Vulcan Materials CO

NOTE 3: INVENTORIES

Inventories at December 31 (which exclude assets classified as held for sale as detailed in Note 19) are as follows:

1. Includes inventories encumbered by volumetric production payments (see Note 2) of $3.8 million and $3.9 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

In addition to the inventory balances presented above, as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had$22.7 million and $22.8 million, respectively, of inventory classified as long-term assets (other noncurrent assets) as we do not expect to sell the inventory within one year of their respective balance sheet dates.

We use the LIFO method of valuation for most of our inventories as it results in a better matching of costs with revenues. Inventories valued under the LIFO method total $424.8 million and $389.8 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. During 2025, 2024 and 2023, inventory reductions resulted in liquidations of LIFO inventory layers carried at costs prevailing in prior years as compared to current-year costs. The effect of the LIFO liquidation on our results was as follows:

•2025 — decrease cost of revenues by $4.6 million and increase net earnings by $3.4 million

•2024 — decrease cost of revenues by $5.1 million and increase net earnings by $3.8 million

•2023 — decrease cost of revenues by $3.6 million and increase net earnings by $2.7 million

Estimated current cost exceeded LIFO cost at December 31, 2025 and 2024 by $407.8 million and $370.6 million, respectively. In periods of increasing costs, LIFO generally results in higher cost of revenues than under FIFO. In periods of decreasing costs, the results are generally the opposite. We provide supplemental income disclosures to facilitate comparisons with companies not on LIFO. The supplemental income calculation is derived by tax-affecting the change in the LIFO reserve for the periods presented. If all inventories valued at LIFO cost had been valued under first-in, first-out (FIFO) method, the approximate effect on net earnings would have been an increase of $12.6 million in 2025, an increase of $47.2 million in 2024 and an increase of $27.9 million in 2023.