Consumables
Consumables (also known as consumable goods, nondurable goods, or soft goods) are goods that, according to the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, are capable of being consumed; that may be destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. John Locke specifies these as "consumable commodities."[1] People have, for example, always consumed food and water. Consumables are in contrast to durable goods.
Consumables are products that consumers use recurrently, i.e., items which "get used up" or discarded. For example consumable office supplies are such products as paper, pens, file folders, Post-it notes, and toner or ink cartridges. This is in contrast to capital goods or durable goods in the office, such as computers, fax machines, and other business machines or office furniture.[2]
For arc welding one uses a consumable electrode. This is an electrode that conducts electricity to the arc but also melts into the weld as a filler metal.[3]
Consumable or disposable products associated with the preparation or presentation of serving food include but is not limited to plastic, foam, paper goods and cleaning supplies.
Consumable goods are usually excluded from warranty policies, as it is considered that covering them would excessively increase the cost of the premium.
See also
- Disposable
- Economic order quantity
- Environmental Design
- Fast-moving consumer goods
- Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
References
- ^ Definition in online dictionary
- ^ FTC v. Staples, Inc., consumables discussed in a legal case.
- ^ Consumable electrode, example as part of industrial process.