Free stock register format
Stock register format (stock book): free Excel and PDF download
A stock register, or stock book, is a running record of every item: opening quantity, what came in, what went out and the closing stock, with its rate and value. Download the ready format below in Excel with formulas or as a printable PDF, with a worked example of closing stock at weighted average cost.
- Excel with formulas
- Print-ready PDF
- Worked example included
Download the stock register format
Both files carry the same columns. Use Excel if you keep stock on a computer; print the PDF if you write it by hand.
Stock register format in Excel (.xlsx)
Two sheets: a blank register with 60 rows in which Closing qty and Value fill in by formula, and the worked example below. Opens in Excel and other spreadsheet apps.
Download Excel formatStock register format in PDF
A4 landscape. Page 1 is a blank register to print and fill in by hand; page 2 is the worked example. Free, no sign-up.
Download PDF format
What is a stock register?
A stock register (also called a stock book or stock ledger) is a running record of every item you keep: how much you had, how much came in, how much went out and how much is left. Each purchase, sale, return, damage or transfer is one row. At any point the last row for an item tells you the quantity in hand and what it is worth.
Shops, distributors and small factories keep one because it answers questions the cash book cannot: is the stock on the shelf what the books say it should be, which items are running low, and what the closing stock is worth for the year-end accounts. Under GST, businesses dealing in goods are also expected to keep an account of stock for each item, including goods lost, destroyed or written off (Section 35 of the CGST Act and Rule 56 of the CGST Rules). Your CA can tell you exactly what your business must keep.
The stock register format below works for a kirana shop, a hardware store or a small manufacturer. Keep one page, or one filtered view in Excel, for each item so its running balance stays readable.
Stock register format explained, column by column
| Column | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The date the goods actually came in or went out. | 05-04-2026 |
| Particulars / Voucher no. | What happened and the document behind it: purchase bill, sales invoice, return, damage note, transfer. | Sales invoice INV-301 |
| Item | The item name, exactly as on your bills, with its size or pack. | Cement, 50 kg bag |
| Opening qty | The closing quantity of the previous row for the same item. | 100 |
| Received (In) | Quantity that came in: purchases, customer returns, transfers in. | 0 |
| Issued (Out) | Quantity that went out: sales, returns to supplier, damage, samples, transfers out. | 25 |
| Closing qty | Opening + Received − Issued. | 75 |
| Rate (₹) | The rate you value the closing stock at (weighted average cost, explained below). | 380 |
| Value (₹) | Closing qty × Rate. | 28,500 |
| Remarks | Anything you will need later: supplier, reason for a write-off, who approved it. | Counter sale |
Stock register worked example
A hardware shop tracking one item, cement in 50 kg bags, for the first half of April. The same example is on the second sheet of the Excel file and page 2 of the PDF.
| Date | Particulars / Voucher | Opening | In | Out | Closing | Rate (₹) | Value (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-04-2026 | Opening balance | 40 | – | – | 40 | 350 | 14,000 |
| 03-04-2026 | Purchase bill PB-112 (60 @ ₹400) | 40 | 60 | – | 100 | 380 | 38,000 |
| 05-04-2026 | Sales invoice INV-301 | 100 | – | 25 | 75 | 380 | 28,500 |
| 08-04-2026 | Sales invoice INV-309 | 75 | – | 30 | 45 | 380 | 17,100 |
| 10-04-2026 | Purchase bill PB-118 (55 @ ₹400) | 45 | 55 | – | 100 | 391 | 39,100 |
| 12-04-2026 | Damage note DN-03 (2 bags torn) | 100 | – | 2 | 98 | 391 | 38,318 |
| 15-04-2026 | Sales invoice INV-322 | 98 | – | 40 | 58 | 391 | 22,678 |
Closing stock on 15 April: 58 bags worth ₹22,678. The rate changes only on the two purchase rows; sales and the damage write-off are taken out at the average rate of the day.
How to calculate closing stock and its value
Closing quantity is simple arithmetic: opening + received − issued. Do it on every row, not once a month, so a mistake shows up the same day.
Closing value needs a rate. The method most small businesses use, and the one in the example, is weighted average cost: after every purchase, add the value of the stock you already had to the value of what you bought, and divide by the new total quantity. In the example, 40 bags worth ₹14,000 plus 60 bags bought at ₹400 (₹24,000) gives 100 bags worth ₹38,000, so the average becomes ₹380 a bag.
Sales do not change the average; they take bags out at it. After two sales, 45 bags at ₹380 are worth ₹17,100. The next purchase of 55 bags at ₹400 (₹22,000) makes 100 bags worth ₹39,100, a new average of ₹391. The final 58 bags are worth 58 × ₹391 = ₹22,678.
