Capital good

A capital good is a durable good (one that does not quickly wear out) that is used in the production of goods or services. Capital goods are one of the three types of producer goods, the other two being land and labor, which are also known collectively as primary factors of production. This classification originated during the classical economic period and has remained the dominant method for classification.

Capital goods are acquired by a society by saving wealth which can be invested in the means of production. In terms of economics one can consider capital goods to be tangible, as they are used to produce other variety of goods or services as well during a certain period of time. Machinery, tools, buildings, computers, or other kind of equipment that is involved in production of other things for sale represent the term of a Capital good. The owners of the Capital good can be individuals, households, corporations or governments. Any material that is used in production of other goods also is considered to be capital good.

Many definitions and descriptions of capital goods production have been proposed in the literature. Capital goods are generally considered as one-of-a-kind, capital intensive products that consist of many components. They are often used as manufacturing systems or services themselves.

Examples include battleships, oil rigs, baggage handling systems and roller coaster equipment. Their production is often organized in projects, with several parties cooperating in networks (Hicks et al. 2000; Hicks and McGovern 2009; Hobday 1998). A capital good lifecycle typically consists of tendering, engineering and procurement, manufacturing, commissioning, maintenance and (sometimes) decommissioning (Blanchard 1997; Hicks et al. 2000; Hobday 1998; Vianello and Ahmed 2008). ^[1]

Capital versus capital good

In Distribution of Wealth, Professor Clark () objects to considering capital as a total or a quantity of "capital goods." "Capital goods" are concrete instruments of production, such as raw materials, machines, tools. Professor Clark reckons land also in this class, a point upon which there may be difference of opinion, but which does not here concern us." Capital itself, however, or "true capital," is something different. Professor Clark cannot say enough, in repeated and richly varied phraseology, of this distinction. Capital is "a sum of productive wealth, invested in material things which are perpetually shifting"^[2];

Differences between capital and consumer goods

One should distinct capital goods from consumption, as the aim of their purchase is different from production of things. An example of it is a car, that is normally considered to be a consumer good as it is bought for a private usage. Nevertheless, dump trucks used by manufacturing or constructing companies are obviously a production goods. The reason is that they assist in creating things like roads, dams, buildings or bridges. The same way, a chocolate candy bar is a consumer good, but the machines that are used to produce the candy would be considered production goods. Some of the capital goods can be used in both production of consumer goods or production ones, such as machinery for production of dump trucks. It is generally considered that the consumption is the logical result of all economic activity, but but it is also obvious that the level of the future consumption depends on the future capital stock, and this in turn depends on the current level of production in the capital-goods sector. Hence if there is a desire to increase the consumption, the output of the capital goods should be maximized. ^[3]

The importance of capital goods

Capital goods, often called complex products and systems (CoPS) (Gann and Salter 2000; Hobday 2000), play an important role in today’s economy (Acha et al. 2004). Aside from allowing a business to create goods or provide services for consumers, capital goods are important in other ways. In an industry where production equipment and materials are quite expensive, they can be a high barrier to entry for new companies. If a new business cannot afford to purchase the machines it needs to create a product, for example, it may not be able to compete as effectively in the market. Such a company might turn to another business to supply its products, but this can be expensive as well. This means that, in industries where the means of production represent a large amount of a business's start up costs, the number of companies competing in the market is often relatively small.

Investment required

The acquisition of machinery and other expensive equipment often represents a significant investment for a company. When a business is struggling, it will often put off such purchases as long as possible, since it doesn't make sense to spend money on equipment if the company isn't around to use it. Capital spending can be a sign that a manufacturer expects growth or at least a steady demand for its products, a potentially positive economic sign. In most cases, capital goods require a substantial investment on behalf of the producer, and their purchase is usually referred to as a capital expense. These goods are important to businesses because they use these items to make functional goods for customers or to provide consumers with valuable services. As a result, they are sometimes referred to as producers' goods, production goods or means of production.[3]

Capital goods in international trade

In theory of the international trade the causes and nature of trade of capital goods receives little attention. Capital goods trade is a crucial part of the dynamic relationship between international trade and development. The production and trade of capital goods as well as consumer goods must be introduced into trade models, and the entire analysis integrated with domestic capital accumulation theory.

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