What's in the template
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
item | The product: name as your lab refers to it (e.g. "PBS buffer 1x"). |
lot | The physical batch, with its own identity. Leave empty for non-batched consumables. |
quantity | How much is currently there. |
unit | How you count it: bottles, vials, pieces, grams. |
location | Where it lives — be specific: room, freezer, shelf, or rack. |
supplier | Who you buy it from. |
expiry date | Per lot, in YYYY-MM-DD format. Empty when the item has no expiry. |
minimum stock | The level that triggers a reorder — set from your consumption rate. |
How to use it
- Download the CSV and add one row per item (or per lot where expiry matters).
- Fill in location precisely — "Freezer -20C / Rack A" beats "freezer."
- Set a minimum stock value for anything that runs out unnoticed today.
- Keep the file where your team actually looks, and review the expiry column when you add stock.
Why these fields
The template mirrors the concepts that make lab inventory manageable: items as the products you buy, lots as the batches that expire, quantities tied to specific places, and a minimum stock line that turns stockouts into warnings. If you later outgrow the file, a lab inventory management system keeps exactly these concepts — items, lots, stock per location — plus alerts, movement history, and multiple users.
From template to system
A filled template is already a valid import source. ScientivoLab's importer takes a CSV of items,
validates every row, and shows a preview before writing anything — the column names differ slightly
(its importer expects name, minimumStock, units,
supplier, plus optional category, description, product code, and price), so rename the
headers accordingly or map them when you import. The principles in our
inventory management guide explain how the
item/lot/stock model works in practice.