Use purchase cost without GST when you claim input tax credit, because the GST is recovered from the government and is not part of what the stock cost you. Add freight or loading you paid to bring the goods in, if your CA treats it as part of the cost. Whatever method you choose, use it every year.
Common mistakes in a manual stock register
Most stock registers go wrong in the same few ways:
- Skipping small movements. Free samples, damaged pieces and goods taken for the shop's own use are stock going out. Leave them out and the register shows more than the shelf.
- Mixing units. Recording some entries in boxes and some in pieces breaks the running balance. Pick one unit per item and write it in the header.
- Entering in batches. Writing up a week of bills on Saturday is when entries get missed. Write each movement on the day.
- Valuing at selling price. Closing stock is valued at cost (or realisable value if lower), not at MRP or selling price.
- Never counting. Count a few items every week and the whole stock at least once a year. When the count and the register differ, record the difference as a write-off or a correction with a reason, rather than quietly changing the balance.
When to move from a stock register to software
A paper or Excel stock register works while you have a few dozen items and one person writes it up. It gets hard when every bill has to be copied into the register by hand, when there is more than one godown, or when you need the stock value on any day without an afternoon of arithmetic.
In VyapRise inventory management, every sales invoice moves the stock as it is saved, and on Pro so does every purchase bill, return, stock adjustment and godown transfer, so the register writes itself. Stock is kept per warehouse (one on the Free plan; more godowns and transfers between them are part of Pro) and valued at weighted average cost, the same method as above. The stock summary, stock ledger and stock movement reports give you this page's register for any item and date range, and low-stock alerts show in the app when an item falls below its minimum level. On the Free plan, stock is kept in one warehouse and moves with every sale, and the reports show the current month; purchase bills, stock adjustments and any date range are part of Pro.
You can start from your current register: VyapRise imports your item list from an Excel or CSV file, and you enter the opening stock once the items are in. Boxes and pieces can be one item with another unit (BOX = 12 PCS) on every plan. Batch & expiry dates are part of Pro, with an Expiring Stock report but no automatic expiry alerts. If you label goods, the free barcode generator makes the barcodes you can then scan while billing.
Stock register: common questions
What is a stock register or stock book?
A stock register, also called a stock book or stock book register, is a running record of each item a business keeps: the opening quantity, every quantity received and issued with its date and voucher, and the closing stock with its value. The last row for an item shows what is in hand today.
What is the format of a stock register?
A stock register has one row for every movement of an item: date, particulars or voucher number, item, opening quantity, quantity received (in), quantity issued (out), closing quantity, rate and value, plus a remarks column. The header records the business name, godown, unit and financial year. The Excel and PDF formats on this page follow exactly that layout.
How do I calculate closing stock in a stock register?
Closing quantity = opening quantity + quantity received − quantity issued. The closing quantity of one row becomes the opening quantity of the next row for the same item. Closing value = closing quantity × the rate you value stock at, which for most small businesses is the weighted average purchase cost.
Is it mandatory to keep a stock register under GST?
GST-registered businesses that deal in goods have to keep an account of stock for each item: opening balance, receipts, supplies, goods lost, destroyed or written off, and the balance. The requirement comes from Section 35 of the CGST Act and Rule 56 of the CGST Rules. The register can be on paper, in Excel or in software. Ask your CA what your business has to keep and for how long.
Can I maintain a stock register in Excel?
Yes. Download the Excel stock register format above: it has a blank register in which closing quantity and value fill in by formula, and a second sheet with a worked example. Excel works well for a few dozen items. Once you have many items, more than one godown or several people billing, the register falls behind the bills, and software that updates stock from each invoice is easier.
What is the difference between a stock register and a stock summary?
The stock register (or stock ledger) lists every movement of an item one row at a time, so you can see when and why stock went up or down. A stock summary shows only the closing quantity and value of every item on a date. You make the summary from the register, by taking the last closing figure for each item.
Related tools and guides
- Inventory management softwareStock that moves with every bill, per godown, valued at weighted average cost.
- What is inventory management?The basics of keeping stock under control in a small business.
- Managing stock across godownsTransfers, godown-wise stock and how to keep counts straight.
- Free barcode generatorEAN-13 and Code 128 barcodes and A4 label sheets for your items.
- Billing software for hardware shopsBilling and stock for a hardware and building-material store.
- Kirana store billing softwareBilling, stock and khata for a grocery shop.
Let the stock register write itself
A free VyapRise account moves stock with every sales invoice, keeps it in one godown (purchase bills and more godowns on Pro) and values it at weighted average cost. Import your item list from Excel to start.
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