A stock lot (also called a batch) is a group of items that were received, manufactured, or processed together and share common attributes such as a production date, expiry date, or supplier. Lot tracking enables batch-level traceability — if a quality issue is discovered, you can identify every item in the affected lot and take targeted action.
Key Concepts
- Lot number — A unique identifier for the batch (e.g., LOT-2026-0078).
- Quality — The lot’s current quality assessment, which determines whether items from this lot can be used or sold.
- Expiry Date — When the items in the lot expire, relevant for perishable goods, pharmaceuticals, or any product with a shelf life.
Creating a Stock Lot
To register a new lot:
- Navigate to Inventory > Stock Lots in the sidebar.
- Click New.
- Fill in the details:
- Lot number — A unique batch identifier.
- Product / Variant — The product this lot contains.
- Received Date — When the lot was received into your warehouse.
- Made — When the lot was produced (if known).
- Expiry Date — When the lot expires (if applicable).
- Supplier — The business partner who supplied this lot (optional).
- Notes — Any additional information about the lot (storage requirements, certifications, etc.).
- Click Save to store the lot in Pending quality status.
Quality Workflow
Each lot goes through a quality assessment process:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The lot has been registered but not yet inspected or assessed. |
| Under review | The lot is being inspected or tested for quality. |
| Approved | The lot has passed quality checks and items can be used or sold. |
| Rejected | The lot has failed quality checks and items should not be used or sold. |
Actions
- Send to Review — Move a pending lot into the review process.
- Approve — Mark the lot as approved after quality checks pass.
- Reject — Mark the lot as rejected if quality checks fail.
Searching
Use the search bar on the stock lots list to find rows by lot number, product name or SKU, or variant SKU/barcode. The search matches partial text, so typing BATCH-2026 finds every lot starting with that prefix.
Filtering by Status
The filter button beside the search box (Working with lists) narrows the list by Quality — pick one or several:
- Pending — Lots awaiting quality assessment.
- Under review — Lots currently being inspected.
- Approved — Lots that passed quality checks.
- Rejected — Lots that failed quality checks.
The same panel narrows to one Product, to a Received or Expiry date range — “everything expiring before the end of the quarter” is one To date — and hides inactive lots (Active — Yes); the choice is written into the page’s address so a view can be bookmarked.
Important Notes
- Lot tracking is most valuable for industries with regulatory requirements (food, pharmaceuticals) or where batch recall capability is needed.
- Link serial numbers to lots when you need both batch-level and individual-item tracking.
- Monitor expiry dates to ensure products are used or sold before they expire — consider first-expiry-first-out (FEFO) picking strategies.
- Rejected lots should be quarantined. Work with your quality team to determine whether items can be reworked, returned to the supplier, or disposed of.