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Standard cost variance workbook
A standard cost variance is the difference between what a product actually cost and what it should have cost at standard, split into parts so you can see which input moved. Materials, labor, variable overhead and fixed overhead each give two: one for what the input cost (price, rate or spending) and one for how much of it was used or made (quantity, efficiency or volume). That is eight variances. Every one here is actual minus standard, so a positive number is unfavorable and a negative number is favorable. The Excel workbook takes the standards and the actuals for a product and a period. It works out all eight with the sign and the word favorable or unfavorable, and proves that they add up to actual cost less standard cost. A check cell turns red if they do not. It also has a 25-row sheet for several products or cost centers, a Where to look sheet with questions to ask on the floor, and a worked example. The PDF has the variance map on one page, the formulas, the example step by step and the questions. It does not set your standards or tell you why a variance happened; it tells you where to look.
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A diagram with actual cost at the top, the flexed budget in the middle and the standard cost of the actual output at the bottom, with the price and spending variances between the first two and the quantity, efficiency and volume variances between the last two, and the sign rule below.Variance mapEight variancesSign ruleFavorable or unfavorableReconciliation check25-row multi-line sheetWhere to look questionsWorked example
When to use it
When to use a cost variance workbook
- In the monthly review where finance asks why the line is over standard and you need to know what the number is made of.
- Before that review, to decide which variances are big enough to walk to the floor for.
- When you inherit a variance report and want to check the sign and the arithmetic.
- When a favorable variance looks too good and you want to see what it is made of.
- When you teach supervisors and team leaders what the numbers in the cost report mean.
How to fill it in
- 1
Enter the standards
Material per unit and its price, labor hours per unit and the rate, the variable overhead rate per labor hour, the fixed overhead budget and the output level that budget was set for. Get them from finance; the workbook does not set them.
- 2
Enter the actuals for the period
Units made, material bought and used, the price paid, labor hours and rate, and the variable and fixed overhead incurred.
- 3
Choose when the material price is measured
At purchase (the default, on the quantity bought) or at use (on the quantity used). Pick one and keep to it, because the two differ in any month when you buy more or less than you use.
- 4
Read the eight variances
Each shows its sign, the word favorable or unfavorable and the formula in words. Start with the biggest in dollars, not the biggest in percent.
- 5
Check that it adds up
Actual cost less standard cost must equal the eight variances, plus any stock change. The check cell turns red if it does not, which means an input is wrong.
- 6
Take the three biggest to the floor
Use the Where to look questions. Go to the line, the stores or the timesheets with the question, not with the answer you expect.
The eight variances
What each variance measures, and what to ask first
Each is actual minus standard. Positive means unfavorable, negative means favorable. The questions are where to start when a variance is unfavorable, not causes. The formulas follow Principles of Accounting, Volume 2: Managerial Accounting (Franklin, Graybeal and Cooper, OpenStax, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), checked against an open textbook from Saylor Academy and an ACCA article. The example numbers are our own.
| Variance | Formula | Ask first |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Materials price | (Actual price − Standard price) × Quantity bought | Rush buy, small lot, different supplier, freight, an out-of-date standard? |
| 2. Materials quantity | (Quantity used − Standard quantity allowed) × Standard price | Scrap, rework, yield, spills, set-up waste, over-issue, a wrong bill of materials? |
| 3. Labor rate | (Actual rate − Standard rate) × Actual hours | Overtime, agency labor, a higher grade on a lower grade job? |
| 4. Labor efficiency | (Actual hours − Standard hours allowed) × Standard rate | Waiting, breakdowns, changeovers, rework, new people, a standard time nobody has checked? |
| 5. Variable overhead spending | Actual variable overhead − Actual hours × Standard rate | Which overhead lines moved, and was it price or use? |
| 6. Variable overhead efficiency | (Actual hours − Standard hours allowed) × Standard rate | It follows labor efficiency, so look in the same places. |
| 7. Fixed overhead spending | Actual fixed overhead − Budgeted fixed overhead | Which fixed line moved, and was it planned? |
| 8. Fixed overhead volume | Budgeted fixed overhead − Fixed overhead applied | Why was output below the level the rate was set on? It is not extra spending. |
1. Materials price
- Formula
- (Actual price − Standard price) × Quantity bought
- Ask first
- Rush buy, small lot, different supplier, freight, an out-of-date standard?
2. Materials quantity
- Formula
- (Quantity used − Standard quantity allowed) × Standard price
- Ask first
- Scrap, rework, yield, spills, set-up waste, over-issue, a wrong bill of materials?
3. Labor rate
- Formula
- (Actual rate − Standard rate) × Actual hours
- Ask first
- Overtime, agency labor, a higher grade on a lower grade job?
