Question

Freddy D’s is setting a selling price on a new product using the absorption costing approach to cost-plus pricing.

Unit Year

Direct material	$29
Direct labor	$20
Variable manufacturing overhead	$8
Fixed annual manufacturing overhead		$120,000
Variable selling and administrative expense	$3
Fixed annual selling and admin expense		$16,000

Freddy D’s Manager Nick plans to produce and sell 4,000 units annually. Freddy D’s new product will require an investment of $643,000 and have a required return on investment of 20%.

Determine the unit product cost for the new product.

Determine the markup percentage on absorption cost for the new product.

Determine the target selling price for the new product using the absorption costing approach.

What is a problem with using the absorption costing approach?

Answer 1

Rreq 1.
Unit cost as per Absorption costing:
Material		29.00
Labour		20.00
Variable OH		8.00
Fixed Oh		30.00
Unit Product Cost		87.00
Req 2:
Markup Required:;
Total Selling and admin Oh		28000.00
(4000*3+16000)
Add: Desired return on Invstment		128600
(643000*20%)
Total Markup required		156600.00
Total Cost under Absorption		348000
(4000 unts @ 87)
Markup % (156600/348000*100)		45%
Req 3:
Unit product cost		87
Add: Markup @ 45%		39.15
Selling price per unit		126.15
Req 4:
Under absorption costing, the problem lies in fixing the selling price based on Unit product cost is that this unit product cost varies with the variation in production level as the average fixed cost goes on changing with the production.