Question

Pittsburgh Aluminum Company uses a process cost system to record the costs of manufacturing rolled aluminum, which consists of the smelting and rolling processes. Materials are entered from smelting at the beginning of the rolling process. The inventory of Work in Process—Rolling on September 1 and debits to the account during September were as follows:

Bal., 1,000 units, 30% completed:

Direct materials (1,000 x $5) $ 5,000

Conversion (1,000 x 30% x $2.1) 630

$ 5,630

From Smelting Department, 24,000 units $122,400

Direct labor 34,978

Factory overhead 18,834

During September, 1,000 units in process on September 1 were completed, and of the 24,000 units entering the department, all were completed except 2,400 units that were 90% completed. Charges to Work in Process—Rolling for October were as follows:

From Smelting Department, 27,600 units $146,280

Direct labor 40,840

Factory overhead 21,996

During October, the units in process at the beginning of the month were completed, and of the 27,600 units entering the department, all were completed except 1,300 units that were 60% completed.

Required:

1. Enter the balance as of September 1 in a four-column account for Work in Process—Rolling. Record the debits and the credits in the account for September. Construct a cost of production report and present computations for determining (a) equivalent units of production for materials and conversion, (b) costs per equivalent unit, (c) cost of goods finished, differentiating between units started in the prior period and units started and finished in September, and (d) work in process inventory. If an amount box does not require an entry, leave it blank.

ACCOUNT

Work in Process-Rolling Department

ACCOUNT NO.

BALANCE

DATE

ITEM

POST. REF.

DEBIT

CREDIT

DEBIT

CREDIT

Sept. 1 Bal., 1,000 units, 30% completed   

Sept. 30 Smelting Dept., 24,000 units at $5.1

Sept. 30 Direct labor

Sept. 30 Factory overhead   

Sept. 30 Finished goods

Sept. 30 Bal., 2,400 units, 90% completed   

If an amount is zero, enter in a zero "0". Round cost per unit answers to the nearest cent.

Pittsburgh Aluminum Company

Cost of Production Report-Rolling Department

For the Month Ended September 30

Whole Units

Equivalent Units

Units

Direct Materials (a)

Conversion (a)

Units charged to production:

Inventory in process, September 1   

Received from Smelting Department   

Total units accounted for by the Rolling Department   

Units to be assigned costs:

Inventory in process, September 1   

Started and completed in September   

Transferred to finished goods in September   

Inventory in process, September 30   

Total units to be assigned costs   

Costs

Costs

Direct Materials

Conversion

Total Costs

Cost per equivalent unit:

Total costs for September in Rolling Department $ $

Total equivalent units

Cost per equivalent unit (b) $ $

Costs assigned to production:

Inventory in process, September 1 $

Costs incurred in September   

Total costs accounted for by the Rolling Department $

Costs allocated to completed and partially completed units:

Inventory in process, September 1 balance (c) $

To complete inventory in process, September 1 (c) $ $   

Cost of completed September 1 work in process $

Started and completed in September (c) $

Transferred to finished goods in September (c) $

Inventory in process, September 30 (d)   

Total costs assigned by the Rolling Department $

2. Provide the same information for October by recording the October transactions in the four-column work in process account. Construct a cost of production report, and present the October computations (a through d) listed in part (1). If an amount box does not require an entry, leave it blank.

ACCOUNT

Work in Process-Rolling Department

ACCOUNT NO.

Balance

DATE

ITEM

POST. REF.

DEBIT

CREDIT

DEBIT

CREDIT

October 1 Balance

October 31 Smelting Dept., 27,600 units at $5.3

October 31 Direct labor

October 31 Factory overhead   

October 31 Finished goods

October 31 Bal., 1,300 units, 60% completed

If an amount is zero, enter in a zero "0". Round cost per unit answers to the nearest cent.

Pittsburgh Aluminum Company

Cost of Production Report-Rolling Department

For the Month Ended October 31

Whole Units

Equivalent Units

Units

Direct Materials (a)

Conversion (a)

Units charged to production:

Inventory in process, October 1   

Received from Smelting Department   

Total units accounted for by the Rolling Department   

Units to be assigned costs:

Inventory in process, October 1   

Started and completed in October   

Transferred to finished goods in October   

Inventory in process, October 31   

Total units to be assigned costs   

Costs

Costs

Direct Materials

Conversion

Total Costs

Cost per equivalent unit:

Total costs for October in Rolling Department $ $

Total equivalent units

Cost per equivalent unit (b) $ $

Costs assigned to production:

Inventory in process, October 1 $

Costs incurred in October   

Total costs accounted for by the Rolling Department $

Costs allocated to completed and partially completed units:

Inventory in process, October 1 balance (c) $

To complete inventory in process, October 1 (c) $ $   

Cost of completed October 1 work in process $

Started and completed in October (c)   

Transferred to finished goods in October (c) $

Inventory in process, October 31 (d)   

Total costs assigned by the Rolling Department $

3. The cost per equivalent unit for direct materials  

from August to October. The cost per equivalent unit for conversion costs  

from August to October. These changes  

be investigated for their underlying causes, and any necessary corrective actions should be taken.

Answer 1

Work-In-Process (WIP) refers to the materials that have started the production process, but have not yet been completed. In other words, a company's partially finished goods. The work-in-process inventory account is an asset account that is used to track the cost of the partially finished goods.

The work-in-process inventory account includes the value of the WIP inventory available at the start of the accounting period. The account also includes the manufacturing costs associated with the WIP, such as the direct labor, direct materials, and factory overhead that has been put into producing the partially finished goods.

The WIP goods that have been completed during the accounting period are credited to the WIP inventory account and debited to the finished goods inventory account. At the end of each accounting period, we calculate the remaining value of WIP. This amount becomes the value of the WIP inventory available at the start of the next accounting period.

Example of a WIP Inventory Account

Let's look at an example to help demonstrate exactly what it is that a WIP inventory account does.

Superior Glass is a company that manufactures and sells dishes.

At the beginning of the accounting period in March, Superior Glass had $7,000 in the WIP inventory account.

Superior Glass uses $3,000 in direct material during the accounting period in order to produce goods that have not yet been completed. The direct materials that are used to produce WIP are credited to the raw materials inventory account and debited to the WIP inventory account.