Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]

E. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The carrying amount of goodwill attributable to each reporting unit with goodwill balances as of both March 31, 2012 and September 30, 2011 are as follows:


Reporting Unit	(Dollars in millions)
Rubber Blacks	$	27
Fumed Metal Oxides		11
Security Materials		2

Total goodwill	$	40

Goodwill impairment tests are performed at least annually. The Company performed its annual impairment assessment as of March 31, 2012 and determined that there was no impairment.

Cabot does not have any indefinite-lived intangible assets. Cabot had $3 million of finite-lived intangible assets as of both March 31, 2012 and September 30, 2011. Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which range from six to fourteen years, with a weighted average period of twelve years. Amortization relative to these intangible assets is expected to aggregate to less than $1 million per year over the next five years.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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