Consumables (also known as consumable goods, non-durable goods, or soft goods) are
goods
In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants
and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not ...
that are intended to be
consumed. People have, for example, always consumed
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...
and
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...
. Consumables are in contrast to
durable good
In economics, a durable good or a hard good or consumer durable is a good that does not quickly wear out or, more specifically, one that yields utility over time rather than being completely consumed in one use. Items like bricks could be consi ...
s.
Disposable product
A disposable (also called disposable product) is a product designed for a single use after which it is recycled or is disposed as solid waste. The term is also sometimes used for products that may last several months (e.g. disposable air filte ...
s are a particular, extreme case of consumables, because their end-of-life is reached after a single use.
Consumables are products that
consumer
A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...
s use ''recurrently'', i.e., items which "get used up" or discarded. For example consumable
office supplies are such products as
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...
,
pens,
file folder
A file folder (or simply folder) is a kind of folder that holds papers and money together for organization and protection. File folders usually consist of a sheet of heavy paper stock or other thin, but stiff, material which is folded in hal ...
s,
Post-it notes, and
toner
Toner is a powder mixture used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the printed text and images on paper, in general through a toner cartridge. Mostly granulated plastic, early mixtures only added carbon powder and iron oxide, however, ...
or
ink cartridges. This is in contrast to capital goods or
durable good
In economics, a durable good or a hard good or consumer durable is a good that does not quickly wear out or, more specifically, one that yields utility over time rather than being completely consumed in one use. Items like bricks could be consi ...
s in the office, such as computers, fax machines, and other business machines or office furniture. Sometimes a company sells a durable good at an attractively low price in the hopes that the consumer will then buy the consumables that go with it at a price providing a higher
margin
Margin may refer to:
Physical or graphical edges
* Margin (typography), the white space that surrounds the content of a page
*Continental margin, the zone of the ocean floor that separates the thin oceanic crust from thick continental crust
*Leaf ...
. Printers and ink cartridges are an example, as are cameras and film as well as
razors and
blades, which gave this business model its usual name (the
razor and blades model).
For
arc welding one uses a ''consumable''
electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials ...
. This is an electrode that conducts electricity to the
arc but also melts into the weld as a
filler metal.
Consumable goods are often excluded from
warranty
In contract law, a warranty is a promise which is not a condition of the contract or an innominate term: (1) it is a term "not going to the root of the contract",Hogg M. (2011). ''Promises and Contract Law: Comparative Perspectives''p. 48 Cambri ...
policies, as it is considered that covering them would excessively increase the cost of the premium.
[e.g. batteries in computers: , ]
See also
*
Durability
Durability is the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when faced with the challenges of normal operation over its design lifetime. There are several measures of durability in us ...
*
Durable good
In economics, a durable good or a hard good or consumer durable is a good that does not quickly wear out or, more specifically, one that yields utility over time rather than being completely consumed in one use. Items like bricks could be consi ...
*
Fast-moving consumer goods
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, ca ...
*
Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
*
Repairable component
References
{{Reflist
External links
Defining consumable relative to waste
Environmental design
Goods (economics)