IAS 2-Inventory (Summary)
Summary of IAS 2-Inventory
IAS 2 provides guidance for determining the cost of inventories and the subsequent recognition of the cost as an expense, including any write-down to net realisable value. It also provides guidance on the cost formulas that are used to assign costs to inventories. Inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less the estimated costs of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale.
The cost of inventories includes all costs of purchase, costs of conversion (direct labour and production overhead) and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition. The cost of inventories is assigned by:
- specific identification of cost for items of inventory that are not ordinarily interchangeable; and
- the first-in, first-out or weighted average cost formula for items that are ordinarily interchangeable (generally large quantities of individually insignificant items).
When inventories are sold, the carrying amount of those inventories is recognised as an expense in the period in which the related revenue is recognised. The amount of any write-down of inventories to net realisable value and all losses of inventories are recognised as an expense in the period the write-down or loss occurs.
Objective of IAS 2
The objective of IAS 2 is to prescribe the accounting treatment for inventories. It provides guidance for determining the cost of inventories and for subsequently recognising an expense, including any write-down to net realisable value. It also provides guidance on the cost formulas that are used to assign costs to inventories.
Inventories
IAS 2 defines inventories asΒ assetsΒ which are:
- held for sale in the ordinary course of business,
- in the process of production for such sale, or
- in the form of materials or supplies to be consumed in the production or rendering of services.
Scope
Inventories include assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business (finished goods), assets in the production process for sale in the ordinary course of business (work in process), and materials and supplies that are consumed in production (raw materials).
However, IAS 2 excludes certain inventories from its scope:
- The valuation ofΒ work in progress on construction and service contractsΒ (IFRS 15 applies)
- Financial instruments (IAS 32 and IFRS 9 )
- Biological assets arising from agricultural activity (IAS 41 applies )
Fundamental principle of IAS 2
Inventories are required to be stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value (NRV).
Measurement of inventories
Cost should include all:
- costs of purchase (including taxes, transport, and handling) net of trade discounts received
- costs of conversion (including fixed and variable manufacturing overheads) and
- other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition
IASΒ 23Β Borrowing Costs identifies some limited circumstances where borrowing costs (interest) can be included in cost of inventories that meet the definition of a qualifying asset.
Inventory cost should not include:
- abnormal waste
- storage costs
- administrative overheads unrelated to production
- selling costs
- foreign exchange differences arising directly on the recent acquisition of inventories invoiced in a foreign currency
- interest cost when inventories are purchased with deferred settlement terms.
IAS 2 allows for two methods of costing, the standard technique and the retail technique. The standard cost and retail methods may be used for the measurement of cost, provided that the results approximate actual cost.
For inventory items that are not interchangeable, specific costs are attributed to the specific individual items of inventory.
For items that are interchangeable, IAS 2 allows the FIFO or weighted average cost formulas. The LIFO formula, which had been allowed prior to the 2003 revision of IAS 2, is no longer allowed.
The same cost formula should be used for all inventories with similar characteristics as to their nature and use to the entity. For groups of inventories that have different characteristics, different cost formulas may be justified.
Write-down to net realisable value
NRV is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated cost of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale. Any write-down to NRV should be recognised as an expense in the period in which the write-down occurs. Any reversal should be recognised in the income statement in the period in which the reversal occurs.
Expense recognition
IAS 18Β Revenue addresses revenue recognition for the sale of goods. When inventories are sold and revenue is recognised, the carrying amount of those inventories is recognised as an expense (often called cost-of-goods-sold). Any write-down to NRV and any inventory losses are also recognised as an expense when they occur.
Disclosure
Required disclosures:
- accounting policy for inventories
- carrying amount, generally classified as merchandise, supplies, materials, work in progress, and finished goods. The classifications depend on what is appropriate for the entity
- carrying amount of any inventories carried at fair value less costs to sell
- amount of any write-down of inventories recognised as an expense in the period
- amount of any reversal of a write-down to NRV and the circumstances that led to such reversal
- carrying amount of inventories pledged as security for liabilities
- cost of inventories recognised as expense (cost of goods sold).
IAS 2 acknowledges that some enterprises classify income statement expenses by nature (materials, labour, and so on) rather than by function (cost of goods sold, selling expense, and so on). Accordingly, as an alternative to disclosing cost of goods sold expense, IAS 2 allows an entity to disclose operating costs recognised during the period by nature of the cost (raw materials and consumables, labour costs, other operating costs) and the amount of the net change in inventories for the period). This is consistent with IAS 1Β Presentation of Financial Statements, which allows presentation of expenses by function or nature.