending Raw Materials and Work in Process inventory accounts, as explained in part above. The insurance company’s liability is probably just $156,000, which is the amount of cost associated with the ending Finished Goods inventory as shown in part above. No distinction has been made between period expenses and product costs on the income statement filed by the company’s accountant. Since there were ending inventories, some of the product costs should appear on the balance sheet as assets rather than on the income statement as expenses. Direct materials are those materials (including purchased parts) that are used to make a product and can be directly associated with the product. Some materials used in making a product have a minimal cost, such as screws, nails, and glue, or do not become part of the final product, such as lubricants for machines and tape used when painting. These costs include direct labor,direct materials, consumable production supplies, and factory overhead. Product cost can also be considered the cost of the labor required to deliver a service to a customer.
What is an example of a product cost?
Product cost refers to the costs incurred to create a product. These costs include direct labor, direct materials, consumable production supplies, and factory overhead. Product cost can also be considered the cost of the labor required to deliver a service to a customer. A manufacturing business would include costs of materials, packaging, direct labor and any outside subcontracting costs. A restaurant business would include cost of foods for each meal item on the menu and the chef’s wages. A retail business would include cost per unit, plus any additional packaging costs they may incur. A service business that charges by the hour may use their direct labor cost for each employee who provides the service, taking into consideration non-billable administration time.
Example of Product Costs
2-8Yes, costs such as salaries and depreciation can end up as assets on the balance sheet if these are manufacturing costs. Manufacturing costs are inventoried until the associated finished goods are sold. Thus, if some units are still in inventory, such costs may be part of either Work in Process inventory or Finished Goods inventory at the end of a period. This approach spreads the cost of such fringe benefits over all units of output. Alternatively, the company could treat the cost of fringe benefits relating to direct labor workers as additional direct labor cost. This latter approach charges the costs of fringe benefits to specific jobs rather than to all units of output. The reported net operating income for the year will differ depending on how the salary cost is classified. If the salary cost is classified as a selling expense all of it will appear on the income statement as a period cost. Knowing your product costs can help you price your products and budget your small business’s money. The treatment of depreciation as an indirect cost is the most common treatment within a business.
2-7Since product costs accompany units of product into inventory, they are sometimes called inventoriable costs.
The flow is from direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead to Work in Process.
In the latter case, product cost should include all costs related to a service, such as compensation, payroll taxes, and employee benefits. Production or product costs refer to the costs incurred by a business from manufacturing a product or providing a service. 2-7Since product costs accompany units of product into inventory, they are sometimes called inventoriable costs. The flow is from direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead to Work in Process. As goods are completed, their cost is removed from Work in Process and transferred to Finished Goods. As goods are sold, their cost is removed from Finished Goods and transferred to Cost of Goods Sold. No, the insurance company probably does not owe Solar Technology $226,000. The key question is how “cost” was defined in the insurance contract. The $226,000 figure is overstated since it includes elements of selling and administrative expenses as well as all of the product costs.
The difference between product costs and period costs
d.Indirect labor includes the labor costs of janitors, supervisors, materials handlers, and other factory workers that cannot be conveniently traced to particular products. These labor costs are incurred to support production, but the workers involved do not directly work on the product. 2-1The three major elements of product costs in a manufacturing company are direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. To determine variable costs you must analyze the cost per unit. 2-3A product cost is any cost involved in purchasing or manufacturing goods. In the case of manufactured goods, these costs consist of direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. A period cost is a cost that is taken directly to the income statement as an expense in the period in which it is incurred. Add together your total direct materials costs, your total direct labor costs and your total manufacturing overhead costs that you incurred during the period to determine your total product costs. Divide your result by the number of products you manufactured during the period to determine your product cost per unit. Using the numbers from the previous examples, add together $15,000, $3,200 and $5,000 to get $23,200 in total product costs. Total product costs can be determined by adding together the total direct materials and labor costs as well as the total manufacturing overhead costs. To determine the product cost per unit of product, divide this sum by the number of units manufactured in the period covered by those costs. Such materials are called indirect materials and are accounted for as manufacturing overhead. Manufacturing overhead costs include indirect materials, indirect labor, and all other manufacturing costs.
Product Costs Template
Only the portion of the salary that has been assigned to finished units that are sold during the period will appear on the income statement as an expense (part of Cost of Goods Sold) for the period. The remainder of the salary costs will be on the balance sheet as part of inventories. Taxes levied by the government or royalties owed by natural resource-extraction companies also are treated as production costs. A company could treat the cost of fringe benefits relating to direct labor workers as part of manufacturing overhead.
Product Costs
Production costs can include a variety of expenses, such as labor, raw materials, consumable manufacturing supplies, and general overhead. Product costs may also include those incurred as part of the delivery of a service to a customer. Examples of product costs are direct materials, direct labor, and allocated factory overhead. Examples of period costs are general and administrative expenses, such as rent, office depreciation, office supplies, and utilities. Product cost refers to the costs incurred to create a product.