4. Labor efficiency
- Formula
- (Actual hours − Standard hours allowed) × Standard rate
- Ask first
- Waiting, breakdowns, changeovers, rework, new people, a standard time nobody has checked?
5. Variable overhead spending
- Formula
- Actual variable overhead − Actual hours × Standard rate
- Ask first
- Which overhead lines moved, and was it price or use?
6. Variable overhead efficiency
- Formula
- (Actual hours − Standard hours allowed) × Standard rate
- Ask first
- It follows labor efficiency, so look in the same places.
7. Fixed overhead spending
- Formula
- Actual fixed overhead − Budgeted fixed overhead
- Ask first
- Which fixed line moved, and was it planned?
8. Fixed overhead volume
- Formula
- Budgeted fixed overhead − Fixed overhead applied
- Ask first
- Why was output below the level the rate was set on? It is not extra spending.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example (illustrative numbers, invented for this page): a bracket line for one month. Standards: 2.5 kg of steel at $3.20 per kg, 0.40 labor hours at $24.00, variable overhead $6.00 per labor hour, fixed overhead $45,000 set for 15,000 brackets. Actuals: 14,200 brackets, 36,000 kg bought and 35,200 kg used at $3.31, 5,900 hours at $23.70, variable overhead $33,900, fixed overhead $46,300.
- Allowed for 14,200 brackets: 35,500 kg and 5,680 labor hours. The fixed overhead rate is 45,000 ÷ 6,000 hours = $7.50 per hour, so $42,600 is applied.
- Materials price (3.31 − 3.20) × 36,000 = +3,960 unfavorable. Materials quantity (35,200 − 35,500) × 3.20 = −960 favorable.
- Labor rate (23.70 − 24.00) × 5,900 = −1,770 favorable. Labor efficiency (5,900 − 5,680) × 24.00 = +5,280 unfavorable.
- Variable overhead spending 33,900 − 5,900 × 6.00 = −1,500 favorable. Variable overhead efficiency (5,900 − 5,680) × 6.00 = +1,320 unfavorable.
- Fixed overhead spending 46,300 − 45,000 = +1,300 unfavorable. Fixed overhead volume 45,000 − 42,600 = +2,400 unfavorable.
- Total: +10,030 unfavorable. Actual cost $339,190 less standard cost $326,600 is $12,590, which is the 10,030 plus a stock change of 2,560 for the 800 kg bought and not yet used, valued at standard price.
Labor efficiency is the biggest item, so the first question is where the 220 extra hours went. The volume variance is the 800 brackets short of the 15,000 the rate was set on: fixed cost spread over fewer units, not extra spending. The two favorable items need a reason before anyone counts them as savings.
Common mistakes
Reading a variance as the cause
A variance says where the actual cost left the standard. It does not say why. Go and look before you decide.
Counting every favorable variance as a saving
A favorable usage or rate variance can come from a loose standard, thinner material, less experienced people or work put off. Ask what changed.
Treating the volume variance as waste
It is fixed overhead spread over fewer or more units than the rate assumed. Building stock to make it look better only moves the cost into inventory.
Changing the price basis between months
Measuring the material price at purchase one month and at use the next makes the trend meaningless. Choose one and say which.
Using variances as the plant scorecard
Lean Enterprise Institute and BMA both warn that variances used as performance measures can drive buying in bulk, long runs and stock building. Use them to find where to look.
Standards nobody has checked
Old prices, old times and old bills of materials give variances that point at nobody. Review the standards before you chase the variances.
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FAQ
Standard cost variance workbook: common questions
Each variance here is actual minus standard. A positive number means actual cost was above standard, which is unfavorable. A negative number means it was below standard, which is favorable. The word matters more than the sign, and a favorable variance can still hide a problem such as a loose standard or lower quality.
OpenStax measures it at purchase, on the quantity bought, so a price change shows up when you buy. Measured at use, it is worked on the quantity used. Either is a valid treatment, but they differ in any month when you buy more or less than you use. The workbook has both and shows the difference as a stock change in the reconciliation.
No. It is the fixed overhead budget less the fixed overhead applied to the units made, so it is the cost of making fewer or more units than the level the rate was set on. Look at the schedule, demand and downtime, not at waste, and do not build stock just to move the number.
From Principles of Accounting, Volume 2: Managerial Accounting, chapter 8, by Mitchell Franklin, Patty Graybeal and Dixon Cooper (OpenStax, 2019, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, free at openstax.org). Its fixed overhead section names the two fixed variances without formulas, so those follow the Saylor Academy open textbook and an ACCA article, which agree. The workbook and the example are our own work, shared free for non-commercial use on the same terms.
