📋 Item Depreciation Life Reference

A quick-reference guide to commonly used useful-life estimates for household item categories, often referenced when calculating depreciation on an insurance claim.

Turning a useful life into a rate

The table lists 15 categories and the years each is commonly assumed to last. A straight-line schedule converts that into an annual write-down:

annual depreciation rate = 100% / useful life in years
depreciation applied     = rate × age of the item

A 10 year life is 10% a year; a 15 year life is 6.7%. Take a $1,200 laptop against the 3–5 year computer range: at a four year life it loses 25% a year, so two years old it has depreciated 50% and its actual cash value is $600. Feed those numbers into the ACV calculator to see the same result item by item.

Reading the ranges

A range is a judgment, not a lookup. Condition, build quality and how hard the item was used decide where inside 10–15 years a sofa sits.
Short lives bite fastest. Shoes at 1–3 years and phones at 2–4 are near worthless on an actual cash value settlement, which is exactly where replacement cost coverage earns its premium.
Two rows do not depreciate on a schedule at all. Jewelry and fine art are marked as appraised value: their worth is set by a valuation, and covering them properly usually means scheduling them on the policy.

These are commonly cited ranges for orientation, not your policy’s terms. Insurers run their own schedules and adjust for condition, and on a replacement cost policy the depreciation is typically withheld rather than lost — released once the item is genuinely replaced. Photos, model numbers and dated receipts are what let you argue an age; the reference itself proves nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the useful life of a refrigerator for an insurance claim?

The major appliance row gives 10–15 years, which is 6.7% to 10% of the replacement cost written off each year. A seven year old fridge is therefore depreciated somewhere between 47% and 70%.

How do I work out depreciation percentage from a useful life?

Divide 100 by the years. A five year life depreciates 20% annually, so a three year old item has lost 60% under a straight-line schedule.

Does jewelry lose value on a claim?

Not on a schedule like a toaster does. Value comes from an appraisal, and the practical limit is the policy’s cap on jewelry rather than any depreciation figure.