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Two very popular methods are 1)- retail inventory method, and 2)- gross profit (or gross margin) method. The retail inventory method uses a cost to retail price ratio. The physical inventory is valued at retail, and it is multiplied by the cost ratio (or percentage) to determine the estimated cost of the ending inventory. The gross profit ...
The difference between the cost of an inventory calculated under the FIFO and LIFO methods is called the LIFO reserve (in the example above, it is $750, i.e. $5250 - $4500). This reserve, a form of contra account , is essentially the amount by which an entity's taxable income has been deferred by using the LIFO method.
The standard technique requires that inventory be valued at the standard cost of each unit; that is, the usual cost per unit at the normal level of output and efficiency. The retail technique values the inventory by taking its sales value and then reducing it by the relevant gross profit margin.
If she uses FIFO, her costs are 20 (10+10). If she uses average cost, her costs are 22 ( (10+10+12+12)/4 x 2). If she uses LIFO, her costs are 24 (12+12). Thus, her profit for accounting and tax purposes may be 20, 18, or 16, depending on her inventory method. After the sales, her inventory values are either 20, 22 or 24.
A discussion of inventory from standard and Theory of Constraints-based cost accounting perspective follows some examples and a discussion of inventory from a financial accounting perspective. The internal costing/valuation of inventory can be complex.
For example, relating shipping and storage costs to a specific inventory item becomes difficult. These numbers often need to be estimated, diminishing the specificity advantage of the specific identification method. Thus, this method is generally limited to large, high-ticket items which can be easily identified specifically (such as tract houses).
If the inventory has decreased in value below historical cost, then its carrying value is reduced and reported on the balance sheet. The criterion for reporting this is the current market value . Any loss resulting from the decline in the value of inventory is charged to " cost of goods sold " (COGS) if non-material, or "loss on the reduction ...
In materials management, ABC analysis is an inventory categorisation technique which divides inventory into three categories: 'A' items, with very tight control and accurate records, 'B' items, less tightly controlled and with moderate records, and 'C' items, with the simplest controls possible and minimal records.