Skip to content

Building and reconciling a common-size balance sheet

A total asset base of 900 supports separate 100% reconciliations for asset components and for liabilities plus equity.

On this page

Scale the complete asset components

Fictional asset side
ComponentAmountShare of total assets
Cash606.6667%
Receivables14015.5556%
Inventory10011.1111%
Net PPE42046.6667%
Goodwill and intangibles13014.4444%
Other non-current assets505.5556%
Total900100% before displayed rounding

Reconcile liabilities and equity separately

Liabilities are 420 and equity is 480. Their shares are approximately 46.6667% and 53.3333%, summing to 100% before rounding. These are another view of financing the same asset base, not extra asset components.

Check the current-asset subtotal without adding it twice

Cash, receivables and inventory sum to current assets of 300, or one-third of the asset base. The total-assets check includes either the three components or the 300 subtotal. Including both would overstate assets by 300.

Use the shares to formulate further questions

The statement describes recognised composition. Collection speed, asset sale values and the cause of a changing intangible share require additional information. Compare those questions with the right denominator rather than extracting them from an asset percentage alone.

Further references