Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Alpha Pro Tech, Inc. and Alpha ProTech Engineered Products, Inc. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Events that occurred after December 31, 2015 through the date that these financial statements were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) were considered in the preparation of these financial statements.

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Periods Presented

All amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand with the exception of the share data. The Company qualified as a smaller reporting company at the measurement date for determining such qualification during 2015. According to the disclosure requirements for smaller reporting companies, the Company has included balance sheets as of the end of the two most recent years and statements of income, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two most recent years.

Marketable Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Investments

The Company periodically invests a portion of its cash in excess of short-term operating needs in marketable debt and equity securities. These investments are classified as available-for-sale in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”). The Company does not have any investments in securities that are classified as held-to-maturity or trading. Available-for-sale investments are carried at their fair values using quoted prices in active markets for identical securities, with unrealized gains and losses, net of deferred income taxes, reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses, and declines in value deemed to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale investments, are recognized in net income. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method. Investments that the Company intends to hold for more than one year are classified as long-term investments in the accompanying balance sheets.    

The Company had an investment in non-trading warrants to purchase common stock in a publicly traded entity. These warrants were derivatives that were carried at fair value in the accompanying balance sheets. Gains or losses from changes in the fair value of the warrants are recognized in the accompanying statements of income in the period in which they occurred.

Receivables, Policy [Policy Text Block]

 Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoice amount and do not bear interest.  The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable; however, changes in circumstances relating to accounts receivable may result in a requirement for additional allowances in the future.  The Company determines the allowance based upon historical write-off experience and known conditions about its customers’ current ability to pay.  Account balances are charged against the allowance when management determines that the probability for collection is remote.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories

Inventories include freight-in, materials, labor and overhead costs and are stated at the lower of cost or market. Allowances are recorded for slow-moving, obsolete or unusable inventories. The Company assesses inventories for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable products and writes down the difference between the cost of the inventories and the estimated market values based upon assumptions about future sales and supplies on-hand.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Property and equipment are depreciated or amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the respective useful lives of the assets or the related lease terms as follows:

Buildings (in years)		25
Machinery and equipment (in years)	5	-	15
Office furniture and equipment (in years)	2	-	7
Leasehold improvements (in years)	4	-	5

Expenditures for renewals and betterments are capitalized, whereas costs of maintenance and repairs are charged to operations in the period incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company accounts for goodwill and definite-lived intangible assets in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350,

Intangibles – Goodwill and Other

. Goodwill is not amortized, but rather is tested annually for impairment. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their useful lives (see Note 6). The Company’s patents and trademarks are recorded at cost and are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of 5-17 years.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The estimated fair values of financial instruments are determined based on relevant market information and cannot be determined with precision. The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash and marketable securities.

The Company’s marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair market value based on quoted market prices.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in its business circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of the assets may not be fully recoverable. If it is determined that the undiscounted future net cash flows are not sufficient to recover the carrying values of the assets, an impairment loss is recognized for the excess of the carrying values over the fair values of the assets. The Company believes that the future undiscounted net cash flows to be received from its long-lived assets exceed the assets’ carrying values and, accordingly, the Company has not recognized any impairment losses for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

Sales are recognized when the following criteria are met: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (2) title transfers and the customer assumes the risk of loss; (3) the selling price is fixed or determinable; and (4) collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. These criteria are satisfied upon shipment of product.

Sales are reduced for any anticipated sales returns, rebates and allowances based on historical data.

Shipping and Handling Cost, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Shipping and Handling Costs

The costs of shipping products to distributors are recorded in cost of goods sold.

Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company maintains a stock option plan under which the Company may grant incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options to employees and non-employee directors. Stock options have been granted with exercise prices at or above the fair market value of the underlying shares of common stock on the date of grant. Options vest and expire according to terms established at the grant date

.

The Company accounts for stock-based awards in accordance with ASC 718,

Stock Compensation

. ASC 718 requires companies to record compensation expense for the value of all outstanding and unvested share-based awards, including employee stock options.

