On January 1, Salter Corporation determined that its direct materials inventory needs to contain 6,000 pounds of materials by March 31. To achieve this goal, Salter will have to use four pounds of direct materials for every pound that it purchases during the upcoming quarter. On the basis of the company's budgeted sales volume, management estimates that 5,000 pounds of direct materials need to be purchased by March 31.
Determine the number of pounds in Salter's beginning direct materials inventory on January 1.