The U.S. dollar is our reporting currency for our consolidated financial statements in both U.S. GAAP. We determine the functional currency of each subsidiary based on a number of factors, including the predominant currency for revenues, expenditures and borrowings. Adjustments from the remeasurement of non-functional currency monetary assets and liabilities are recorded in “Other income (expense), net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. When a subsidiary’s functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, translation adjustments resulting from translating the functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollar equivalents are recorded in “Accumulated other comprehensive loss” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We recognize revenue at a point in time when the customer obtains control of the promised products. For most transactions this occurs when products are shipped from our manufacturing facilities or at a later point when control of the products transfers to the customer at a specified destination or time. All amounts billed to a customer in a sales transaction related to shipping and handling represent revenues earned and are reported as “Net sales” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Accruals are made for sales returns, rebates and other allowances, which are recorded in “Net sales” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, and are based on our historical experience and current business conditions. Additionally, we have elected the practical expedient to exclude sales taxes and similar taxes that we collect from customers on behalf of government authorities from the revenue transaction price. See Note 5.

Research and development costs, included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations comprised of salaries, building costs, utilities, administrative expenses, third party research, and allocations of corporate costs, were $17 million, $11 million, and $8 million during 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively, and were expensed as incurred.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is provided against a deferred tax asset when it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We periodically assess the likelihood that we will be able to recover our deferred tax assets, and reflect any changes in our estimates in the valuation allowance, with a corresponding adjustment to earnings or other comprehensive income (loss), as appropriate. All available positive and negative evidence is weighted to determine whether a valuation allowance should be recorded.

The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state, and foreign tax authorities, which may result in proposed assessments. Our estimate for the potential outcome for any uncertain tax issue is highly judgmental. We assess our income tax positions, and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon our evaluation of the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting date. For those tax positions for which it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, we record the amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. Interest and penalties are accrued as part of tax expense, where applicable. If we do not believe that it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit is recognized. See Note 8.

Basic and diluted earnings per share are calculated using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, earnings used to determine basic earnings per share are reduced by an amount allocated to participating securities. Participating securities include restricted shares issued under the Tronox Management Equity Incentive Plan (the “MEIP”) (see Note 22), which contains non-forfeitable dividend rights. Our unexercised options and unvested restricted share units do not contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and, as such, are not considered in the calculation of basic earnings per share. Our unvested restricted shares do not have a contractual obligation to share in losses; therefore, when we record a net loss, none of the loss is allocated to participating securities. Consequently, in periods of net loss, the two-class method does not have an effect on basic loss per share.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net earnings allocable to ordinary shares by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the period, as adjusted for the potential dilutive effect of non-participating restricted share units, options, and prior to February 2018 Series A and Series B Warrants. The options and Series A and Series B Warrants are included in the calculation of diluted earnings per ordinary share utilizing the treasury stock method. See Note 9.

We consider all investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We maintain cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit and money market accounts that may exceed federally insured limits. The financial institutions where our cash and cash equivalents are held are generally highly rated and geographically dispersed, and we have a policy to limit the amount of credit exposure with any one institution. We have not experienced any losses in such accounts and believe we are not exposed to significant credit risk.

Pigment inventories are stated at the lower of actual cost and net realizable value, net of allowances for obsolete and slow-moving inventory. The cost of inventories is determined using the first-in, first-out method. Carrying values include material costs, labor, and associated indirect manufacturing expenses. Costs for materials and supplies, excluding titanium ore, are determined by average cost to acquire. Feedstock and co-products inventories including titanium ore are stated at the lower of the weighted-average cost of production or market. Inventory costs include those costs directly attributable to products, including all manufacturing overhead but excluding distribution costs. Raw materials are carried at actual cost.

We review the cost of our inventory in comparison to its net realizable value. We also periodically review our inventory for obsolescence. In either case, we record any write-down equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and its estimated net realizable value based on assumptions about alternative uses, market conditions and other factors. Inventories expected to be sold or consumed within twelve months after the balance sheet date are classified as current assets and all other inventories are classified as non-current assets. See Note 10.

Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred, except for costs of replacements or renewals that improve or extend the lives of existing properties, which are capitalized. Upon retirement or sale, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective account, and any resulting gain or loss is included in “Cost of goods sold” or “Selling, general, and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 11.