Used to find where to look, yes. Used as a plant scorecard they can push the wrong behavior: Lean Enterprise Institute and BMA Inc. both say variances can reward buying in bulk, running long batches and building stock. Use them in the monthly review, and keep the daily management on flow, quality and delivery.
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- Is / is not analysis templateWhat, where, when and extent with is, is not, distinctions and changes, then each possible cause tested against every pair and ranked.
- 5G investigation sheetConfirm the facts before naming a cause: 5W1H, the five G's with 20 prompts, the gap against the principle and the standard, and the countermeasures.
- Yokoten tracker (horizontal deployment)Copy a proven improvement line by line: the source result, each candidate's own before and after, its share of the source's improvement and the standard updated.
- Coaching kata template (improvement kata storyboard)The learner's storyboard (target condition, current condition, obstacles, PDCA cycles) and a fold-over card with the coach's five questions.
- Lean readiness assessment templateTwenty statements in four factors, scored 1 to 5 by several people on their own, with averages, the spread between them and the actions.
- Nemawashi template (stakeholder plan)Plan the one-to-one conversations before a decision: who to talk to in what order, their concerns, what changed and where they stand.
- Breakdown analysis reportOne equipment breakdown from the stop to the 90-day check, plus a breakdown log with repeat flags, MTBF and MTTR by asset and a Pareto of causes.
- Kaizen project plan (Gantt chart)One improvement project as a Gantt chart: tasks by phase with owners, predecessors and working days, a 16-week grid, milestones and a status from planned against actual % done.
- Histogram templateReadings, bins set by the square root rule, a tally and counts, the spec limits drawn and the share out of spec, with the common shapes explained.
- Scatter diagram templateUp to 50 pairs with a group code, r and R², the least squares line, the quadrant count and r for each group.
- Gauge calibration logA gauge register with next due dates and status, a calibration record with as-found and as-left readings, and the steps when a gauge fails.
- Visual management audit checklist29 checks of whether anyone can tell normal from abnormal at a glance, scored by group, with a trend and actions.
- Quality alert formA quality alert to post at the line, a sign-off sheet for every shift, and a log of open, expired and closed alerts.
- TQM self-assessment templateThe eight TQM principles in 24 statements you can check on the floor, scored 0 to 4 by several people, with the spread, the top 3 gaps and an action plan.
- Employee recognition program templateDesign a recognition program on one page, then run it: points per action, prizes, budget, a points ledger, a monthly leaderboard and a fairness check by team and shift.
- Continuous improvement software evaluation scorecardCompare CI software vendors: a must-have gate, eight weighted criteria scored 1 to 5, points out of 100 and a rank, with a demo script and reference questions.
- Employee engagement survey templateA short anonymous pulse survey for shop floor staff: 14 statements in six drivers, two open questions, results by driver and team, and the actions.
- Hansei reflection sheet (lessons learned)A written look back at one finished project, event or launch: goals against results in numbers, causes rather than blame, lessons to keep or change, and where else they apply.
- Safety cross calendarA month drawn as the green cross, colored each day by the most serious safety event, with totals and days since the last injury.
- Daily kaizen routine boardA team's 10 to 15 minute daily routine at the board: one problem from each person, small fixes with one owner, counted every week.
- Quality circle meeting recordA circle's charter, a one-page record for each meeting and a problem register that follows every problem from selected to closed or escalated.
- Weekly maintenance schedule templateNext week's maintenance jobs, scheduled only when ready, loaded against each craft's hours by day, with schedule compliance and break-ins at week end.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Team charter templateA one-page charter for a standing team: purpose, scope, roles, the KPIs it owns, which decisions it makes itself, norms and cadence.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP) templateA full SOP in the hierarchical step format, from purpose and scope to the steps, records, revision history and approvals, with review checks and an SOP register.
- Process improvement method selectorEight questions about one problem, an example rule that suggests a method and a matrix of nine methods: when each fits, the usual team and time, and the template to start with.
- X-bar and R control chart template25 subgroups with means and ranges, control limits from A2, D3 and D4, signal flags, both charts and a reaction log.
- Gage R&R study sheet10 parts, 2 or 3 appraisers, 2 or 3 trials: EV, AV, GRR, PV, %GRR and ndc by the average and range method.
- Root cause analysis templateOne report from problem statement to proof: containment, evidence, analysis, verified causes, actions and the effectiveness check.
- Safety pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the incident pyramid to safety standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Quality control pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the QA matrix to the QM matrix on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Autonomous maintenance 90-day model area planAM steps 0 to 3 on one model machine in 13 weeks, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves for months 4 to 12.
