What type of property can typically be replaced without significant loss of accountability?

Expendable property is characterized by items that can be consumed or used up during their intended purpose, meaning that they can typically be replaced without significant loss of accountability. Examples of expendable property include supplies like office materials, cleaning products, or small tools. Since these items are meant to be used and then replaced, tracking or accounting for them in the same rigorous way as nonexpendable property—such as equipment or vehicles with a longer lifespan—would be unnecessary.

The nature of expendable property allows organizations to maintain operational efficiency without incurring extensive tracking requirements. Other types of property, such as durable and nonexpendable property, are defined by their lasting value and the necessity for precise accountability due to their higher cost and importance to an organization’s operations. Intangible property, while valuable in non-physical forms such as intellectual property or digital assets, does not fit the context of physical accountability in the same way that expendable property does.