Inventory list template
A master list of the stock you carry, one line per item, showing how many you hold, the level at which you reorder and how many to order. Compare the quantity on hand with the reorder point and check orders already placed before deciding what to buy next.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
In business.gov.au's glossary, inventory is the list of stock and materials a business keeps to sell. For the list itself, business.gov.au's inventory guidance names the details to hold: a code or name, a description, how many you have, who supplies it, and what it costs you and sells for. This template holds those details, apart from the selling price, which you can add as a column of its own, and adds two columns for ordering: the reorder point and the reorder quantity.
business.gov.au describes a reorder point as the lowest level an item's stock should reach before you order more of it, so the decision to reorder is made in advance rather than guessed at. The reorder quantity is how many you order each time. Set it with cash in mind: business.gov.au draws a straight line between unsold stock and having less money in the business, so ordering well beyond what sells ties cash up on the shelves.
The file is a CSV that opens in a spreadsheet program. Kept by hand, it works as what business.gov.au calls a periodic system, where stock is counted and the records updated manually, so the quantities are only as current as the last update. The unit cost is the price you currently pay for one unit. How stock is valued in your accounts is a question for your accountant.
Download the template
The template as a CSV file, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
Download the CSV fileWhat's in the template
| Item code | Description | Supplier | Quantity on hand | Reorder point | Reorder quantity | Unit cost (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GD-110 | Potting mix, 25 litre bag | Supplier A | 34 | 20 | 40 | 9.80 |
| GD-112 | Seed raising mix, 10 litre bag | Supplier A | 12 | 15 | 30 | 6.25 |
| GD-205 | Hand trowel, steel | Supplier B | 18 | 8 | 12 | 7.40 |
| GD-206 | Pruning secateurs | Supplier B | 6 | 6 | 10 | 18.90 |
| GD-310 | Terracotta pot, medium | Supplier C | 42 | 24 | 36 | 5.60 |
| GD-311 | Terracotta pot, large | Supplier C | 15 | 10 | 20 | 11.20 |
| GD-420 | Garden hose, 20 metre | Supplier D | 9 | 5 | 10 | 32.50 |
| GD-512 | Slow-release fertiliser, 1 kg tub | Supplier E | 27 | 12 | 24 | 8.75 |
Illustrative example only: these rows show the method and are not sourced data.
What goes in each column
- Item code: The code you give the item, used the same way on shelf labels, orders and count sheets.
- Description: What the item is, with the size or pack it comes in, so it can't be mixed up with a similar line.
- Supplier: The business you usually buy the item from.
- Quantity on hand: How many units you hold now, counted in the unit you sell the item in.
- Reorder point: The quantity at which a new order goes to the supplier.
- Reorder quantity: How many units you normally order at a time.
- Unit cost (AUD): What you currently pay the supplier for one unit, taken from the latest bill.
How to use it
- Download the CSV file, open it in a spreadsheet program and replace the example lines with every item you stock. business.gov.au suggests grouping similar items together, for example by product type, supplier or location.
- Fill in the quantity on hand from a fresh count, then keep it current. On a list kept by hand, business.gov.au says to update the records with every sale and every return as it happens, and deliveries need adding as they arrive.
- Set a reorder point for each item from how many usually sell in a week or a month and how long a delivery takes, with something extra for busy periods or a supplier who is often late.
- Compare the quantity on hand with the reorder point for every line. Before adding an item at or below that level to the next order, check outstanding purchase orders, expected deliveries and stock already committed to customers, so you do not order the same replenishment twice.
- Change the unit cost when a supplier's bill shows a new price, and mark lines you have stopped selling as discontinued instead of deleting them.
- After each stocktake, correct the quantities to what was counted, then look again at the reorder points and quantities of items that sold faster or slower than you expected.
Related terms
Sources
- Key financial terms
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 9 July 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Manage your inventory
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 16 October 2026, released 19 November 2025. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Improve your cash flow
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 16 October 2026, released 20 May 2025. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
Related guides
How to manage inventory
How to manage stock from day to day: recording what comes in and goes out, setting reorder points, spotting slow-moving stock and counting between stocktakes.
How to do a stocktake
What a stocktake is, how to prepare for and run the count, how to deal with differences from your records and what to do with the results.
How to manage your business cash flow
Practical ways to keep cash flowing in a small business: track it each month, forecast ahead, get paid sooner and plan for the costs you know are coming.