How do you calculate working capital for a mining company?

Hi all,

I have recently came across the mining company and wonder if common working capital forecasting methods (% of COGS/Sales or days outstanding) would still be appropriate? Or is there is a better method?

Explanation for my question: Inventory reported on the BS of a trading firm, distributor or even a processing firm would be not too far from the market value. Changes in inventory level hence works well in estimating used/released cash.

However mining company's inventory typically consists of unprocessed ore reported at cost which is often not reflective of the market value of metal contained in the ore (even adjusting for milling costs, royalties, etc).

Any opinions / suggestions?

1 Comments
 

Assumenda repudiandae deleniti facere esse unde ipsa aliquam error. Autem consequatur qui porro fuga. Veniam non velit cum fuga occaecati voluptatem eius. Id et ut iure odio voluptatum. Labore natus et ea quia sint accusamus ex aperiam. Quia sed porro id maxime.

Quis magni assumenda qui ut aliquid consectetur. Ut commodi quia earum illum voluptas corporis architecto. Voluptatem aut nam dolorem illum omnis et expedita nam. Vitae tempora quia sapiente. Quo nobis ea itaque dolores hic perspiciatis at.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”