Good (economics)

Good (economics)

In economics, a good is something that is intended to satisfy some wants or needs of a consumer and thus has economic utility. It is normally used in the plural form—goods—to denote tangible commodities such as products and materials.

Although in economic theory, all goods are considered tangible, in reality certain classes of goods, such as information, only are in intangible forms. For example, among other goods an apple is a tangible object, while news belongs to an intangible class of goods and can be perceived only by means of an instrument such as print, broadcast or computer.

Goods are contrasted with services, which are intangible commodities.