Question

On April 17, 2021, the Loadstone Mining Company purchased the rights to a coal mine. The purchase price plus additional costs necessary to prepare the mine for extraction of the coal totaled $6,000,000. The company expects to extract 1,000,000 tons of coal during a four-year period. During 2021, 250,000 tons were extracted and sold immediately. Required: 1. Calculate depletion for 2021. 2. Is depletion considered part of the product cost and included in the cost of inventory?

Answer 1

The Loadstone Mining Company

1. The depletion for 2021 is:

= $1,500,000.

2. Depletion is considered part of the product cost and included in the cost of inventory.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) Cost of rights to a coal mine = $6,000,000

Expected tons of coal to be extracted = 1,000,000 tons

Duration of the coal mine = 4 years

Depletion rate per ton = $6 ($6,000,000/1,000,000)

2021 depletion = $6 * 250,000 = $1,500,000

b) Depletion is like depreciation. While depreciation spreads the cost of a tangible asset over its estimated useful life, depletion measures the cost of extracting natural resources based on the number of units extracted vis-a-vis the total quantity available. Amortization is another related term but relates to intangible assets. It is the deduction of the value of an intangible asset over its useful life.