Question

"Wonderful! Not only did our salespeople do a good job in meeting the sales budget this year, but our production people did a good job in controlling costs as well,” said Kim Clark, president of Martell Company. “Our $52,800 overall manufacturing cost variance is only 2.0% of the $2,640,000 standard cost of products made during the year. That's well within the 3% parameter set by management for acceptable variances. It looks like everyone will be in line for a bonus this year."

The company produces and sells a single product. The standard cost card for the product follows:

Inputs	(1) Standard Quantity or Hours	(2) Standard Price or Rate			Standard Cost (1) × (2)
Direct materials	4.00 feet	$	3.40	per foot	$	13.60
Direct labor	2.5 hours	$	12	per hour		30.00
Variable overhead	2.5 hours	$	1.60	per hour		4.00
Fixed overhead	2.5 hours	$	6.00	per hour		15.00
Total standard cost per unit					$	62.60

The following additional information is available for the year just completed:

1. The company manufactured 25,000 units of product during the year.
2. A total of 97,000 feet of material was purchased during the year at a cost of $3.60 per foot. All of this material was used to manufacture the 25,000 units produced. There were no beginning or ending inventories for the year.
3. The company worked 66,000 direct labor-hours during the year at a direct labor cost of $11.80 per hour.
4. Overhead is applied to products on the basis of standard direct labor-hours. Data relating to manufacturing overhead costs follow:

Denominator activity level (direct labor-hours)		60,000
Budgeted fixed overhead costs	$	360,000
Actual variable overhead costs incurred	$	112,200
Actual fixed overhead costs incurred	$	357,200

Required:

1. Compute the materials price and quantity variances for the year.

2. Compute the labor rate and efficiency variances for the year.

3. For manufacturing overhead compute:

a. The variable overhead rate and efficiency variances for the year.

b. The fixed overhead budget and volume variances for the year.

(For all requirements, indicate the effect of each variance by selecting "F" for favorable, "U" for unfavorable, and "None" for no effect (i.e., zero variance). Input all amounts as positive values.)

Answer 1

1. Direct material price variance:

= (Standard price per unit of material - Actual price per unit of material) x Actual quantity

= ($3.40 - $3.60) x 97000 = 19400 U

Direct material quantity variance

= (standard quantity of material required for actual production - actual quantity used) x Standard price per unit

= (4 x 25000Unit) - 97000 Unit ) x 3.40 = 10200 F

2. Direct labor rate variance

= (Standard direct labor rate per hour - actual direct labor rate per hour) x Actual hours used

= ($12/hour - $11.80/hour) x 66000 Hours = 13200 F

Direct labor efficiency variance:

= (standard hours required for actual production - actual hours used) x standard Rate

= (2.5 Hour x 25000 Unit - 66000) x $12 = 42000 U

3a. Variable OH rate variance

= (Standard Variable OH per hour - actual variable OH per hour) x Actual hours used

= ($1.60/hour - (112200/66000) /hour) x 66000 Hours= 6600 U

Variable OH efficiency variance:

= (standard hours required for actual production - actual hours used) x standard Rate

= (2.50 Hour x 25000 Unit - 66000) x 1.60 = 5600 U

3b. Fixed OH Budget Variannce = Budgeted OH - Actul OH

= 360000 - 357200

= 2800 F

Fixed OH Volume Variannce = Applied OH- Budgeted OH

= (2.50 Hour x 25000 x 6) - 360000

= 15000 F