What does allocation mean here?

The share of the hardware order this job carries. A 60 percent allocation charges 60 percent of the variable kit cost to this job, while the full fixed handling cost stays with the order.

Why is allocation capped at 100 percent?

A share of an order cannot exceed the whole order. At 100 percent the job carries every kit; above that the cost would repeat kits that do not exist, so the page blocks the run.

How is fixed handling spread?

It sits in the total and the loaded cost per kit, so a larger kit count carries less of it per kit. At 120 kits the default charge adds $1.38 per kit; over 12 kits it adds $13.75 each.

Does the target change the total cost?

No. The total comes from kits, kit cost, allocation and fixed handling. The target feeds the comparison row and the verdict, which warn when the loaded cost per kit runs above plan.

Furniture, Fixtures & Interior Products calculator

Hardware Kit Cost Calculator

Build the loaded cost of a hardware kit order from the kit count, a per-kit cost and the share charged to this job. The page compares the loaded cost per kit with your target.

What this calculator does

Loaded hardware kit cost from kits, kit cost, allocation and fixed handling, checked against a per-kit target.

Formula used

Variable hardware cost = kits × hardware cost per kit × allocation ÷ 100
Total hardware kit cost = variable hardware cost + fixed handling cost
Loaded cost per kit = total hardware kit cost ÷ kits
Cost vs target per kit = target cost per kit − loaded cost per kit

Inputs explained

Hardware Kits: Hardware kits in this order, before allocation.
Hardware Cost per Kit: Delivered hardware content for one kit.
Allocation to This Order: Share of the order this job carries.
Fixed Hardware Handling Cost: Receiving, kitting and handling charged to the order.
Target Cost per Kit: Loaded cost target per kit, from the quote.

How to use the result

Best suited to loading a hardware package onto a quote, splitting a multi-job hardware order, checking kit cost against a target.
Freight, duty and storage are outside the fixed handling cost. Allocation is entered as a share, so it cannot exceed the full order.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for lumber stands at 286.633 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 7.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 14,378 furniture and related products establishments employing about 355,594 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

What does allocation mean here? The share of the hardware order this job carries. A 60 percent allocation charges 60 percent of the variable kit cost to this job, while the full fixed handling cost stays with the order.
Why is allocation capped at 100 percent? A share of an order cannot exceed the whole order. At 100 percent the job carries every kit; above that the cost would repeat kits that do not exist, so the page blocks the run.
How is fixed handling spread? It sits in the total and the loaded cost per kit, so a larger kit count carries less of it per kit. At 120 kits the default charge adds $1.38 per kit; over 12 kits it adds $13.75 each.
Does the target change the total cost? No. The total comes from kits, kit cost, allocation and fixed handling. The target feeds the comparison row and the verdict, which warn when the loaded cost per kit runs above plan.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.