Materials Reorder Calculator

Who this is for

Buy what the next batch needs. Enter how many items you plan to make, how much of each material one item uses and what you already have, and the sheet works out the shortfall, the whole packs to order at your supplier's pack size and the cost of the order.

Makers planning a production run, a seasonal build-up or a wholesale order who buy materials in fixed pack sizes and want to order the right amount first time.

What this helps you track

• The total amount of each material a planned run needs
• What is already in stock and the shortfall to buy
• Whole packs to order at your supplier's pack size
• The cost of the order, line by line and in total
• The materials cost of each item at the prices you pay

How to use it

1. Write the product, the number you plan to make, the date and the supplier at the top.
2. List each material with the amount one item uses, in the same unit you buy it in, such as grams, metres or pieces.
3. Count what you have in stock and enter it, then the pack size and pack price from your supplier.
4. The total needed, shortfall, packs to order and order cost are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, work down each line.
5. Check the order total and the materials cost per item before you place the order.
6. Print it for the workbench or fill it in online, where it saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Should I add extra for waste and test pieces?

If you usually lose some material to offcuts, samples or mistakes, add your own allowance to the quantity per item. The sheet uses exactly the figure you enter.

What if I buy a material in different units from how I use it?

Convert first so the quantity per item, stock and pack size are all in the same unit. For example, if yarn is sold by the ball, enter how many balls or part balls one item uses.

Why does it round up to whole packs?

Suppliers sell by the pack, so a shortfall of part of a pack still means buying a whole one. Anything left over goes back into stock for the next run.

What is the materials cost per item based on?

The pack price divided by the pack size, times the amount one item uses. It reflects the prices on this order, so update it when your supplier's prices change.