This section discusses differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS in the items and costs making up merchandise inventory, in the methods to assign costs to inventory, and in the methods to estimate inventory values.
Ithem and costs Making Up Inventory
Both U.S. GaaP and IFRS include broad and similar guidance for the item and costs making up merchandise inventory. Specifically, under both accounting systems, merchandise inventory includes all item that a company owns and holds for sale. Further, merchandise inventory includes costs of expenditures necessary, directly or indirectly, to bring those items to a salable condition and location
Assigning costs to inventory
Both u.s. gaap and IFRS allow companies to use specific identification in assigning costs to inventory. Further, both systems allow companies to apply a cost flow assumption. The usual cost flow assumption are Fifo, Weighted Average, and Lifo. However, IFRS does not allow use use of LIFO. As the convergence project progresses, this prohibition may or may not persist.