Find out you're low before the box is empty.
Consumables are the gloves, filters, batteries, cable ties and printer toner that nobody counts until they're gone. ItemTally keeps a minimum and a refill level for each one, per location, raises an alert when stock drops below it, and turns the gaps into one shopping list.
The jobNever run out of the cheap things that stop the expensive work.
| Item | Location | Qty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrile gloves, size L, box of 100 IT-000062 | Workshop / PPE cabinet | 3 boxes | Low · min 6 |
| FFP3 masks, box of 10 IT-000064 | Workshop / PPE cabinet | 9 boxes | In stock |
| AA batteries, pack of 24 IT-000070 | AV store / Shelf 3 | 2 packs | Low · min 3 |
| HVAC filter F7, 592 × 592 IT-000083 | Plant room / Rack B | 14 pcs | In stock |
How it works
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List what runs out
Import your current sheet or scan the barcodes on the boxes. Give each item a unit (box, roll, pair, litre) and a location.
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Set a minimum and a refill level
"Minimum 4, refill to 10" per item, per location. Not sure? Items with a few weeks of use show a suggested range based on what you actually use.
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Record what leaves
Scan and Take some, or "give 5 boxes to Jonas". The stock drops by exactly that, with a name and a time.
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Get the nudge
Below minimum, the item turns amber, and a single alert goes out by email or Slack. Once per episode, however many people take one after that.
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Buy from one list
The reorder sheet groups everything under minimum, with how many to buy per location. Print it, export it to CSV, or have it mailed to whoever buys on Mondays.
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Refill the vans and carts
Each van, cart or cabinet gets a load list (what to bring to reach its refill level). One tap records the move from the store, line by line.
The details
- Burn report
- What you used up and what it cost, biggest first, at today's prices. The answer to "why is the PPE budget gone?".
- Days of stock left
- At the current rate of use, how long each item will last. Saved reports can arrive every Monday.
- Expiry dates
- Add a date field such as "expires" or "replace by" and get an alert before it passes. One date per item; there's no batch or lot tracking.
- Worth a look this week
- A quiet card on Today shows usage that doubled, stock untouched for 90 days, and minimums that look too high or low against real use. It only observes.
- Counts that square up
- Count a shelf, review only the differences, post. Each difference is a ledger line, so shrinkage shows up as a number you can trace.
- Consumables beside equipment
- The same register holds the drill and its blades, the camera and its batteries. One scan, one place to look.
How consumables get tracked today
Most teams track consumables in one of three ways: a spreadsheet updated on count day, a whiteboard where people write “need gloves”, or nobody at all, with one person who “just knows” and orders when the shelf looks thin. All three work until that person is on holiday.
Why consumables are harder than equipment
Equipment comes back. Consumables don’t, so there’s no return to check against. The only way to know the number is to record every take, and recording has to be faster than not recording. That’s why ItemTally makes a take a scan and a number, and lets a supervisor hand out a box with “give 5 to Jonas” in one line.
Where the minimum should be
A minimum is the stock you need to cover use while a new order arrives, plus a margin. If you use 6 boxes a week and delivery takes a week, a minimum of 8 to 10 is sensible. ItemTally suggests a range from your own usage (two to four weeks of cover) once there’s enough history, and you decide whether to accept it.
Who tracks consumables with ItemTally
Facilities and maintenance teams (filters, PPE, spare parts), makerspaces (filament, sheet stock), labs (gloves, tips, wipes), trades (fixings on every van) and AV teams (batteries and tape).
What it costs
Items are never counted, so 40 consumables or 4,000 cost the same. Shelf is free for one editor and ten borrowers. Stockroom is €19/mo for five editors and fifty borrowers. Warehouse is €49/mo for unlimited.
Questions people ask
What counts as a consumable?
Anything used up rather than returned. Gloves, masks, filters, batteries, tape, fixings, cleaning supplies, printer toner, lab tips. In ItemTally these are quantity items with a unit, a minimum and a refill level.
How do low-stock alerts work?
When an item drops below its minimum it turns amber, appears on Today and the reorder sheet, and one alert goes out. Alerts arrive by email or Slack, with a calm Monday digest.
Can different locations have different minimums?
Yes. The storeroom can keep 20 boxes while each van keeps 3. The stock board shows every product across every location in one view.
Can I see who uses the most?
Every take is attributed, so the logbook and the burn report show usage by item and by person. It's for planning, and nobody is billed.
Does it place orders with suppliers?
No. There are no purchase orders or supplier accounts. The reorder sheet is a list with amounts and a CSV, which you send however you already buy.
Do you track batch numbers and expiry per lot?
No. You can put an expiry date on an item and get an alert, but there's no per-lot or batch tracking. If you need lot traceability for regulated stock, use a system built for it.
Set the first minimum before lunch.
Free forever for one editor and ten borrowers. No card.
Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card needed.