How to calculate direct materials
In business cost accounting, direct materials are the costs of raw materials used directly in the manufacturing of products during the production process. Accurately calculating direct material costs is critical to a company's cost control and pricing strategies. The following is a collection of popular discussions and structured data on direct material calculations in the past 10 days across the Internet.
1. Core elements of direct material costs
According to recent industry analysis, direct material cost calculations need to include the following key data:
| Project | Description | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Raw material unit price | Unit price at the time of purchase (including freight, taxes, etc.) | purchase order |
| Unit product consumption | Amount of raw materials consumed per product | BOM (bill of materials) |
| Loss rate | Reasonable loss ratio in the production process | Historical production data |
2. Comparison of popular calculation methods
In recent discussions, the following three calculation methods have been frequently mentioned:
| method | formula | Applicable scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| standard costing | Standard dosage × standard unit price | large-scale standardized production |
| actual cost method | Actual usage × weighted average unit price | Small batch and multi-variety production |
| batch traceability method | Actual consumption of a specific batch × batch purchase price | Special industries such as medicine and food |
3. Analysis of industry hot cases
Taking new energy vehicle battery production as an example, typical data disclosed by recent industry forums are as follows:
| Material type | Average price in 2024 (yuan/ton) | Single battery pack consumption (kg) | cost ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium salt | 285,000 | 1.2 | 58% |
| Nickel plate | 135,000 | 0.8 | 22% |
| graphite | 23,000 | 1.5 | 5% |
4. Solutions to common problems
According to the data of the Q&A platform in the past 10 days:
| Question type | frequency of occurrence | Suggested solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of price fluctuations | 37% | Establish a raw material price early warning mechanism |
| Loss statistical deviation | 29% | Introducing MES system to collect data in real time |
| Alternative material accounting | 18% | Create an equivalent conversion coefficient table |
5. Observation of cutting-edge trends
Recent industry reports show that direct materials calculations are showing the following new characteristics:
1.Dynamic cost modeling: Use big data to predict raw material price trends and adjust cost budgets 3-6 months in advance.
2.Carbon cost inclusion: Under the EU CBAM policy, steel and other industries need to calculate the material costs corresponding to product carbon footprints.
3.Blockchain traceability: Achieve full-link cost traceability from raw material procurement to production to sales through distributed ledger technology
Conclusion
The accurate calculation of direct materials needs to be combined with the actual production characteristics of the enterprise. It is necessary to pay attention to traditional accounting methods and to follow up on changes in the supply chain and technological innovation in a timely manner. It is recommended that enterprises update the material price database every quarter and regularly verify the rationality of loss rate parameters to maintain the accuracy of cost accounting.
check the details
check the details
en
