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

See Examples For:

prime cost

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

In all such cases the prime cost increases immensely, and to an extent that would hardly be credited by those not practically familiar with the subject.

From Ocean Steam Navigation and the Ocean Post by Thomas Rainey

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 Thomas Rainey

It was given out that the establishment was to be conducted upon the principle of supplying provisions at as nearly prime cost as possible.

From Western Worthies A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland Celebrities by J. Stephen (James Stephen) Jeans

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