prime cost

American  

noun

1. that part of the cost of a commodity deriving from the labor and materials directly utilized in its manufacture.

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prime cost British  

noun

1. Also called: variable cost.  the portion of the cost of a commodity that varies directly with the amount of it produced, principally comprising materials and labour Compare overheads

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Etymology

Origin of prime cost

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

Labor is indeed a prime cost factor in an industry that has never been able to mechanize to any great extent.

From Time Magazine Archive

To sum up, worm conveyors are of the simplest construction and of small prime cost.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various

A store was kept on the premises, in which articles were sold at prime cost, with an allowance for transportation, &c.

From History of American Socialisms by Noyes, John Humphrey

We cannot for a moment suppose that these holy disinterested missionaries would charge a farthing; above the prime cost in pursuing their "glorious work."

From Religion In The Heavens Or, Mythology Unveiled in a Series of Lectures by Mitchell, Logan

They were forged in Reading, Pennsylvania, and in addition to their enormous prime cost had to incur that of shipment from the interior of Pennsylvania to the city of New-York.

From Ocean Steam Navigation and the Ocean Post by Rainey, Thomas