Mineral property acquisition costs are capitalized as tangible assets when management determines that probable future benefits consisting of a contribution to future cash inflows have been identified and adequate financial resources are available or are expected to be available as required to meet the terms of property acquisition and anticipated exploration and development expenditures. Mineral leaseholds are depleted over their useful lives as determined under the units of production method. Mineral property exploration costs are expensed as incurred. When it has been determined that a mineral property can be economically developed as a result of establishing proven and probable reserves, the costs incurred to develop such property through the commencement of production are capitalized. See Note 12.

We evaluate the recoverability of the carrying value of long-lived assets that are held and used whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Under such circumstances, we assess whether the projected undiscounted cash flows of our long-lived assets are sufficient to recover the carrying amount of the asset group being assessed. If the undiscounted projected cash flows are not sufficient, we calculate the impairment amount by discounting the projected cash flows using our weighted-average cost of capital. For assets that satisfy the criteria to be classified as held for sale, an impairment loss, if any, is recognized to the extent the carrying amount exceeds fair value, less cost to sell. The amount of the impairment of long-lived assets is written off against earnings in the period in which the impairment is determined.

Business acquisitions are accounted for using the acquisition method under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), which requires recording assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value as of the acquisition date. Under the acquisition method of accounting, each tangible and separately identifiable intangible asset acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded based on their preliminary estimated fair values on the acquisition date. The initial valuations are derived from estimated fair value assessments and assumptions used by management. Acquisition related costs are expensed as incurred and are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We determine if a contract is or contains a lease at inception of the contract. Our leases are primarily operating leases. Leased assets primarily include office buildings, rail cars and motor vehicles, forklifts, and other machinery and equipment. Our leases primarily have fixed lease payments, with real estate leases typically requiring additional payments for real estate taxes and occupancy-related costs. Certain of our leases also have variable lease payments. Variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate (such as the Consumer Price Index) are included in our initial measurement of the lease right of use assets and lease liabilities. Variable lease payments that are not index or rate based (such as variable payments based on our performance or use of the leased assets) are recorded as expenses when incurred and excluded from the measurement of right of use assets and lease liabilities. Our leases typically have initial lease terms ranging from 1 to 25 years. Some of our lease agreements include options to renew, extend or early terminate the leases. Lease term is the non-cancellable period of a lease, adjusted by the period covered by an option to extend or terminate the lease if we are reasonably certain to exercise (or not exercise) that option. Our operating leases typically do not contain purchase options we expect to exercise, residual value guarantees or other material covenants.

Operating leases are recorded under “Lease right of use assets”, “Short-term lease liabilities”, and “Long-term lease liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Finance leases are recorded under “Property, plant and equipment net”, “Long-term debt due within one year”, and “Long-term debt” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Operating lease right of use ("ROU") assets and lease liabilities are initially recorded at the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date or the acquisition date for leases acquired in the Cristal Transaction. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. Lease payments for the initial measurement of lease ROU assets and lease liabilities include fixed payments and variable payments that depend on an index or a rate. Variable lease payments that are not index or rate based are recorded as expenses when incurred. Operating lease ROU assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the period of the lease. Finance lease ROU assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of their estimated useful lives of leased asset and the lease terms. See Note 18.

Long-term debt is stated net of unamortized original issue premium or discount. Premiums or discounts are amortized using the effective interest method with amortization expense recorded in “Interest and debt expense, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Deferred debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability are presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts and are amortized using the effective interest method with amortization expense recorded in “Interest and debt expense, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 15.

Asset retirement obligations are recorded at their estimated fair value, and accretion expense is recognized over time as the discounted liability is accreted to its expected settlement value. Fair value is measured using expected future cash outflows discounted at our credit-adjusted risk-free interest rate, which are considered Level 3 inputs. We classify accretion expense related to asset retirement obligations as a production cost, which is included in “Cost of goods sold” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 19.

We are self-insured for certain levels of general and vehicle liability, property, workers’ compensation and health care coverage. The cost of these self-insurance programs is accrued based upon estimated fully developed settlements for known and anticipated claims. Any resulting adjustments to previously recorded reserves are reflected in current operating results. We do not accrue for general or unspecific business risks.

Equity Restricted Share and Restricted Share Unit Awards — The fair value of equity instruments is measured based on the share price on the grant date and is recognized over the vesting period. These awards contain service, market, and/or performance conditions. For awards containing only a service or a market condition, we have elected to recognize compensation costs using the straight-line method over the requisite service period for the entire award. For awards containing a market condition, the fair value of the award is measured using the Monte Carlo simulation under a lattice model approach. For awards containing a performance condition, the fair value is the grant date close price and compensation expense is not recognized until we conclude that it is probable that the performance condition will be met. We reassess the probability at least quarterly. See Note 22.

