Production Costs vs. Manufacturing Costs: An O🌟verview
Production costs reflect all of the expenses associated with a company conducting its business while manufacturing costs represent onꦿly the expenses necessary to make the product.
Both of these figures are used to evaluate the total expenses of operating a manufacturing business. The revenue that a company generates must exceed ♔the total expense before it achieves prof♛itability.
Key Takeaways
- A factory's production costs are the total expenses of doing business.
- Manufacturing costs are the expenses directly related to building the product.
- Both production costs and manufacturing costs must be included in the calculation of the per-item cost of doing business.
Production Costs
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Costs of production include many of the fixed and variable cost♉s of oꦇperating a business. Raw materials and labor are production costs.
Fixed costs typically include:
- 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Building rent
- 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Advertising budget
- 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Business equipment
- Other miscellaneous expenses that do not go up or down with moderate changes in the volume of business
Variable costs increase or decrease as ꦫproduction vo🌼lume changes. Some variable costs are:
- Supplies
- Wages
- Any other expenses that change with the level of production
Manufacturing businesses calculate their overall expenses in terms of the cost of production per item. That number is, of course, critical to setti⛄ng the wholesale price of the item.
As the rate of production increases, the company's revenue increases while its fixed costs remain steady. Therefore, the per-item cost of manufacturing falls and the business becomes more profitable.
A lower per-item fixed cost motivates many businesses to continue expanding production up to its total capacity. This allows the business to achieve a higher profit margin after considerin💯g all varജiable costs.
Manufacturing Costs
Manufacturing costs, for the most part, are sensitive to changes in production volume. Total manufacturing 澳洲幸运5官🎀方开奖结果体彩网:expenses increase as production increases.
Important
The opportunity to achieve a lower per-item fixed cost moꦰtivatಞes many businesses to continue expanding production up to total capacity.
The per-item cost does n⭕ot change substantially. Nonetheless, additional production always generates additional manufacturing costs.
Manufacturing costs fall into three broad categories of expenses: materials, labor, and overhead. All are direct costs. That is, the salary of the company accountant or the accountant's office supplies are not included, but the salary and supplies of the foreman are.
Production Costs vs. Manufaꦬcturing Costs Example
For example, a small business that manufactures widgets may have fixed monthly costs of $80𓃲0 for its building and $100 for equipment maintenance. These exp൩enses stay the same regardless of the level of production, so per-item costs are reduced if the business makes more widgets.
In this example, the total production costs are $900 per month in fixed expenses plus $10 in variable expenses for each widg🍃et produced. To produce each widget, the business must purchase supplies at $10 each. Each widget sells for $100. After subtracting the manufacturing cost of $10, each widget makes $90 for the business.
To break even, the business must produce 10 widgets every month. It musಞt make more than 10 widgets to become profitable.
What Is the Marginal Cost of Production?
The marginal cosꦰt of production refers to the cost to produce one additional unit. Theoretically, companies should produce additional units until the marginal cost of production equals marginal revenue, at which point revenue is maximized.
How to Calculate Total Manufacturing Cost?
There are three main components that make up total manufacturing costs. These include direct materials (raw manufacturing materials), direct labor (the wages for the workers who directly produce manufactured goods), and manufacturing overhead (indirect costs necessary for production like utilities, eಌquipment maintenance, and rent).
Are Wages a Fixed Cost or Variable Cost?
Wages can be either a fixed or variable cost depending on how they're structured. Salaries are typically a fixed cost, as they must be paid regardless of how much product a company produces. In contrast, hourly wages, overtime pay, and commissions are usually classified as a variable cost, as they can fluctuate with production levels.
The Bottom Line
Production costs encompass all the costs required for a company to operate while manufacturing costs only represent the costs needed to produce products. In theory, companies should produce enough goods to cover their production costs to maximize revenue but stop once marginal costs equal marginal revenue. Manufacturing costs can change over time and depending on production levels, so it's important for businesses to closely track variable inputs such as material and labor to ensure production doesn't eat away at revenue.