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Receiving is where inventory accuracy begins. Every FEFO suggestion, traceability link, and cost calculation in Batchlane depends on capturing the right information — lot number, expiry date, quantity, and cost — at the moment goods arrive. Skipping or approximating details at receipt creates errors that compound through production and accounting, so treat this step as the foundation of the entire system.

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Before you receive

Make sure the item you are receiving already exists in your Batchlane Items list. You do not need a supplier configured before creating your first receipt, but adding the supplier to Batchlane means Batchlane can pre-fill supplier details on future receipts and group purchase history by vendor. To check whether an item exists, go to Items and search by name or SKU. If the item is missing, create it before proceeding — receipts must be linked to an existing item.

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Receiving a lot

1

Navigate to Receiving > New Receipt

Open the Receiving section from the left navigation and click New Receipt. This opens a blank receipt form.
2

Select the item

Search for the item by name or SKU and select it from the dropdown. The item’s unit of measure and lot code format settings load automatically.
3

Enter the supplier lot number

Type the lot number exactly as it appears on the supplier’s shipping label or Certificate of Analysis (COA). This is the identifier your supplier uses — it is not the same as your internal lot code. Accurate entry here is critical for supplier traceability and recall investigations.
4

Enter your internal lot code

Enter the internal lot code you will use to track this lot inside Batchlane. If you have configured a lot code format in Settings > Lot Codes, click Auto-generate and Batchlane will create a code following your format. You can also type a code manually if your facility uses a fixed convention.
5

Enter quantity, unit, and cost per unit

Enter the quantity received and confirm the unit matches what was delivered (e.g., kg, lb, each). Enter the cost per unit from the supplier invoice. Batchlane uses this cost to calculate inventory value and, eventually, COGS when the lot is consumed in production.
6

Set the expiry date

Enter the expiry date from the supplier’s label or COA. Expiry date is required for ingredient lots — Batchlane cannot apply FEFO ordering without it. For packaging materials, the expiry date is optional but recommended if your packaging has a defined shelf life.
7

Assign a storage location and set COA status

Select the storage location where this lot will be physically stored (e.g., Cooler A, Dry Rack 3). Then set the COA status to reflect where documentation stands:
  • Missing — no COA has been received yet
  • Uploaded — a COA file has been attached to this receipt
  • Reviewed — a team member has reviewed and approved the COA
The document queue tracks all receipts with Missing or Uploaded status so nothing falls through the cracks.

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Attaching a COA

To attach a Certificate of Analysis, drag and drop a PDF or image file directly onto the receipt form, or click Attach COA to browse your file system. Batchlane accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files. Once attached, the COA status updates to Uploaded automatically. The document queue (available on Growth and Pro plans) surfaces all lots where the COA is missing or awaiting review, so your quality team can work through outstanding documents without hunting through individual receipts.

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After receiving

Once you save the receipt, the lot appears immediately in your inventory ledger with the quantity, cost, location, and expiry date you entered. No additional steps are needed to make the lot available — it is ready to be suggested for production runs right away. FEFO ordering is applied automatically. When a production run calls for this item, Batchlane ranks all available lots by expiry date and suggests this lot at the appropriate position in the queue.
If you receive multiple lots of the same item on the same day — whether from the same supplier or different suppliers — create a separate receipt for each supplier lot number. Combining multiple lots into a single receipt breaks traceability and makes FEFO suggestions unreliable, because Batchlane can no longer distinguish between lots with different expiry dates or costs.
Entering an incorrect expiry date causes FEFO suggestions to rank lots in the wrong order, which means older stock may be passed over in favor of fresher inventory. Always verify the expiry date directly against the supplier’s COA or physical label before saving the receipt. If you discover an error after saving, edit the receipt immediately and note the correction.