Net realizable value (NRV) is a measure of a fixed or current

asset In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that can ...

's worth when held in inventory, in the field of accounting. NRV is part of the

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Publicly traded companies typically are subject to rigorous standards. Small and midsized businesses often follow more simplified standards, plus any specific disclosures required by their specific lenders and shareholders. Some firms operate on th ...

(GAAP) and

International Financial Reporting Standards International Financial Reporting Standards, commonly called IFRS, are accounting standards issued by the IFRS Foundation and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). They constitute a standardised way of describing the company's f ...

(IFRS) that apply to valuing inventory, so as to not overstate or understate the value of inventory goods. Net realizable value is generally equal to the selling

price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

of the inventory goods less the selling costs (completion and disposal). Therefore, it is expected sales price less selling costs (e.g. repair and disposal costs). NRV prevents overstating or understating of an assets value. NRV is the price cap when using the Lower of Cost or Market Rule. Under IFRS, companies need to record the cost of their Ending Inventory at the lower of

cost In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in whic ...

and NRV, to ensure that their inventory and

income statement An income statement or profit and loss accountProfessional English in Use - Finance, Cambridge University Press, p. 10 (also referred to as a ''profit and loss statement'' (P&L), ''statement of profit or loss'', ''revenue statement'', ''stateme ...

are not overstated (under ASPE, companies record the lower of cost and market value). For example, under IFRS, at a company's year end, if an unfinished good that already cost $25 is expected to sell for $100 to a customer, but it will take an additional $20 to complete and $10 to advertise to the customer, its NRV will be $100-$20-$10=$70. In this year's income statement, since the cost of the good ($25) is less than its NRV ($70), the cost of the good will get recorded as the cost of inventory. In next year's income statement after the good was sold, this company will record a

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

of $100,

Cost of Goods Sold Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the carrying value of goods sold during a particular period. Costs are associated with particular goods using one of the several formulas, including specific identification, first-in first-out (FIFO), or average cost. ...

of $25, and Cost of Completion and Disposal of $20+$10=$30. This leads to a profit of $100-$25-$30=$45 on this transaction. Suppose we changed the example so that it costs $60 to advertise to the customer. Now the good's NRV will be $100-$20-$60=$20. In this year's income statement, since the NRV ($20) is less than the cost of the good ($25), the NRV will get recorded as the Cost of Ending Inventory. To do so, an inventory write down of $25-$20=$5 is done, and hence a decrease of $5 in this year's income statement. In the next year's income statement after the good was sold, this company will record a revenue of $100, Cost of Goods Sold of $20, and Cost of Completion and Disposal of $20+$60=$80. This leads to the company breaking even on this transaction ($100-$20-$80=$0). Inventory can be valued at either its historical cost or its market value. Because the market value of an inventory is not always available, NRV is sometimes used as a substitute for this value.

References

{{Reflist United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles