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Microlesson · 5-min read

Weighted Average for Carrying & Ordering Cost (Multi-Material EOQ)

## Weighted Average Carrying Cost & Ordering Cost

Sometimes a question asks you to place orders for two (or more) different materials together, where each material has its own carrying cost per unit and ordering cost per order. To apply a single EOQ-style calculation, we collapse the two costs into a single weighted average.

### Weighted Average Carrying Cost

$$\text{Weighted Avg Carry Cost} = \frac{(\text{Units}_A \times \text{Carry Cost p.u. of A}) + (\text{Units}_B \times \text{Carry Cost p.u. of B})}{\text{Units of A} + \text{Units of B}}$$

### Weighted Average Ordering Cost

$$\text{Weighted Avg Ordering Cost} = \frac{(\text{Orders}_A \times \text{Ord. Cost per order of A}) + (\text{Orders}_B \times \text{Ord. Cost per order of B})}{\text{Orders of A} + \text{Orders of B}}$$

### Why we need it

When two materials are bundled into a single purchase order or delivery, costs are shared. A weighted average gives a fair representation per unit/per order, so EOQ logic still applies to the combined order.

Worked example

### Example 1

Example: A company orders Material A (1,000 units, carry cost ₹4/unit) and Material B (3,000 units, carry cost ₹2/unit) together.

Weighted Avg Carry Cost = (1,000 × 4 + 3,000 × 2) / (1,000 + 3,000) = (4,000 + 6,000) / 4,000 = ₹2.50 per unit.

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Using a simple average instead of a weighted average — ignores the relative volume of each material.
  • Mixing units of A and B in numerator without matching weights in denominator.
  • Forgetting that ordering cost is weighted by number of orders, not by units.
Reference:
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