Formula to Calculate Days in Inventory

Days in inventory tell you how many days it takes for a firm to convert its inventory into sales.

Let’s have a look at the formula given below.

Days in Inventory Formula = 365 / Inventory Turnover

You are free to use this image on you website, templates, etc., Please provide us with an attribution linkHow to Provide Attribution?Article Link to be HyperlinkedFor eg:Source: Days in Inventory Formula (wallstreetmojo.com)

As you can see that we need to know the inventory turnover ratio before days in inventory calculation; here’s the formula of inventory turnover –

Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold / End Inventory

Now, the cost of goods soldThe Cost Of Goods SoldThe Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is the cumulative total of direct costs incurred for the goods or services sold, including direct expenses like raw material, direct labour cost and other direct costs. However, it excludes all the indirect expenses incurred by the company. read more can also be divided by the average inventory (the average of the beginning and the ending inventory) to find out the inventory turnover ratio.

Days in Inventory Example

Niti wants to know the inventory days of Company Him. Here are a few details she gathered –

  • The beginning and the ending inventories of the year are – $40,000 and $60,000, respectively.The cost of goods sold is $300,000.The year consists of 365 days.

Find out the Days in Inventory for Niti.

Here, first, we need to calculate the average inventory.

We know the beginning and the ending inventoryEnding InventoryThe ending inventory formula computes the total value of finished products remaining in stock at the end of an accounting period for sale. It is evaluated by deducting the cost of goods sold from the total of beginning inventory and purchases.read more of the year. Therefore, we will use a simple average to find out the average inventory of the year.

  • The average inventory of the year = (The beginning inventory + The ending inventory) / 2Or, Average inventory of the year = ($40,000 + $60,000) / 2 = $100,000 / 2 = $50,000.

Now, we will find out the inventory turnover ratioFind Out The Inventory Turnover RatioInventory Turnover Ratio measures how fast the company replaces a current batch of inventories and transforms them into sales. Higher ratio indicates that the company’s product is in high demand and sells quickly, resulting in lower inventory management costs and more earnings.read more.

  • Inventory turnover ratio = Cost of Goods Sold / Average Inventory = $300,000 / $50,000 = 6 times.Therefore, the inventory days would be = 365 / 6 = 61 days (approx.)

Explanation of Days in Inventory Formula

It is used to see how long the firm takes to transform inventories into finished stocks.

Since a major part of the “days in inventory formula” includes the inventory turnover ratio, we need to understand the inventory turnover ratio to comprehend the meaning of the inventory days formula.

The inventory turnover ratio helps us understand the company’s efficiency in handling the inventories. It shows how good the company is to reduce overspending on inventory and how well a company can convert the inventory into finished stocks.

For example, if a firm’s inventory turnover ratio is 10, it turns inventory into finished stock ten times a year.

And here comes the value of inventory days formula.

If we consider that there are 365 days a year, we can see the days it takes for the firm to transform inventories into finished stocks. All we need to do is divide the number of days in a year by the inventory turnover ratio.

Extending the above example, we get = (365 days / 10 times) = 36.5 days in inventory to transform the inventory into finished stocks.

Uses

We can derive the formula for Days in Inventory by including the number of days of the year with the inventory turnover ratio.

If you ever want to know about the efficiency of inventory management of a firm, you should look at both – inventory turnover ratio and inventory days.

Using the formula for days in inventory lets you know how much time a firm takes to manage and transform its inventory.

Days in Inventory Calculator

You can use the following Days in Inventory Calculator

Days in Inventory in Excel (with excel template)

Let us now do the same example above in Excel.

This is very simple. First, you need to find out the average inventory of the year. And then, you will find out the inventory turnover ratio.

You can easily find the days in inventory calculation in the template provided.

First, we need to calculate the average inventory.

Here, we will use the simple average to find out the average inventory of the year.

Now, we will find out the inventory turnover ratio.

Below is the formula to calculate Inventory Turnover Ratio

Now, we will find out the Days in Inventory for Niti by using the formula.

You can download these Days in Inventory Template here – Days in Inventory Excel Template.

Days in Inventory Formula Video

This article has been a guide to Days in Inventory Formula, practical examples, and Days in Inventory calculator along with excel templates.

You may also have a look at these articles below to learn more about Financial Analysis –

  • Beneish M-ScoreBeneish M-ScoreBeneish M score refers to a mathematical model that Professor Messod Beneish formulated to determine the manipulations done by a company in its earnings, with the help of the various financial ratios and the eight different indices used together.read moreFormula for Days Working CapitalFormula For Days Working CapitalDays Working Capital is the number of days that a company or a business takes to realize its working capital in terms of revenue. It is calculated by dividing the net working capital by average daily sales. read moreTechniques of Inventory ControlTechniques Of Inventory ControlInventory control is adopted by organizations to properly manage the inventory/stock stored in the course of business to minimize storage & carrying charges for the inventory and satisfy its customer’s demands in the market.read moreWhat is the Average Inventory Formula?What Is The Average Inventory Formula?Average Inventory is the mean of opening and closing inventory of a particular period. It helps the management to understand the inventory that a business needs to hold during its daily course of business.read moreDay Formula in Excel