Along with the demand of more books, the movable printing technology was accordingly invented, which is a significant contribution made by china to the human beings. Inexpensive printed books became widely availabe in China during Song dynasty.
Tip. 1  You may also calculate the overhead rate based on direct labor hours. 2  Divide the overhead costs by the direct labor hours over the same measurement period. 3  In the example, the overhead rate is $20 for each direct labor hour ($2,000/100).ou may estimate the costs using historical data and then adjust for inflation. For example, if your plant uses an average 100 direct labor hours per day at $15 an hour and you expect a two percent inflation rate in the upcoming year, your direct labor costs are $1,530 (1.02 x 100 x $15) per day. Step 2.
3. Multiply the amount of each worker's direct labor hours by the total amount of workers. Adding to the example above, say there were 100 direct labor workers for the job. Multiply 100 by the number of hours each worked, in this case 80. That comes to 8,000 direct labor hours. 4. Divide the full amount paid for direct labor by the full amount for direct labor hours. Keeping with the example, say you paid $108,000 for direct labor. Divide this amount by the 8,000 direct labor hours worked. The amount of the actual rate per direct labor hour is $13.50.