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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Aug. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned and majority owned subsidiaries and certain variable interest entities ("VIEs") for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated. Upon inception of an arrangement with a potential VIE, the Company performs an assessment of the contractual agreements that define the ownership structure, risks, responsibilities, indebtedness, voting rights and board representation of the respective parties when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of the entity. The Company concludes that it is the primary beneficiary and consolidates the VIE if it has both (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of, or the right to receive benefits from, the VIE that potentially could be significant to the VIE. Use of Estimates The preparation of the Company's consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions; the carrying value of inventory and long-lived assets, including goodwill; valuation allowances for receivables and deferred income taxes; revenue recognized over time; share-based compensation; potential litigation claims and settlements; environmental liabilities; and the carrying value of assets held for sale. Actual results could differ significantly from these estimates and assumptions. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on deposit and short-term, highly-liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase. Revenue Recognition and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration received or expected to be received in exchange for those goods or services. The Company's performance obligations arise from (i) sales of steel products, ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals, and construction materials and (ii) services such as steel fabrication and installation. The shipment of products to customers is considered a fulfillment activity and amounts billed to customers for shipping and freight are included in net sales, and the related costs are included in cost of goods sold. Net sales are presented net of taxes. In the Americas Mills, Americas Recycling, and International Mill segments, revenue is recognized at a point in time concurrent with the transfer of control, which usually occurs, depending on shipping terms, upon shipment or customer receipt. In the Americas Fabrication segment, each contract represents a single performance obligation. Revenue is either recognized over time or equal to billing under an available practical expedient. Refer to Note 6, Revenue Recognition, for further details. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts to reflect its estimate of the uncollectability of accounts receivable. These reserves are based on historical trends, current market conditions and customers' financial condition. The Company reviews and sets credit limits for each customer. Some of the Company's divisions use credit insurance to ensure payment in accordance with the terms of sale. Generally, collateral is not required. Approximately 13% and 18% of total receivables at August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, were secured by credit insurance. Inventories At August 31, 2019, inventories were stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and were determined by the weighted average cost method. Elements of cost in finished goods inventory in addition to the cost of material include depreciation, amortization, utilities, consumable production supplies, maintenance, production, wages and transportation costs. Additionally, the costs of departments that support production, including materials management and quality control, are allocated to inventory. Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Maintenance is expensed as incurred. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the lease term. Depreciation and amortization is recorded on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives:
Buildings | 7 | to | 40 | years
Land improvements | 3 | to | 25 | years
Leasehold improvements | 3 | to | 15 | years
Equipment | 3 | to | 25 | years
The Company evaluates impairment of its property, plant and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. For each asset or group of assets held for use with indicators of impairment, the Company compares the sum of the expected future cash flows generated by the asset or group of assets with its associated net carrying value. If the net carrying value of the asset or group of assets exceeds expected undiscounted future cash flows, the excess of the net book value over estimated fair value is charged to impairment loss in the accompanying consolidated statements of earnings. Properties held for sale are reported at the lower of their carrying amount or their estimated sales price, less estimated costs to sell. Government Assistance Government assistance, including non-monetary grants, herein collectively referred to as grants, are not recognized until there is reasonable assurance that the Company will comply with the conditions of the grant and the Company will receive the grant. Generally, government grants fall into two categories: grants related to assets and grants related to income. Grants related to assets are government grants for the purchase, construction or other acquisition of long-lived assets. The Company accounts for grants related to assets as deferred income with the offset to an asset account, such as fixed assets, on the consolidated balance sheets. Non-monetary grants are recognized at fair value. The Company recognizes the deferred income in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the useful life of the asset; which, consistent with the Company's fixed assets policy, is straight-line. The period over which grants are recognized depends on the terms of the agreement. Grants related to specific expenses already incurred are recognized in profit or loss in the period in which the grant becomes receivable. A grant related to depreciable assets is recognized in profit or loss over the life of the depreciable asset. Grants related to non-depreciable assets may require the fulfillment of certain obligations. In such cases, these grants are recognized in profit or loss over the periods that bear the cost of meeting the obligations. Grants related to income are any grants that are not considered grants related to assets, such as grants to compensate for certain expenses. Grants related to income are recognized as a reduction in the related expense in the period that the recognition criteria are met. See Note 11, New Markets Tax Credit Transactions. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually and whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. To evaluate goodwill for impairment, the Company utilizes a quantitative test that compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is indicated in the amount that the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, not to exceed the goodwill value for the reporting unit. The Company's reporting units represent an operating segment or one level below an operating segment. The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units using a weighting of fair values derived from the income and market approaches. Under the income approach, the Company determines the fair value of a reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows. Cash flow projections are based on management's estimates of revenue growth rates and operating margins, taking into account industry and market conditions. The discount rate is based on a weighted average cost of capital adjusted for the relevant risk associated with the characteristics of the Company. The market approach, on the other hand, estimates fair value based on market multiples of revenue and earnings derived from comparable publicly-traded companies with similar operating and investment characteristics as the reporting unit. The determination of fair value involves a number of significant assumptions and estimates, including discount rates, volumes, prices, capital expenditures and the impact of current market conditions. These estimates could be materially impacted by adverse changes in these assumptions. See Note 9, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, for additional information on the Company's annual goodwill impairment analysis. