Templates
Work order format for production and workshops
One sheet that tells the shop floor what to make, how many, which materials to draw from the store and by when, with the planned cost worked out. Download it, or plan the same work order in SimpleERP from your bill of materials.
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Filled with the sample shown. The Excel file has formulas for the totals.
In short
This is a free work order format, in Excel, Word and PDF, listing the product, quantity, materials to issue and planned cost. SimpleERP plans the same work order from a bill of materials and moves stock when it completes.
Lakshmi Steel Furnitures
GSTIN 33AAACL1234A1ZG
Work order
WO-2026-27-0018
Made for: Sri Murugan Traders
- MS sheet 1.2 mm290 kg
- Angle 25×25120 m
- Bolts and nuts20 set
- Powder coat8 kg
- Labour and overhead, cutting, welding and coating20 Nos
What this document is for
In a workshop a work order is the instruction that turns a customer's order into a job on the floor: make 20 steel racks, draw these sheets and angles from the store, finish by Thursday. The supervisor signs for the material, the fabricator signs for what was made, and the owner finally knows what the batch cost.
- Issuing material against a list, so the storekeeper hands out what the job needs and no more.
- Making to order, with the customer's sales order number on the sheet so the floor knows who is waiting.
- Costing the batch from the materials and labour on the sheet, instead of guessing at month end.
What a work order must contain
No law prescribes a work order format. These are the fields a workshop needs for the job to be made, checked and costed without a second conversation.
- Work order number and date, in a series of its own, such as WO-2026-27-0018.
- The product and the quantity to make, with the version of the recipe or drawing to follow.
- Materials to issue: each component, its planned quantity, unit and cost.
- Where the materials come from and where the finished goods go, when you run more than one store or godown.
- Planned start and end dates, and the sales order or customer the job is for.
- Instructions and sign-off lines for issued by, produced by and checked by.
How to fill the template
Fill it from your recipe for one unit, multiplied by the quantity to make. The Excel file multiplies quantity by unit cost on each line and adds up the planned cost.
Number the job and name the product
The sample is WO-2026-27-0018 at Lakshmi Steel Furnitures: make 20 units of Steel rack 4 shelf for Sri Murugan Traders' sales order.
List the materials for the whole batch
One rack takes 14.5 kg of MS sheet, 6 m of angle, a set of bolts and 0.4 kg of powder coat, so 20 racks take 290 kg, 120 m, 20 sets and 8 kg.
Add labour and overhead
The sample adds ₹180 per rack for cutting, welding and coating labour as its own line, 20 Nos at ₹180.
Check the planned cost
The sample's planned cost for the batch is ₹42,380.00, or ₹2,119 per rack before any scrap allowance.
Make it in SimpleERP instead
Pick the product and the quantity, and SimpleERP fills in the materials from the bill of materials, checks what is available in the store, and prints a one-page job card for the floor.
- Materials from the BOM, scrap included, with shortfalls flagged before you start.
- Plan, start and complete, from a phone on the shop floor.
- On complete, components leave stock and finished goods arrive at actual cost in one step.
- Linked to the sales order, so the job shows which customer is waiting.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
Fields
Every field on a work order, and why
A production work order is an internal document with no prescribed format under GST; this list is common practice.
| Field | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Work order number and date | Good practice | Lets the floor, the store and the accounts refer to one job. |
| Product and quantity to make | Good practice | The one thing the job must deliver. |
| Recipe or BOM version | If applicable | Which drawing or recipe to follow when there is more than one. |
| Materials with planned quantity, unit and cost | Good practice | What the store issues and what the batch should cost. |
| Source store and target store | If applicable | Where material comes from and where finished goods go. |
| Planned start and end dates | Good practice | When the job is due, so late jobs stand out. |
| Sales order or customer reference | If applicable | Who the job is for when you make to order. |
| Sign-off: issued by, produced by, checked by | Good practice | Who took the material and who answers for the output. |
Source: No format is prescribed; good practice, verified 10 October 2026.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid on a work order
- Writing the materials for one unit and forgetting to multiply by the batch, so the store issues a twentieth of what the job needs.
- Leaving labour and overhead off the sheet, which makes every batch look cheaper than it was.
- Not recording what was actually used, so wastage never shows up in the cost.
- Calling a job work challan a work order, and sending material out without the challan GST asks for.
- Reusing one work order number for a repeat job, so two batches' costs end up mixed together.
Honest limits
What this template and SimpleERP do not cover
Work orders mean different things in different trades; here is where this one stops.
- Stage tracking. A work order is planned, in progress or completed, with no cutting, welding or painting stages in between.
- Partial completion. One work order completes once, so split long runs into several.
- Job work: challans for material sent to an outside processor, and the ITC-04 return that goes with them.
- Work orders issued to outside contractors with scope, rates and terms.
- Routings, machine scheduling or labour booked per operation.
Getting started
From template to your first work order
Download the format
Pick Excel for the cost formulas, Word to edit by hand, or PDF to print as it is.
Write down the recipe once
List the materials for one unit; the batch is that list multiplied by the quantity.
Issue against the sheet
Have the storekeeper tick each line as it leaves the store, and the supervisor sign.
Move it into SimpleERP
Save the recipe as a bill of materials in SimpleERP, and every work order after that fills itself in.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What is the difference between a work order and a purchase order?
A purchase order asks a supplier to sell you goods or services. A work order is an instruction inside your own business to make something, listing the materials to use. A work order to an outside contractor is closer to a purchase order for a service.
Is a job work order the same as a production work order?
No. Job work means sending your material to someone else to process and getting it back, which needs a delivery challan and, for GST, an ITC-04 return. A production work order is made in your own workshop. This template and SimpleERP cover the production work order only.
Does a work order need GST details?
No. A production work order is an internal document, so it carries no tax. GST comes in on the purchase bills for the materials and on the invoice for the finished goods.
How do I work out the cost per unit from a work order?
Add the cost of the materials actually used and the labour and overhead for the batch, then divide by the units made. The sample batch of 20 racks plans ₹42,380.00, which is ₹2,119 per rack before scrap.
Related
Keep reading
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Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
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A free purchase order format in Excel, Word and PDF with GST and terms, filled in for a steel order, and how SimpleERP turns it into a supplier bill.
Read moreWork order
An instruction to make a quantity of a product from its BOM, which consumes components and adds finished goods on completion.
Read moreBill of materials (BOM)
The recipe for a manufactured product: components, quantities per batch, expected scrap and extra cost per batch.
Read more
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