Each DIN standards committee has its own budget based on the work programme describing the standards projects to be developed that year. An internal calculation tool is used to determine the cost of each standards project, differentiating between indirect and direct costs. Direct costs are those that can be directly attributed to the development of standards, such as personnel costs, travel costs, and non-personnel costs (e.g. for interlaboratory tests, technical literature, etc.). Indirect control costs include costs incurred in the representation of German interests at European and international level, membership in CEN and ISO, and controlling of the standardization process. Taken together, these indirect and direct costs give the total cost of producing standards.

DIN's additional supportive functions also generate costs, e.g. IT systems, human resources management, accounting, and the work of the legal department, all of which are added to the production costs as overhead administration costs.

Together, these make up the total cost of each standards project, which are covered by external project funds as well as DIN's own contributions. The aim is to have the stakeholders at least cover the direct costs of the project work, while DIN finances the overhead costs. Projects are financed by private funding (from industry), public funding and from DIN's own contributions.