Track expiry at the lot level
The most common expiry-tracking mistake is recording one expiry date per product. The same reagent bought twice expires on different dates, so the truth lives on the lot — the physical batch — not the product. Give each received lot its own expiry date and identifier, and keep the product as the thing you set minimum stock on. This is the difference between "the kanamycin is expired" and "lot K-8821 in the -20 freezer expired last week; lot K-9032 is still good."
Keep expiry next to storage
An expiry date without a location is half a record. When expiry and storage location live on the same stock entry, a warning can tell you where the expiring lot is — which is the difference between acting on a warning and scheduling a freezer hunt. Model locations as a hierarchy (room → freezer → shelf) so a location is one structured choice, not free text.
Use expiry windows, not just dates
Nobody can act on a sorted list of 400 expiry dates. What works is bucketing: expired now, expiring within 30 days, within 60, within 90. Buckets turn expiry into a queue — review the expired bucket, plan around the 30-day one, and let the rest wait. A weekly glance at two buckets replaces a monthly full-inventory audit.
Set up alerts so nobody has to remember
Bucketed expiry helps when someone looks; alerts help when they don't. The useful pattern is two-tier: a live dashboard view of what is expired or expiring soon, and a scheduled digest (email or in-app) that reaches everyone responsible, not just the person who remembers to check. Alerts should carry the actionable facts — which lot, where it is, how much time is left — so the response is a decision, not a research project.
Rotate stock: first-expire, first-out
Labs naturally reach for the front of the shelf, which is why the oldest lot ends up at the back. First-expire-first-out (FEFO) fixes this: when receiving stock, place newer lots behind older ones, and when picking, take the lot that expires first. In a system that tracks lots and locations, FEFO becomes easy to follow rather than easy to forget — the expiry queue effectively hands you the order.
Document disposal
When expired stock is discarded, record it: what lot, how much, when, and by whom. Disposal records close the loop on the quantity bookkeeping — otherwise quantities quietly disagree with reality — and many labs' quality processes expect them to exist. Even a note field on the stock removal is enough to make the trail followable later.
A workable routine
- Every receipt creates a lot with its expiry date and location.
- Expiry buckets are reviewed weekly (30-day bucket) and monthly (60/90-day).
- Low-stock and expiry alerts run on a schedule, not on memory.
- Disposal is logged with the stock movement.
Where software carries the load
Manual expiry tracking fails at scale because it depends on diligence. A system where every lot carries an expiry date, buckets are computed automatically, and alerts go out on a schedule removes the diligence requirement — that is exactly what lab inventory management software does for expiry: lots with dates, 30/60/90-day buckets, dashboard alerts, and email digests. Start by organizing your current data with the free inventory template.