Property, plant and equipment, net as of December 31 were:
in $ millions20252024
Mineral-bearing land5,5965,159
Land and buildings7,3926,609
Plant and machinery25,84223,047
Construction in progress2,9741,963
Finance lease right-of-use assets741376
Total property, plant and equipment42,54537,154
Less: accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairment(17,608)(15,702)
Total property, plant and equipment, net24,93721,452

About PP&E Disclosures

The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.

Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.