Free Excel template
Free indent format for material requests
Free material indent format in Excel: current stock, required qty, qty to order, required-by date, cost centre and priority. Print-ready with approvals.
Download indent format (.xlsx)Free, no sign-up. Works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
An indent is the internal request a department raises when it needs material from the store or from purchase. This free indent format in Excel records what is needed, by when, for which cost centre, and how much is already in stock, so nobody orders material that is already sitting on the shelf.
It prints on one A4 page and comes with a How to use sheet. It works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
What's in the indent format
Header: company, indent number, date, department, the person raising it and the plant or location.
Line items:
| Column | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Item code, description / specification, UOM | Size, grade and make, so purchase doesn't need to call back |
| Current stock | From the store register on the day of the indent |
| Required qty | What the department needs |
| Qty to order | Calculated: required minus current stock (never below zero) |
| Required by | A real date, not "urgent" |
| Purpose / cost centre | The machine, section or job it's for |
| Priority | Pick Urgent, High or Normal. Urgent rows turn red |
| Last purchase rate (₹) | If known. It helps the approver judge the value |
| Est. value (₹) | Calculated: qty to order × last rate |
| Remarks | Anything the store or purchase should know |
A total of the estimated value sits under the table, followed by signature boxes for the person raising it, the HOD and the approver.
A worked example
The grinding section needs 40 bearings (6210 ZZ) as breakdown spares. The store has 12.
- Required qty: 40. Current stock: 12. Qty to order: 28.
- Priority: High. Cost centre: Grinding.
- Last purchase rate ₹452, so the estimated value is ₹12,656.
Without the stock column, the indent would ask for 40 and the plant would end up with 52 bearings. Across hundreds of items, that's how cash ends up tied up in dead stock.
Common mistakes with indents
- No stock check. Always fill current stock. It's the cheapest saving there is.
- Vague specifications. "Bearing" isn't an item. "Bearing 6210 ZZ, SKF or equivalent" is.
- Everything marked urgent. If every row says Urgent, purchase cannot tell a breakdown from a routine order. Use real dates and keep Urgent for breakdowns.
- No cost centre. Without one, you can't later tell which section is consuming more than it should.
- Approvals on WhatsApp. A photo of a signed slip gets lost. Keep the signed indent with the PO.
When to move from Excel to software
A spreadsheet indent is a big step up from paper slips. It stops working when indents arrive from several departments, current stock has to be looked up by hand, and the owner can't approve until they're back at the plant.
With IndustryPrime's indent management, anyone raises an indent from their phone, current stock is shown automatically, and the indent goes to the right approver. Every indent shows its live status, from created to approved to converted into an RFQ or purchase order. Min/max levels and suggested order quantities can raise the indent for you before stock reaches the reorder level.
Read more: What is an indent? and how it differs from a purchase requisition. Also free: the comparative statement format and the GRN format.