Valuation Of Inventory

At the end of every financial year a business must put a value on the goods left unsold in the storeroom. That single figure flows into the cost of sales, the gross profit, the profit for the year and the assets shown in the statement of financial position, so getting it right matters far more than its size suggests. Accounting answers the question with one careful rule: inventory is valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value.

This topic teaches you what cost and net realisable value really mean, how to compare them item by item, and how to lay out a clean valuation statement. You will also see why an honest valuation is an application of prudence, and trace exactly how an over-valuation or under-valuation ripples through two years of accounts. It is a favourite of examiners precisely because one small slip distorts so many figures at once.