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Impairment charges are recorded on finite-lived intangible assets when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the assets' carrying amounts. Contingencies The Company accrues for claims and litigation, including environmental investigation and remediation costs, when they are both probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Environmental costs are based upon estimates regarding the sites for which the Company will be responsible, the scope and cost of work to be performed at each site, the portion of costs that will be shared with other parties and the timing of remediation. Where timing and amounts cannot be reasonably determined, a range is estimated and the lower end of the range is typically recorded. Stock-Based Compensation The Company recognizes stock-based equity and liability awards at fair value. The fair value of each stock-based equity award is estimated at the grant date using the Black-Scholes or Monte Carlo pricing model. Total compensation cost of the stock-based equity award is amortized over the requisite service period using the accelerated method of amortization for grants with graded vesting or the straight-line method for grants with cliff vesting. Stock-based liability awards are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period and will fluctuate based on the price of CMC common stock and performance relative to the targets. Income Taxes CMC and its U.S. subsidiaries file a consolidated federal income tax return. Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences between financial statement and income tax bases of assets and liabilities. The principal differences are described in Note 14, Income Tax. Benefits from income tax credits are reflected currently in earnings. The Company records income tax positions based on a more likely than not threshold that the tax positions will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities having full knowledge of all relevant information. Foreign Currencies The functional currency of the Company's Polish operations is the local currency. Translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. Transaction gains (losses) from transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency related to continuing operations were immaterial for 2019, 2018 and 2017. Derivative Financial Instruments The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and measures those instruments at fair value. Derivatives that are not designated as hedges are adjusted to fair value through net earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated as hedges are recognized depending on the nature of the hedge. In the case of fair value hedges, changes are recognized as an offset against the change in fair value of the hedged balance sheet item. When the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge and is highly effective, changes are recognized in other comprehensive income. The ineffective portion of a change in fair value for derivatives designated as hedges is recognized in net earnings. When a derivative instrument is sold, terminated, exercised, or expires, the gain or loss is recorded in the consolidated statement of earnings for fair value hedges, and the cumulative unrealized gain or loss, which had been recognized in the statement of comprehensive income, is reclassified to the consolidated statement of earnings for cash flow hedges. Additionally, when hedged items are sold or extinguished, or the anticipated transaction being hedged is no longer expected to occur, the Company recognizes the gain or loss on the designated hedged financial instrument. Fair Value The Company has established a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels. These levels are determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Level 1 represents unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 represents quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets (other than those included in Level 1) which are observable, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 represents valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows: Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (Topic 230). ASU 2016-15 provides guidance on eight specific cash flow issues, including the statement of cash flows treatment of beneficial interests in securitized financial transactions, which encompasses activities under the Company's accounts receivable programs in the U.S. and Poland prior to the program amendment as described in Note 7, Accounts Receivable Programs. The Company adopted the standard, which requires retrospective application to all periods presented, in the first quarter of 2019. As a result of adoption, the Company reported reductions in operating cash flows of $367.5 million, $670.5 million and $616.0 million, with offsetting increases in investing cash flows related to the collection of previously sold trade accounts receivable in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended August 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Additionally, upon adoption, the $90.0 million repayment during 2018 of advances outstanding at August 31, 2017, originally recorded as an outflow from operating activities, was reclassified to investing activities. On September 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, including the related amendments. The Company adopted ASC 606 under the modified retrospective approach and applied the guidance only to contracts that were not completed as of the date of adoption. The Company recognized a total cumulative effect of $2.7 million, net of tax, as a reduction to the opening balance of retained earnings as of September 1, 2018. There was no impact to the consolidated statement of cash flows or other comprehensive income. In accordance with ASC 606, the disclosure below reflects the impact of adoption to the consolidated statement of earnings, as compared to what the results would have been under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The impact to the consolidated balance sheet was immaterial.
|  | Year Ended August 31, 2019
(in thousands) |  | As Reported |  | Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 |  | Effect of Change - Higher (Lower)
Net sales |  | $ | 5,829,002 |  |  | $ | 5,838,092 |  |  | $ | (9,090 | )
Net earnings |  | 198,093 |  |  | 205,147 |  |  | (7,054 | )
Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), and has modified the standard thereafter. The standard requires a lessee to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on its balance sheet for all leases with terms of twelve months or longer. The Company adopted the standard effective September 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective approach that allows entities to recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption without restating prior periods, and elected the three packaged transition practical expedients under ASC 842-10-65-1(f). While the Company is in the process of final evaluation, it expects to recognize a lease liability and related right-of-use asset of approximately $100 million to $120 million. The Company is in the process of implementing a new lease management, accounting and administration system, and determining appropriate changes to internal processes and controls to support recognition and disclosure under the new standard.

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