Worked example · EX:inventory-ownership-cost-flow-and-measurement/cedar-specific-identification-and-fifo

Trace Cedar's identified units and FIFO layers

Separates a supported serial unit trace from FIFO cost assignment and reconciles periodic and perpetual schedules.

Updated Sep 10, 2026 Review due Nov 10, 2026
On this page
  1. Separate actual unit tracing from a cost assumption
  2. Build the dated FIFO schedule
  3. Reconcile quantity and cost
Worked-example setupScope and assumptions
  • Cedar Trail is fictional, and all rights, cutoff, qualifying costs, dates, and removals are supplied for calculation practice.
  • Serial records for the two kayaks are complete and unchanged from acquisition through sale or count.
  • Filters are interchangeable; FIFO assigns their costs and does not describe their physical movement.
Period
One inventory period
Units
Inventory units and US dollars
Rounding
Display dollars to cents

Separate actual unit tracing from a cost assumption

Cedar owns two custom kayaks. Acquisition records tie serial K-41 to a $3,200 qualifying cost and K-42 to a $3,450 qualifying cost. The sales record and shipping evidence identify K-41 as sold. The controlled count identifies K-42 as the unit on hand. Specific identification therefore assigns $3,200 to the sold kayak and leaves $3,450 in inventory. Each serial number appears once, and the trace does not depend on a desired income result.

Cedar also sells interchangeable water filters. A barcode identifies the product but does not preserve each filter's actual acquisition cost. Cedar uses FIFO for that pool.

Build the dated FIFO schedule

Cedar begins with 40 filters at $18, buys 30 at $20, sells 50, buys 25 at $22, and sells 20.

Event FIFO cost assigned Layers after the event
Opening — 40 at $18
Buy 30 — 40 at $18; 30 at $20
Sell 50 40 × $18 + 10 × $20 = $920 20 at $20
Buy 25 — 20 at $20; 25 at $22
Sell 20 20 × $20 = $400 25 at $22

Perpetual FIFO cost of goods sold is $1,320, and ending inventory is $550. Periodic FIFO reaches the same result by assigning the 70 units sold to the earliest costs in all 95 available units.

Reconcile quantity and cost

Units reconcile as 40 + 30 + 25 − 50 − 20 = 25. Cost reconciles as `$1,320

  • $550 = $1,870`. These checks support the arithmetic under the supplied facts. They do not prove rights, cost eligibility, method selection, or which physical filter shipped.

Next, complete the independent Northstar specific-identification and FIFO practice. The US-GAAP cost-flow boundary appears in ASC 330-10-30-9.

Verified calculation · inventory cost flow analysis

The curriculum loader recomputed this example before it entered the site build. Expand any structured input to inspect the stated facts.

events
4 items
Inspect data
[
  {
    "kind": "purchase",
    "unit_cost": 20,
    "units": 30
  },
  {
    "kind": "sale",
    "unit_cost": null,
    "units": 50
  },
  {
    "kind": "purchase",
    "unit_cost": 22,
    "units": 25
  },
  {
    "kind": "sale",
    "unit_cost": null,
    "units": 20
  }
]
opening layers
1 field
Inspect data
{
  "opening_filters": {
    "unit_cost": 18,
    "units": 40
  }
}

Recomputed result

Values recomputed by the curriculum loader
MeasureValue
ending units25
goods available cost1,870
goods available units95
periodic fifo cost of goods sold1,320
periodic fifo ending inventory550
perpetual fifo cost of goods sold1,320
perpetual fifo ending inventory550
units sold70