- Professional maintenance (PM) 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from breakdown analysis to a running PM calendar on one model machine, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Environment and energy pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from waste and energy maps to area standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Focused improvement 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss Pareto to standardized fixes on one model line, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- People development pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the skills matrix to trained cover on critical tasks in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Early equipment management 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from lessons on current machines to a tracked start-up on one model equipment project, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Prioritization matrix templateScore up to 20 improvement ideas on weighted criteria, rank them, test the ranking with equal weights and place each one on an effort and benefit grid.
- RCM worksheet (failure mode and task selection)Failure modes classed as hidden, safety, operational or non-operational, then a task chosen for each: condition-based, discard, failure-finding, redesign or run to failure.
- Error-proofing verification log (daily master-sample check)Each poka-yoke device proved every day or week with a known-bad sample, with missed checks counted and the hours and parts at risk worked out when one fails.
- Training matrix template with expiry datesPeople by required trainings with expiry dates, OK, due, expired and missing flags, compliance by person and area, cover per training and a renewal list.
- Defect catalogue template with boundary samplesEvery defect with a definition, a class and the reason for it, measured accept and reject limits by zone, boundary samples, a defect log with DPU and Pareto, and an inspector agreement check.
- I-MR chart template (individuals and moving range)Up to 100 single readings with moving ranges, limits from a baseline, five run-rule flags, both charts, a second phase and a reaction log.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Attribute control chart template (p, np, c and u charts)p, np, c and u charts in one workbook: a chart selector, a sample size check, limits for each subgroup, signal flags and four worked examples.
- Critical spare parts list and stocking levelsAssets ranked by consequence, each part classed and given a stocking policy, and min and max worked out from usage and lead time, with the downtime each stock-out would cost.
- HACCP plan template: hazard analysis and CCP worksheetThe Codex 12 steps in one workbook: team and product, process steps checked on site, hazard analysis with the CCP decision tree, the CCP table with completeness checks, an allergen matrix and a verification schedule.
- Forklift operator training and evaluation recordPer-operator training and evaluation record, a register with three-year due dates and refresher triggers, and a weighted practical evaluation scoresheet.
- REBA worksheet (Rapid Entire Body Assessment)Score up to six postures with REBA: body-part drop-downs, Tables A, B and C as lookups, final score and action level, and a before and after comparison.
- Mock recall template: traceability exercise worksheetTrace a finished lot back to every input lot and forward to every first customer, reconcile the quantities against a tolerance and time it against your target.
- ISO 9001 internal audit checklist (production area)46 audit questions for the production floor in 11 processes, each with its ISO 9001:2015 clause, what evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus five defined grades, a findings log, a finding report and a summary by clause.
- ISO 45001 internal audit checklist44 audit questions for the plant floor in 16 safety topics, each with its ISO 45001:2018 clause, the evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus 12 worker interview prompts, a findings log and a summary by clause.
- Food plant GMP inspection checklist (21 CFR 117 subpart B)55 checks in the order of 21 CFR 117 subpart B, each citing its paragraph and saying what to look at, with a grade, finding, owner and due date; results by section and grade, a walk route and a bakery example.
- Master sanitation schedule with pre-op verificationA master list of cleaning tasks by area and equipment with frequency, chemical, lockout, who and next due date, a weekly on-time count, and the pre-operational verification log with a release step.
- Overhead crane inspection checklist: frequent and periodic34 crane checks tied to OSHA 1910.179: an operator's pre-shift card, frequent and periodic inspections with signed records, a deficiency and tag-out log, and a register of next due dates.
- Measurement uncertainty budget templateA GUM uncertainty budget: Type A and B rows, divisors by distribution, sensitivity coefficients, uc, νeff, k from the t-table, U, TUR and a guard band check.
- Maintenance job plan templateOne job planned on one sheet: steps and craft hours, parts checked against stock, tools, lockout and permits, documents, a ready check for the schedule, and technician feedback.
- Video time study filming checklistA pre-shoot checklist and shot log for filming a time study on video: camera, light, people, settings, power and review.
- OSHA compliance calendar (general industry)37 recurring federal OSHA duties with the paragraph, interval, owner, next due date and an overdue flag, plus a 12-month view and counts by owner.
- Pugh matrix templateCompare up to 8 concepts with a datum as better, same or worse on up to 12 criteria, flag must-haves, and carry the strongest into a second round.
- Machine guarding inspection sheetA machine register with due dates and a status per machine, 21 checks tied to OSHA 1910.212, .219 and .147, a guard opening check against Table O-10, and an action log.
- Condition monitoring route sheetA route of measuring points with baselines, alert and alarm limits, a check interval from the P-F interval, readings with rising and overdue flags, and an exceptions list worst first.
- Fire extinguisher inspection logOne row for every portable extinguisher: hydro test interval from OSHA Table L-1, annual and 6-year due dates, a 12-month check grid and open issues.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.