Items vs. Lots
An item is the product template — the definition of what something is. A lot is the real-world instance — the actual batch you received, produced, or packaged. Every lot belongs to an item, but a single item can have many active lots at the same time.Item
The product definition. Holds the name, unit of measure, item code, and default settings. Examples: “Roasted Tomato Base,” “500 mL Glass Bottle,” “Sea Salt.”
Lot
A specific, received or produced batch of an item. Tied to a supplier, a date, and a quantity. Multiple lots of the same item can exist simultaneously.
- Lot number — your unique identifier for this batch (e.g.,
SALT-240601-01) - Item — the parent item this lot belongs to
- Quantity — current on-hand quantity, updated in real time as the lot is consumed
- Unit — the unit of measure (kg, L, each, etc.)
- Expiry date — the best-before or use-by date used for FEFO sorting and alerts
- Cost per unit — the landed cost per unit, used to calculate inventory value and COGS
- Location — the storage location (warehouse zone, fridge, shelf, etc.)
- COA status — whether a Certificate of Analysis has been received, reviewed, and linked
- Movement history — a full, append-only log of every quantity change and the document that caused it
The Inventory Ledger
The inventory ledger is your real-time view of every active lot across all items and locations. Each row represents one lot, giving you a precise snapshot of what you have, where it is, and how long you have before it expires.| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Item | The parent item name and code |
| Lot | The lot number |
| Qty | Current on-hand quantity and unit |
| Expiry | The lot’s expiry date |
| Location | The assigned storage location |
| COA Status | Missing, Uploaded, Reviewed, or Linked |
Lot States
As a lot moves through your operation, Batchlane updates its state automatically based on the documents that reference it.- Available — the lot is on hand and can be selected for production
- Allocated — the lot has been reserved for a planned batch run but not yet consumed
- In Production — the lot is actively being consumed in an open batch record
- Finished — the lot is an output lot produced by a completed batch record
- Archived — the lot has been fully consumed, expired, or manually closed and no longer appears in the active ledger
COA Status
A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the supplier document confirming that a received lot meets your quality and safety specifications. Batchlane tracks four COA statuses per lot:- Missing — no COA has been received for this lot yet
- Uploaded — a document has been attached to the lot but has not been reviewed
- Reviewed — a team member has opened and reviewed the document
- Linked — the COA has been formally linked to the lot record, completing the quality intake step
Growth and Pro plans unlock the full document queue, which lets you manage COA intake across all pending lots from a single view and set required-review rules before a lot can be used in production. The Free plan supports manual COA file attachment on individual lots but does not include the document queue or intake workflow.