Tangible Asset

Tangible assets are physical assets in nature and aid in producing the commodity or product.

Every firm or business depends on a few such assets that help produce its products or services. The physical assets are easy to value and monetize because of their physicality, allowing them to value easily in a finite number. A tangible asset serves the firm on a day-to-day basis as they are used every day for production and asset consideration—for example, machinery, equipment, land, and vehicles. A firm cannot function without these tangible assets because of their daily contribution and dependency. 

What are tangible assets: Tangible assets meaning? 

These are the physical assets that a firm requires to produce goods and services. These are the bread earners for any industry that uses physical equipment as it is through this equipment that their selling products are made. Tangible assets example: you have a production unit of ice creams requiring equipment and machinery. It would be impossible for you to produce and make those products without these assets. Thus, these physical, tangible assets run industry and are easy to value due to their physical nature. 

Tangible assets examples

All the assets that help in the operation of the industry and aid in the production are called tangible assets and are easy to value. They can be categorised as property, plant and equipment (PPE). 

  • Vehicles: Consider the production unit requires some vehicles that help transport the physical goods, and the own company owns these vehicles; then, this commodity or item can be listed under tangible assets. 

  • Inventory: Anything that the business holds which can be sold in the market to earn profits can be regarded as inventory, from goods, raw materials, and merchandise. 

  • Land: The production unit will be designated on a particular land that can be monetised or valued easily; this land is regularly in use for production and thus comes under tangible assets. 

  • Equipment or machinery: Equipment and machinery are the main daily used physical assets that give value to your products and are directly related to their products; thus, they are tangible assets.  

  • Cash: The cash that your firm owns is inevitably the physical asset that aids your industry’s smooth and swift operation; thus, it comes under tangible assets. 

Types of Tangible Assets

The tangible assets are mainly divided into two broad categories: 

1] Current Assets: During the phase of emergency or dire need of monetary funds in a business, the current assets are used. They are mostly used within a year, and the items they comprise are inventories, cash, or sometimes the bonds or securities that can be sold. These are mentioned in the company’s balance sheet as they prove to be important monetary items and are used on a day-to-day basis for smooth functioning. 

2] Fixed Assets: These are the assets that are needed to run the business continuously, and thus they comprise vehicles owned by the firm, machines, and equipment to run the business and aid the production on an everyday basis. These are the items that come under the category of PPE, i.e., plant, production and equipment. The money generated with the help of these tangible assets is known as revenue. 

The tangible assets are the assets that are depreciated from the daily usage, and thus these physical assets require constant maintenance and check. The tangible assets are mentioned in the balance sheet of the company. These tangible assets are easy to value because of their physical nature, finite value and life span. 

Companies that comprise tangible assets

  • Manufacturing: Manufacturing is one such task that requires detailing as well as proper maintenance and production. It is always in the manufacturing industry to find maximum equipment, machinery, transportation facilities, and land. This is one such unit that has the highest amount of tangible assets. 

  • Technology: Smartphones, computers and other such devices require a tremendous amount of detailing and precision, and such precision and accuracy can be only obtained by machines and technologies that are used, which in turn act like tangible assets. Through technology usage, new technology is produced and circulated in the market. 

  • Oil and gas industry: It requires a lot of work to drill and then purify petroleum and leave back its other components. This very complex mechanism is also done with the help of the tangible assets that are constantly in work for the day today proper smooth operations to take place. 

  • Another day to day units: We use various such commodities on a day to day basis that require a great deal of detail, perfection as well as efforts and assets to make into the finished good that it is and, for that matter, a lot of tangible assets are required for the functioning or working of the industry smoothly.  

Conclusion

Tangible assets are such necessities of an industry that they are in use daily to produce commodities. The physical nature of these commodities makes it more noticeable for the value that they have, and the inclusion in the balance sheets determines its value. These are the assets through which one can measure companies’ valuation easily and profoundly. It is through these tangible assets that the company works with full efficiency. Many industries widely use these assets, and thus we can say that they are an inevitable part of the progress and production of any commodity.

 
faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the K12 CBSE Class 11 Examination Preparation.

Can tangible assets be sold?

Ans : Yes, these assets can be easily sold to someone else if the value of this equipment is measur...Read full

Are tangible assets profit-making?

Ans : No, tangible assets like machinery depreciate after constant usage. Thus they require a lot o...Read full

How are tangible assets useful for the firm?

Ans : These tangible assets are used daily for the process of production, and they aid in giving yo...Read full

What are examples of tangible assets?

Ans : These mostly comprise machinery, equipment, land, vehicles, and anything physical. ...Read full