CTL: Cash Conversion Cycle
eliza hl
Published Date
The Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) measures how long it takes for a company to convert investments in inventory and other resources into cash flows from sales. If you understand your company’s CCC, you can identify where cash gets stuck and how to improve cash flow without taking on more debt.
Step-by-Step Guide
In this exercise, you'll calculate your company's CCC and compare it with other companies to assess efficiency and identify areas for improvement.
Step 1: Gather the Data
To calculate the CCC, you’ll need to calculate three key metrics:
You want to collect data for your company and 1 or 2 competitors (or your company over an3 year period).
- Income Statement: Sales, Cost of Goods Sold
- Balance Sheet: Receivables, Inventories, Payables
Check your company’s annual report, financial statements, or internal accounting data to find the data. If you're analyzing competitors, you can find similar data in publicly available annual reports, SEC filings, or industry reports.
Or use the Visual Finance App.If you don’t have an account, it’s easy to set one up.
Once you have collected the data, move to Step 2 to set up your comparison table.
Step 2: Calculate the Ratios and CCC
Step 3: Interpret the Results
Example: A business with DSO = 45 days, DIO = 50 days, and DPO = 30 days will have:
CCC = 45 + 50 - 30 = 65 days
This means 65 days pass between paying for inventory and receiving cash from customers.
- A shorter CCC (fewer days) means the business converts cash faster—ideal for liquidity.
- A longer CCC (more days) suggests cash is tied up in operations, which can lead to financing constraints.
- Compare your CCC to industry benchmarks—is it higher or lower than competitors?
Step 4: Improve Your CCC
- Shorten DSO – Improve collections from Customers, e.g. offer early payment discounts.
- Reduce DIO – Optimize inventory management, reduce slow-moving stock.
- Extend DPO – Negotiate better supplier terms without penalties.
Challenge: Improve CCC by 5 Days
- Look at your own company’s CCC. Where is cash getting stuck?
- If you could improve DSO, DIO, or DPO by just 5 days, how much cash would be freed up?
- Consider real actions you or your team can take to improve cash flow efficiency.
Final Thought:
A strong Cash Conversion Cycle means more available cash, less reliance on financing, and a healthier business overall. Where can you make an impact
That’s it! Short, practical, and hopefully useful.
NOTE: This post was written in March 2025 as a follow-up to our original October 2024 post on the Cash Conversion Cycle. We've placed it alongside the original post for easier reference.
