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The Global Insight

What are some examples of intangible and tangible assets?

Author

John Johnson

Updated on February 21, 2026

Tangible assets are physical; they include cash, inventory, vehicles, equipment, buildings and investments. Intangible assets do not exist in physical form and include things like accounts receivable, pre-paid expenses, and patents and goodwill.

Is research an intangible asset?

Research and development costs are costs incurred in a planned search for new knowledge and in translating such knowledge into new products or processes. Thus, research and development costs no longer appear as intangible assets on the balance sheet.

What are the major classifications of intangible assets?

Following are the common types of Intangible assets:

  • Goodwill. It is a type of intangible asset that is recognized when one business acquires another business.
  • Franchise Agreements.
  • Patents.
  • Copyrights.
  • Trademarks.
  • Licenses.
  • Broadcast Rights.
  • Government Grants.

What are some examples of intangible items?

Goodwill, brand recognition and intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights, are all intangible assets. Intangible assets exist in opposition to tangible assets, which include land, vehicles, equipment, and inventory.

What are intangible assets examples?

An intangible asset is an asset that is not physical in nature. Goodwill, brand recognition and intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights, are all intangible assets. Intangible assets exist in opposition to tangible assets, which include land, vehicles, equipment, and inventory.

Which is an example of an intangible asset?

Examples of intangible assets are: Marketing-related intangible assets. Trademarks. Newspaper mastheads. Internet domain names. Noncompetition agreements. Customer-related intangible assets. Customer lists. Order backlog.

When to treat intangible assets as research and development?

57] If an entity cannot distinguish the research phase of an internal project to create an intangible asset from the development phase, the entity treats the expenditure for that project as if it were incurred in the research phase only.

How are intangible assets measured and amortised in IAS?

In­tan­gi­ble assets meeting the relevant recog­ni­tion criteria are initially measured at cost, sub­se­quently measured at cost or using the reval­u­a­tion model, and amortised on a sys­tem­atic basis over their useful lives (unless the asset has an in­def­i­nite useful life, in which case it is not amortised).

Which is Hong Kong accounting standard 38 intangible assets?

Hong Kong Accounting Standard 38 Intangible Assets (HKAS 38) is set out in paragraphs 1-133. All the paragraphs have equal authority. HKAS 38 should be read in the context of its objective and the Basis for Conclusions, the Preface to Hong Kong Financial