A manufacturer should disclose the following categories of inventory: raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, manufacturing supplies, and packaging supplies. When some of these amounts are not significant, some categories may be combined, such as raw materials and supplies, or raw materials and work-in-process.

In addition, a manufacturer (and others with inventory) should disclose the method for valuing the inventory. This includes whether it is cost or the lower of cost or market, and also the cost flow assumption such as 1) first-in, first-out or FIFO, 2) last-in, first-out or LIFO, 3) weighted average, etc. If LIFO is used, the company must disclose what the dollar amount of inventory would have been if FIFO had been used.

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About the Author: Harold Averkamp (CPA) has worked as an accountant, consultant, and university accounting instructor for more than 25 years.

He is the creator of the AccountingCoach Pro which has been praised for its ability to simplify accounting in a way that anybody can understand.

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