Mining accounting
Plain-English guides to the accounting issues mining companies face, each with a worked example from the industry.
Mining accounting guides
- Mining accounting: the key IFRS issues4 minute readMining accounting explained: exploration under IFRS 6, development, stripping costs, depreciation, rehabilitation, stockpiles, provisional pricing, streams.
- Mining exploration and evaluation4 minute readMining exploration and evaluation under IFRS 6: what to capitalise, resources and reserves, feasibility studies, impairment, cash flows, and two policies.
- Stripping costs under IFRIC 204 minute readStripping costs under IFRIC 20: when waste removal in an open-pit mine creates a stripping activity asset, how costs are allocated and depreciated, an example.
- Mine development costs4 minute readMine development costs under IAS 16: what is capitalised after the decision to mine, borrowing costs, commissioning sales and the commercial production date.
- Depreciation of mining assets3 minute readMining depreciation explained: units of production over reserves, including resources, tonnes mined or milled, shorter-lived equipment and stockpiles.
- Mine closure and rehabilitation4 minute readMine closure and rehabilitation provisions: when they arise, what goes to the asset or to inventory, discounting, changes in estimate and long-term water care.
- Ore stockpiles and work in progress3 minute readOre stockpiles under IAS 2: what goes into their cost, measuring tonnes and grade, net realisable value, heap leach pads, metal in circuit, and classification.
- Mining impairment when commodity prices fall4 minute readMining impairment under IAS 36: triggers, cash-generating units, long-term metal prices, valuing resources beyond reserves, and reversals, with an example.
- Streaming and royalty arrangements4 minute readStreaming and royalty arrangements in mining: the upfront deposit as a contract liability, the financing component, reserve changes and royalties as debt.
- Provisional pricing on concentrate sales3 minute readProvisional pricing on concentrate sales: revenue when control passes, the receivable at fair value under IFRS 9, quotational periods, assays and TC/RCs.
- Mining joint arrangements4 minute readMining joint arrangements under IFRS 11: unincorporated and incorporated joint ventures, output taken by partners, revenue for joint operators, earn-ins.
- Mineral reserves and resources disclosures3 minute readMineral reserves and resources disclosures: JORC, NI 43-101 and S-K 1300, what IFRS requires, and how a reserve change flows into depreciation and impairment.
Other industries
The standards behind these guides
About these guides
Each guide starts from an accounting issue mining companies actually face and works through it with numbers from the industry. 12 of 12 planned guides are published; more are added with every batch.