What is Inventory Valuation?

Top 3 Types of Inventory Valuation Methods in Accounting

There are three main types/methods by which inventory management calculations can be done:

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#1 – FIFO – FIFO inventoryFIFO InventoryUnder the FIFO method of accounting inventory valuation, the goods that are purchased first are the first to be removed from the inventory account. As a result, leftover inventory at books is valued at the most recent price paid for the most recent stock of inventory. As a result, the inventory asset on the balance sheet is recorded at the most recent cost.read more stands for first in first out. It simply means that the goods should be sold in the order they were purchased. Good produce should be sold first, and this is the order in which the cost of goods sold and inventory should be calculated.

#2 – LIFO – LIFO inventoryLIFO InventoryLIFO (Last In First Out) is one accounting method for inventory valuation on the balance sheet. LIFO accounting means inventory acquired at last would be used up or sold first.read more stands for Last in First out and is conceptually opposite to FIFO. Simply put, the goods purchased recently should be sold first while the goods purchased first should be sold last.

#3 – Weighted average – Weighted average inventory calculation, as the name suggests, calculates the weighted average of the whole inventory irrespective of the order in which it was placed.

Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

Example of Inventory Valuation Methods

Following is an example of inventory valuation methods in accounting.

Consider the case of a garment manufacturer who buys suits through 2 transactions:

  • 500 suits at £ 25 each300 suits at £ 30 each

Also, assume that there were 400 suits sold at the end of the month.

FIFO

Considering the suits bought first were sold first:

  • Cost of Goods SoldCost Of Goods SoldThe Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is the cumulative total of direct costs incurred for the goods or services sold, including direct expenses like raw material, direct labour cost and other direct costs. However, it excludes all the indirect expenses incurred by the company.
  • read more : 400 * £ 25 = 10,000Remaining inventory : 100 (500-400) * £ 25 + 300 * £ 30 = 2500 + 9000 = £ 11,500

LIFO

In LIFO, it is assumed that the goods recently purchased are sold first.

Hence,

  • Cost of Goods sold:  300 * £ 30 + 100 * £ 25 = 9000 +  2500 = £ 11,250Remaining Inventory: 400 * £ 25 = £ 10,000

Weighted Average Cost

In the WAC method, both costs of goods sold and the remaining inventory are calculated based on the weighted average cost.

  • Weighted Average = (500 * 25 + 300 * 30)/ 800 = 26.875Cost of Goods Sold: 400 * 26.875 = £ 10,750Remaining Inventory : 400 * 26.875 = £ 10,750

Refer to the excel sheet given above for detailed calculations.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Inventory Valuation Methods

Advantages of FIFO

  • First in First out is the most intuitive and easiest of the three mechanisms to apply. Most of the time, it is applied by default in small-scale shops and retail outlets. There would be businesses that will not be aware they are using this mechanism to assess their inventory in their workshops and warehouses.Because of its simplicity and intuitiveness, it is difficult to manipulate and hence avoid any suspicion.Since FIFO prices inventory in the order they were purchased and sold, most often than not, the price calculated matches the actual costing involved.Another advantage is its simplicity because the costs match the actual cash flow and the physical flow of goods across the warehouse.Purchases made at the end of the period under consideration do not affect the revenue calculations as the input cost is calculated based on the order in which these goods were produced.

Disadvantages of FIFO

  • It is common in economics that prices of the products do increase with time. However, there are times when these prices rise in a very short period, especially for agro-commodities affected by climate and drastic weather conditions. Hence, sometimes it leads to a mismatch between costs and revenues when FIFO is applied because the paper calculations do not justify the actual inflated calculationsEven with assuming normal inflation, profits look inflated and hence attract more tax burden as compared to other methods. Since it is difficult to manipulate, no accounting rulesAccounting RulesAccounting rules are guidelines to follow for registering daily transactions in the entity book through the double-entry system. Here, every transaction must have at least 2 accounts (same amount), with one being debited & the other being credited. read more can help the firm.

Advantages of LIFO

  • The biggest advantage of the LIFO mechanism is that it matches the profitability in a much better way as it considers the latest cost. It is the reason that profits are less as the corresponding net income is low. It is the reason many accountants and regulators think that it helps in gauging the management’s ability to generate profits. It is much better than the FIFO method, which has huge paper profits compared to the actual ones.Another advantage is that since LIFO uses the current costs for calculation costs of gold sold, it can not be manipulated by inflation and provides a very concurrent view. Also, because using the latest prices into consideration, there is less burden of taxes on the bottom lineBottom LineThe bottom line refers to the net earnings or profit a company generates from its business operations in a particular accounting period that appears at the end of the income statement. A company adopts strategies to reduce costs or raise income to improve its bottom line. read more.

Disadvantages of LIFO

  • LIFO is a difficult method to implement as it can lead to older inventory getting stocked up while the new inventory gets sold. It can be dangerous for perishable goods and lead to huge wastage, thereby increasing the costs and decrease in revenues.Many accounting regulators, including US GAAP, do not approve of the LIFO method of inventory valuation. Hence there is a country and regulatory risk involved.

Advantages of Weighed Average

  • Weighted average calculation is a very systematic and scientific way of evaluating inventory across all three methods. It is unaffected by when goods were purchased and when they were sold. The only thing that matters is at what price these transactions were done, and ideally, that’s what should matter. Hence it is easy to implement, hassle-free to maintain, and simple to audit.Like FIFO and unlike LIFO, it is difficult to manipulate.This method is best utilized when the goods under consideration are difficult to differentiate, and it does not matter how they were sourced into the warehouse.

Disadvantages of Weighted Average

  • Difficult to implement when the inventory consists of goods that are easily differentiable.Most often than not, due to the complex calculation involved, the cost of inventory does not match the current market price of the goods and may raise suspicion.

Conclusion

Inventory valuation is important because of the impact it has on the financial numbers of the firm. One should do a proper analysis and due diligence before selecting and implementing the valuation method as once selected; it cannot be changed mid-way.

This article has been a guide to Inventory Valuation Methods. Here we discuss the top 3 methods of inventory valuation in accounting (LIFO, FIFO & Weighted Average) along with examples. You can learn more about financing from the following articles –

  • Inventory ControlShrinkage FormulaWhat is Inventory Audit?Inventory Shrinkage Definition