For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, there were 120,000 and zero stock options granted, respectively, under the Company’s option plan. The Company recognized $24,000 and $33,000 in share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, related to issued options.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred income tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized. The Company’s policy is to record any interest and penalties assessed by the Internal Revenue Service as a component of the provision for income taxes. The Company presents taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing activities (i.e., sales tax) on a net basis in the accompanying statements of income. The Company provides allowances for uncertain income tax positions when it is more likely than not that the position will not be sustained upon examination by the tax authority.

Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd. and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the US federal jurisdiction, and in various state and foreign jurisdictions.  With limited exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to US federal, state or local income tax examination by tax authorities for years before 2012.  The Company is not currently under examination in any of the jurisdictions in which it operates.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings Per Common Share

The following table provides a reconciliation of both net income and the number of shares used in the computation of “basic” earnings per common share (“EPS”), which utilizes the weighted average number of common shares outstanding without regard to common stock equivalents, and “diluted” EPS, which includes all common stock equivalents which are dilutive for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

	Years Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Net income (numerator)	$	1,041,000	$	2,742,000
Shares (denominator):
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding		18,197,109		18,414,775
Add: Dilutive effect of common stock options		41,255		309,410
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding		18,238,364		18,724,185
Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	0.06	$	0.15
Diluted	$	0.06	$	0.15

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into US dollars at the exchange rate prevailing at the transaction date. Monetary assets and liabilities in foreign currencies at each period end are translated at the exchange rate in effect at that date. Transaction gains or losses on foreign currencies are reflected in selling, general and administrative expenses and were not material for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Company does not have a material foreign currency exposure due to the fact that all purchase agreements with companies in Asia and Mexico are in US dollars. In addition, all sales transactions are in US dollars. The Company’s only foreign currency exposure is with its Canadian branch office. The foreign currency exposure is not material due to the fact that the Company does not manufacture in Canada. The exposure primarily relates to payroll expenses in the Company’s administrative branch office in Canada.

Research and Development Expense, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Such costs were not material for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Advertising Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Advertising Costs

The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. These costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and were $37,000 and $38,000 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value Measurements

FASB ASC 820,

Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures

, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with US GAAP, clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework and expands disclosures about the use of fair value measurements. On a quarterly basis, the Company measures at fair value certain financial assets using a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company's own assumptions. The following fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels.

This hierarchy requires the Company to minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to use observable market data, if available, when determining fair value. The fair values of the Company's financial assets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were determined using the following levels of inputs:

• Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

• Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and

• Level 3—Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31,
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Marketable securities - 2015	$	656,000	$	656,000	$	-	$	-
Marketable securities - 2014		2,840,000		2,840,000		-		-

The fair values for the marketable securities, classified as Level 1, were obtained from quoted market prices.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

New Accounting Standards

Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09,

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

(Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”) is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model requiring a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount reflecting the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In adopting ASU 2014-09, companies may use either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach. ASU 2014-09 is effective for the first interim period within an annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is not permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2014-09 during the first quarter of 2018. Management is evaluating the provisions of this update and has not determined the impact its adoption will have on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330):

Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory

(“ASU 2015-11”), applies to inventory that is measured using first-in, first-out ("FIFO") or average cost. Under the updated guidance, a company should measure inventory that is within scope at the lower of cost and net realizable value, which is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation, instead of at the lower of cost or market. ASU 2015-11 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and is applied prospectively with early adoption permitted at the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. Management is evaluating the provisions of this update and has not determined the impact that its adoption will have on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17,

Income Taxes

(Topic 740):

Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes

, which requires deferred income tax liabilities and assets to be classified as noncurrent on the balance sheet rather than being separated into current and noncurrent. The guidance is effective for public entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods with early adoption being permitted. The Company has not adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31, 2015.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02,

Leases

(Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize most leases on the balance sheet. The provisions of this guidance are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. Management is evaluating the requirements of this guidance and has not yet determined the impact of the adoption on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Management periodically reviews new accounting standards that are issued. Management has not identified any other new standards that it believes merit further discussion.