Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements (“CFS”) were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). The CFS include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant inter-company transactions and balances were eliminated in consolidation. The interim consolidated financial information as of March 31, 2019 and for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was prepared without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures, which are normally included in CFS prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP were not included. The interim consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and the notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, previously filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include all significant normal and recurring adjustments) necessary to present a fair statement of the Company’s consolidated financial position as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, its consolidated results of operations and cash flows for three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, as applicable, were made. Principles of Consolidation For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the accompanying CFS include the accounts of SmartHeat’s US parent, and its subsidiaries Heat HP and Heat PHE, and their subsidiaries SanDeKe, Jinhui, SmartHeat Investment, SmartHeat Trading, SmartHeat Pump, and Heat Exchange; and Mid-heaven BVI and its subsidiaries, Sincerity, Salt-Lake and Qinghai Technology, which are collectively referred to as the “Company.” For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the accompanying CFS consist of the accounts of Mid-heaven BVI and its subsidiaries, Sincerity, Salt-Lake and Qinghai Technology as a result of reverse merger of SmartHeat with Mid-heaven BVI. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions were eliminated in consolidation. Noncontrolling Interest The Company follows Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, “Consolidation,” Use of Estimates In preparing the financial statements in conformity with US GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates, required by management, include the recoverability of long-lived assets, allowance for doubtful accounts and the reserve for obsolete and slow-moving inventories. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Cash and Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The following table presents in US dollars (“USD”) the amount of cash and equivalents held by the Company as of March 31, 2019, based on the jurisdiction of deposit. The Company’s US parent holds cash and equivalents in US bank accounts denominated in USD. United States China Total March 31, 2019 - $ 221,540 $ 221,540 Accounts and Retentions Receivable, net The Company maintains reserves for potential credit losses on accounts receivable. Management reviews the composition of accounts receivable and analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment patterns to evaluate the adequacy of these reserves. Based on historical collection activity, the Company had allowances of $1.73 million and $1.78 million at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company had retentions receivable from customers for product quality assurance of $0.15 million and $0.14 million , respectively. The retention rate varied from 5% to 20% of the sales price with variable terms from three to 24 months depending on the shipping date, and for PHE Units, the customer acceptance date of the products and the number of heating seasons that the warranty period covers. The Company had allowances for these retentions of $0.15 million and $0.14 million at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. Advances to Suppliers, net The Company makes advances to certain vendors to purchase raw material, tools and equipment for production. The advances are interest-free and unsecured. As of March 31,2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company had allowances for advances to suppliers of $2.21 million and $2.16 million, respectively. Inventories, net Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value with cost determined on a weighted-average basis. Management compares the cost of inventories with the net realizable value and an allowance is made to write down inventories to market value, if lower. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, “Inventory (Topic 330) - Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory,” which requires that inventory within the scope of the guidance be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The Company adopted ASU 2015-11 effective January 1, 2017 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s CFS. As part of inventory impairment analysis, the Company performs an evaluation of raw materials stored over one year and not anticipated to be consumed, and an evaluation of potential impairment to the quality of these raw materials. If management anticipates that obsolete raw materials in inventory can be utilized and will be consumed within the next six months through new customer orders or substitute orders, no impairment is recorded. The Company collects information about delayed and canceled contracts and meets with affected customers to discuss their financing situation and their projections of future orders. Finished goods manufactured for delayed and canceled contracts that the Company does not expect to be reinstated and contracts for which the Company has been unable to find substitute customers become impaired. Property and Equipment, net Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred; major additions, repairs and betterments that significantly extend original useful lives or improve productivity are capitalized and depreciated over the period benefited. When property and equipment are retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and any gain or loss is included in operations. Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method with a 3% - 10% salvage value and estimated lives as follows: Buildings 20 years Structures and improvements 4-20 years Vehicles 4-8 years Office equipment 5 years Production equipment 3-10 years Equipment upgrade 5 years Depreciation of plant, property and equipment attributable to manufacturing is capitalized as part of inventories, and expensed to cost of goods sold when inventories are sold. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets, which include tangible assets, such as property and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable, but at least annually. Recoverability of long-lived assets to be held and used is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value (“FV”) of the assets. FV generally is determined using the asset’s expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable. Based on its review, the Company believes that, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there was no significant impairments of its long-lived assets. Warranties The Company offers all customers warranties on its products for one or two heating seasons depending on the terms negotiated. The Company accrues for warranty costs based on estimates of the costs that may be incurred under its warranty obligations. The warranty expense and related accrual is included in the Company’s selling expenses and other payables respectively, and is recorded when revenue is recognized. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include the number of units sold, its estimates of anticipated rates of warranty claims, costs per claim and estimated support labor costs and the associated overhead. The Company periodically assesses the adequacy of its recorded warranty liabilities and adjusts the amounts as necessary. However, the warranty is for the Company’s PHE business, which had no operations as of March 31, 2019. Research and Development Costs Research and development (“R&D”) costs are expensed as incurred and included in general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses. These costs primarily consist of cost of materials used, salaries paid for the Company’s development department and fees paid to third parties. R&D costs for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were $89 and $40,487, respectively. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for using an asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each period end based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates, applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. The Company follows ASC Topic 740, which prescribes a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC Topic 740 also provides guidance on recognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, accounting for income taxes in interim periods, and income tax disclosures. Under the provisions of ASC Topic 740, when tax returns are filed, it is likely that some positions taken would be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, while others are subject to uncertainty about the merits of the position taken or the amount of the position that would be ultimately sustained. The benefit of a tax position is recognized in the financial statements in the period during which, based on all available evidence, management believes it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of appeals or litigation processes, if any. Tax positions taken are not offset or aggregated with other positions. Tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement with the applicable taxing authority. The portion of the benefits associated with tax positions taken that exceeds the amount measured as described above is reflected as a liability for unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying balance sheets along with any associated interest and penalties that would be payable to the taxing authorities upon examination. Interest associated with unrecognized tax benefits is classified as interest expense and penalties are classified in selling, general and administrative expenses in the statement of income. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company did not take any uncertain positions that would necessitate recording a tax related liability. Revenue Recognition In May 2014 the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes all existing revenue recognition requirements, including most industry specific guidance. This new standard requires a company to recognize revenues when it transfers goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the company expects to receive for those goods or services. The FASB subsequently issued the following amendments to ASU No. 2014-09 that have the same effective date and transition date: ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations; ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing; ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients; and ASU No. 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company adopted these amendments with ASU 2014-09 (collectively, the new revenue standards). The new revenue standards became effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, and were adopted using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of the new revenue standards as of January 1, 2018 did not change the Company’s revenue recognition as the majority of its revenues continue to be recognized when the customer takes control of its product. As the Company did not identify any accounting changes that impacted the amount of reported revenues with respect to its product revenues, no adjustment to retained earnings was required upon adoption. Under the new revenue standards, the Company recognizes revenues when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which it expects to receive in exchange for those goods. The Company recognizes revenues following the five step model prescribed under ASU No. 2014-09: (i) identify contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenues when (or as) we satisfy the performance obligation. Revenues from product sales are recognized when the customer obtains control of the Company’s product, which occurs at a point in time, typically upon delivery to the customer. Sales and purchases are recorded net of VAT collected and paid as the Company acts as an agent for the government. VAT taxes are not affected by the income tax holiday. Deferred Income Deferred income consists primarily of government grants and subsidies for supporting the Company’s technology innovation and transformation of boric acid, lithium and magnesium sulfate projects. The Company uses most of the subsidies to purchase machinery and equipment. Deferred income is amortized to revenue (other income) over the life of the assets for which the grant and subsidy was used for. Subsidies for declared project fund require government inspection to ensure proper use of the funds for the designated project. Cost of Sales Cost of sales (“COS”) consists primarily of material costs and direct labor and manufacturing overhead attributable to the production of the products. Write-down of inventory to lower of cost or net realizable value is also recorded in COS. Unearned Revenue The Company records payments received from customers in advance of their orders as unearned revenue. These orders normally are delivered within a reasonable period of time based upon contract terms and customer demand. Concentration of Credit Risk Cash includes cash on hand and demand deposits in accounts maintained within China. Balances at financial institutions within China are not covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. Certain other financial instruments, which subject the Company to concentration of credit risk, consist of accounts and other receivables. The Company does not require collateral or other security to support these receivables. The Company conducts periodic reviews of its customers’ financial condition and customer payment practices to minimize collection risk on accounts receivable. The operations of the Company are located primarily in China. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environments in China, as well as by the general state of the PRC economy. Statement of Cash Flows In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 230, “Statement of Cash Flows,” Basic and Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Share (EPS) Basic EPS is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is computed similarly, except that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if the potential common shares had been issued and if the additional common shares were dilutive. Diluted EPS are based on the assumption that all dilutive convertible shares and stock options were converted or exercised. Dilution is computed by applying the treasury stock method. Under this method, options and warrants are assumed to have been exercised at the beginning of the period (or at the time of issuance, if later), and as if funds obtained thereby were used to purchase common stock at the average market price during the period. Foreign Currency Translation and Comprehensive Income (Loss) The accounts of the US parent company are maintained in USD. The functional currency of the Company’s China subsidiaries is the Chinese Yuan Renminbi (“RMB”). The accounts of the China subsidiaries were translated into USD in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 830, “Foreign Currency Matters. “Comprehensive Income.” Fair Value (“FV”) of Financial Instruments Certain of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash and equivalents, accrued liabilities and accounts payable, carrying amounts approximate their FV due to their short maturities. FASB ASC Topic 825, “Financial Instruments,” requires disclosure of the FV of financial instruments held by the Company. The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheets for current liabilities each qualify as financial instruments and are a reasonable estimate of their FV because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization and the current market rate of interest. Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” defines FV, and establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of FV measurement that enhances disclosure requirements for FV measures. The three levels are defined as follow: ● Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. ● Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. ● Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the FV measurement. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company did not identify any assets and liabilities that are required to be presented on the balance sheet at FV. Leases On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (ASU 2016-02), as amended, which supersedes the lease accounting guidance under Topic 840, and generally requires lessees to recognize operating and financing lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use (ROU) assets on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months and to provide enhanced disclosures surrounding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leasing arrangements. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company concluded the adoption of this new AUS did not have a material impact to the Company’s CFS due to the Company does not have any lease that is longer than 12 months. Segment Reporting FASB ASC Topic 280, “Segment Reporting,” New Accounting Pronouncements In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early application will be permitted for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on its CFS. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The guidance removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The guidance should be adopted on a prospective basis for the annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on its CFS. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, "Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting," which expands the scope of ASC 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. An entity should apply the requirements of ASC 718 to non-employee awards except for specific guidance on inputs to an option pricing model and the attribution of cost. The amendments specify that ASC 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor's own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. The new guidance is effective for SEC filers for fiscal years, and interim reporting periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019 (i.e., January 1, 2020, for calendar year entities). Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance and currently believes it will impact the accounting of the share-based awards granted to non-employees. |