A crew of 4 carpenters can frame 800 square feet per day. If labor cost is $35 per hour and they work 8-hour days, what is the labor cost per square foot for framing?
Correct Answer
A) $1.40
Daily labor cost: 4 workers × $35/hour × 8 hours = $1,120. Cost per square foot: $1,120 ÷ 800 sq ft = $1.40 per sq ft.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The correct answer is A) $1.40 because we need to calculate the total daily labor cost first, then divide by the daily production. With 4 workers earning $35/hour for 8 hours, the total daily cost is $1,120. Since they frame 800 square feet per day, the cost per square foot is $1,120 ÷ 800 = $1.40. This represents the labor cost component for each square foot of framing work.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: $1.75
Option B ($1.75) is incorrect because it represents an error in calculation, possibly from miscalculating the total daily labor cost or the productivity rate. This would result if someone incorrectly calculated the daily cost as $1,400 instead of $1,120.
Option C: $2.10
Option C ($2.10) is incorrect and represents a significant calculation error. This answer might result from using incorrect hourly rates, wrong crew size, or dividing by an incorrect square footage amount.
Option D: $0.35
Option D ($0.35) is incorrect and appears to be just the hourly wage rate without proper calculation. This ignores the crew size, hours worked, and productivity rate entirely, representing only the base hourly cost per worker.
Memory Technique
Remember 'CREW × RATE × TIME ÷ PRODUCTION' - multiply the crew factors first, then divide by what they produce to get unit cost
Reference Hint
Construction estimating chapter covering labor productivity rates and unit cost calculations
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