in economics, equation that expresses the relationship between the quantities of productive factors (such as labour and capital) used and the amount of product obtained. It states the amount of product that can be obtained from every combination of factors, assuming that the most efficient available methods of production are used.

The production function can thus answer a variety of questions. It can, for example, measure the marginal productivity of a particular factor of production (i.e., the change in output from one additional unit of that factor). It can also be used to determine the cheapest combination of productive factors that can be used to produce a given output.