Video: Traditional Costing

In this lesson, Nick Palazzolo, CPA, delves into the essentials of traditional costing, highlighting its role in allocating overhead across various products and services. With a focus on overhead application, Nick explains how traditional costing uses an average overhead rate tied to direct manufacturing costs, applying it based on a designated cost driver like the number of labor hours. He also outlines the conditions under which traditional costing is most effective—namely when overhead costs are relatively low and production volumes are high—and points out the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of this method for external reporting. Yet, Nick also critically assesses the limitations, noting that this method may not provide managers with the most accurate product cost due to the arbitrary application of overhead rates across all products.