61 / Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. Form 10-K 2021 Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include short-term securities that are not restricted by third parties and have an original maturity date of 90 days or less. Included in accounts payable are book overdrafts representing outstanding checks in excess of funds on deposit of $47 million and $20 million as of August 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Accounts Receivable, net Accounts receivable represent amounts primarily due from customers on product and other sales. These accounts receivable, which are reduced by an allowance for credit losses, are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The Company extends credit to customers under contracts containing customary and explicit payment terms, and payment is generally required within 30 to 60 days of shipment. Nonferrous export sales typically require a deposit prior to shipment. Historically, almost all of the Company’s ferrous export sales have been made with letters of credit. Ferrous and nonferrous metal sales to domestic customers and finished steel sales are generally made on open account, and a portion of these sales are covered by credit insurance. The Company evaluates the collectibility of its accounts receivable based on a combination of factors, including whether sales were made pursuant to letters of credit. Management evaluates the aging of customer receivable balances, the financial condition of the Company’s customers, historical collection rates, and economic trends to estimate the amount of customer receivables that may not be collected in the future and records a provision for expected credit losses. Accounts are written off when all efforts to collect have been exhausted. The allowance for credit losses was $2 million as of both of August 31, 2021 and 2020. Also included in accounts receivable are short-term advances to scrap metal suppliers used as a mechanism to acquire unprocessed scrap metal. The advances are generally repaid with scrap metal, as opposed to cash. Repayments of advances with scrap metal are treated as noncash operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and totaled $10 million, $9 million, and $15 million for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. Inventories The Company’s inventories consist of processed and unprocessed scrap metal (ferrous, nonferrous, and mixed nonferrous recovered joint products arising from the manufacturing process), semi-finished steel products (billets), finished steel products (primarily rebar, wire rod, and merchant bar), used and salvaged vehicles, and supplies. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The Company determines the cost of ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal inventories using the average cost method and capitalizes substantially all direct processing costs and facility costs into inventory. The Company allocates material and production costs to joint products using the gross margin method. The Company determines the cost of used and salvaged vehicle inventory at its auto parts stores, which is reported within finished goods, based on the average price the Company pays for a vehicle and capitalizes the vehicle cost and substantially all production costs into inventory. The Company determines the cost of its semi-finished and finished steel product inventories based on average costs and capitalizes all direct and indirect costs of manufacturing into inventory. Indirect costs of manufacturing include general plant costs, maintenance, and facility costs. The Company determines the cost of the substantial majority of its supplies inventory using the average cost method and reduces the carrying value for losses due to obsolescence. Fixed manufacturing costs incurred in periods of abnormally low production are expensed. The Company considers estimated future selling prices when determining the estimated net realizable value of its inventory. As the Company generally sells its recycled ferrous metal under contracts that provide for shipment within 30 to 60 days after the price is agreed, it utilizes the selling prices under committed contracts and sales orders for determining the estimated net realizable value of quantities on hand that will be shipped under these contracts and sales orders. The accounting process the Company uses to record ferrous scrap metal quantities relies on significant estimates. With respect to estimating the quantities of unprocessed ferrous scrap metal inventory that are moved into production, management relies on weighed quantities of the processed ferrous material, adjusted for estimated metal recoveries and yields that are based on historical trends and other judgments by management. Actual recoveries and yields can vary depending on product quality, moisture content, and the source of the unprocessed metal. The Company’s estimates are intended to reasonably reflect the quantities of unprocessed ferrous scrap metal that are used in the production of processed ferrous metal. To assist in validating the reasonableness of these estimates, management periodically reviews shrink factors and performs monthly physical inventories. Due to the inherent nature of the Company’s scrap metal inventories, including variations in product density, holding period, and production processes utilized to manufacture the products, physical inventories will not necessarily detect all variances for scrap metal inventory such that estimates of quantities are required. To mitigate this risk, the Company further adjusts its ferrous physical inventories when the volume of a commodity is low and a physical inventory count is deemed to more accurately estimate the remaining volume.
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