We recognize the funded status of our defined benefit pension plans and postretirement benefit plans in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The funded status is measured as the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligation at the measurement date. The benefit obligation for the defined benefit plans is the projected benefit obligation (PBO), which represents the actuarial present value of benefits expected to be paid upon retirement based on employee services already rendered and estimated future compensation levels. The benefit obligation for our postretirement benefit plans is the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation (APBO), which represents the actuarial present value of postretirement benefits attributed to employee services already rendered. The fair value of plan assets related to our defined benefit plan represents the current market value of assets held in a trust fund, which is established for the sole benefit of plan participants.

If the fair value of plan assets exceeds the benefit obligation, the plan is overfunded, and the excess is recorded as a prepaid pension asset. On the other hand, if the benefit obligation exceeds the fair value of plan assets, the plan is underfunded, and the deficit is recorded as pension and postretirement healthcare benefits obligation in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The portion of the pension and postretirement healthcare obligations payable within the next 12 months is recorded in accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost represents the aggregation of service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortization of prior service costs or credits and actuarial gains or losses previously recognized as a component of OCI and it is recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Net periodic cost is recorded in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations based on the employees’ respective functions.

Actuarial gains or losses represents the effect of remeasurement on the benefit obligation principally driven by changes in the plan actuarial assumptions. Prior service costs or credits arise from plan amendments. The actuarial gains or losses and prior service costs or credits are initially recognized as a component of Other Comprehensive income in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Those gains or losses and prior service costs or credits are subsequently recognized as a component of net periodic cost.

The measurement of benefit obligations and net periodic cost is based on estimates and assumptions approved by management. These valuations reflect the terms of the plans and use participant-specific information such as compensation, age and years of service, as well as certain assumptions, including estimates of discount rates, expected return on plan assets, rate of compensation increases and mortality rates.

In February 2016, the Financial Standards Accounting Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”) which includes a lessee accounting model that recognizes two types of leases - finance leases and operating leases. The new standard requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet, for all leases of more than 12 months, a lease liability, which corresponds to the discounted obligation of future lease payments arising from a lease, and a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset, which represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, the underlying asset over the lease term. On January 1, 2019, we adopted the new standard using the modified retrospective approach and thus, we did not adjust the comparative periods presented. As a result of the adoption of this standard, we recorded a lease liability and related right-of-use asset of $66 million and $64 million, respectively. We elected the package of practical expedients under the transition guidance, which does not require the reassessment of whether existing contracts are or contain a lease, the reassessment of the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, or the reassessment of unamortized initial direct costs of existing leases. As an accounting policy election, we excluded short-term leases (leases that have a term of 12 months or less and do not include a purchase option that we are reasonably certain to exercise) from the balance sheet presentation. Additionally, we elected to account for non-lease components in a contract as part of a single lease component for all asset classes. We implemented a new lease accounting system and updated our business processes and internal controls to address relevant risks associated with the implementation of the new standard including the preparation of the required financial information and disclosures. See Note 18 for details.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) - Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The standard updated guidance on accounting for hedging activities. The new guidance simplifies hedge effectiveness documentation requirements, changes both the designation and measurement for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. We adopted this accounting guidance in the first quarter of 2019. The adoption of the standard had an immaterial impact on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB also issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Topic 715-20): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans. The standard modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans by removing and adding certain disclosures for these plans. The eliminated disclosures include (a) the amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income expected to be recognized in net periodic benefit costs over the next fiscal year, (b) the amount and timing of plan assets expected to be returned to the employer, and (c) the effects of a one-percentage-point change in assumed health care cost trend rates on the net periodic benefit costs and the benefit obligation for postretirement health care benefits. The new disclosures include the interest crediting rates for cash balance plans and an explanation of significant gains and losses related to changes in benefit obligations. This standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We early adopted this accounting standard for the year ended December 31, 2019 which did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (“Topic 740”): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The standard simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing the exceptions to the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the requirement to recognize deferred tax liability for equity method investments, the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability for a foreign subsidiary when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary, and the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. This standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (“Topic 820”): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The standard modifies the disclosure requirements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, by: removing certain disclosure requirements related to the fair value hierarchy; modifying existing disclosure requirements related to measurement uncertainty; and adding new disclosure requirements, such as disclosing the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the end of the reporting period and disclosing the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. This standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), as amended. The standard introduces a new accounting model for expected credit losses on financial instruments, including trade receivables, based on estimates of current expected credit losses. This standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and requires companies to apply the change in accounting on a prospective basis. The Company does not expect this guidance to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.