The provision for depreciation has been computed principally by the straight-line method based on the estimated useful lives of the depreciable assets as follows:
CategoryUseful Life
Buildings
30 - 40 years
Leased assets and leasehold improvementsAmortized over the lesser of the economic life of the asset or the term of the lease
Machinery and equipment
3 – 20 years
Customer-leased equipment
5 – 7 years
Estimated useful lives are periodically reviewed and, when appropriate, changes to estimates are made prospectively.
The classes of property, plant and equipment as of December 31 are summarized as follows ($ in millions):
20252024
Land and improvements$233 $230 
Buildings3,054 2,548 
Machinery and equipment4,867 4,430 
Customer-leased equipment2,144 1,883 
Gross property, plant and equipment10,298 9,091 
Less: accumulated depreciation(4,767)(4,101)
Property, plant and equipment, net$5,531 $4,990 

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 24, 2026Showing above
2020Feb 25, 2021
2019Feb 21, 2020
2018Feb 21, 2019
2017Feb 21, 2018
2016Feb 22, 2017
2015Feb 24, 2016

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.