Note: choices about Inventory valuation methods should
not be made without consulting with experts in Accounting and Taxation
practices in your Country. Some countries mandate the use of specific methods in
some scenarios (in the USA, the IRS mandates FIFO if you have any inventory
stored outside the USA) and changing the method used often requires notification
to and/or approval from your tax authority (in the USA, the IRS has specific
procedures and forms to submit). You may or may not have to choose the same
method for all of your Inventory.
Accuracy depends on various the circumstances and goals of the business, industry practices,
and regulatory requirements. Each method has strengths and weaknesses, and what
might be the most accurate for one business may not be the most accurate for
another business. There isn't a universally "most accurate" method.
Method
|
Best For
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
Standard Price
Manual - a user defined and user managed fixed cost
All units have the same cost
|
Stable
product prices
Consistent
manufacturing processes
Simple cost
accounting and budgeting
|
Good for monitoring
material / labor / overhead variances
|
Differences between
actual cost and standard cost could over or understand inventory value
May not
reflect market prices
|
Average Cost
Automatic - calculates a weighted average
All units have the same cost
|
Relatively stable
product prices
High-volume,
homogeneous products
Very common
|
Smooths out
fluctuations in purchase prices
|
Does not
track specific unit costs
May not
reflect market prices
|
First in First Out (FIFO)
Automatic – calculates oldest to newest costs
|
Perishable products
Prices that
are increasing
|
More accurate
during inflationary periods
Accurately
measures the cost of replacing inventory
|
May lead to
higher taxable income during inflationary periods *
|
By Lot/Serial number
Automatic – calculates the real costs
Also called specific identification
|
Regulated industries
High value products
|
Precise costs
|
Requires lots
/ serials to be entered on all Transfers
|
* since you are selling your older, cheaper inventory your cogs
will be lower and your profits higher than if you had used another method such as
average.
See also https://www.odoo.com/documentation/master/applications/inventory_and_mrp/inventory/product_management/inventory_valuation/inventory_valuation_config.html