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Product cost calculator

Enter the cost of materials, direct labor and overhead per unit of product. The calculator works out the product cost.

The share of factory overhead (shop rent, electricity, equipment depreciation) allocated to one unit of output

Result

Cost per unit

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This calculation is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Formulas and rates may not fit your exact situation — double-check the figures before making decisions.

How it is calculated

Cost per unit = materials + direct labor + overhead per unit. These are the three classic categories of production cost in management accounting.

Materials and direct labor are usually straightforward — how much raw material and work time went into one unit. Overhead is trickier: it's the shared cost of running the shop or plant (rent, electricity, equipment depreciation, supervisor salary) that has to be allocated across every unit produced — and the result can shift noticeably depending on the allocation base chosen (machine hours, labor hours, output volume).

Product cost feeds directly into gross profit and margin calculations: product cost × units sold ≈ cost of goods sold (COGS) for the gross profit and gross margin calculators.

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