Free stocktake template
A stock count sheet that matches how counts actually go wrong: blind-count layout, automatic variance highlighting, and a second tab that makes every variance explain itself before anyone touches the system. Built by a packaging-trade operator.
Free · No email required · Works in Google Sheets (File → Import)
What’s in the template
A count sheet built for blind counts
Location, date, counter and checker up top; 30 lines with SKU, description, unit, system quantity and counted quantity. Variance calculates itself and non-zero rows highlight automatically.
Totals that keep everyone honest
System, counted and net variance totals at the bottom, plus separate counter and checker signatures - two names on every count.
A variance-review tab (sheet 2)
Every variance pulled through with unit cost and value impact, a reason dropdown (miscount, damage, receiving error, theft or loss...) and an adjusted? column. The piece most templates skip.
Print-ready, UK-formatted
A4 portrait, GBP value impact, DD/MM dates. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Three rules for a stocktake that sticks
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Freeze movements first
No receiving, no issuing, no transfers while the count runs. A pallet booked in mid-count is a variance you invented yourself.
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Count blind
Fill the counted column before anyone looks at the system number. Counters who can see the expected quantity find a way to agree with it.
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Investigate before you adjust
A corrected number with an unknown cause comes back next count. Sheet 2 exists so every variance gets a reason before the system gets touched.
Grab the template and run a count that sticks · Pairs with the free UK PO template
Stocktake questions, answered
What is a stocktake?
A stocktake (stock take, inventory count) is a physical count of what is actually on the shelf, checked against what your system or spreadsheet says you have. The gap between the two - the variance - tells you how honest your stock records really are.
How often should a small business do a stocktake?
A full count at least once a year for your accounts. Businesses with fast-moving lines do better with rolling cycle counts: a slice of the catalogue every week or month, so errors surface in days instead of at year end.
What is a blind count and why does it matter?
Counting without seeing the system quantity first. If the counter can see what the number is supposed to be, they anchor to it and variances get quietly confirmed instead of found. The template puts Counted qty before System qty for exactly this reason.
Does the template work in Google Sheets?
Yes. In Google Sheets use File, then Import, then Upload. The variance formulas, the highlight on non-zero variances and the reason dropdowns all carry over.
When counting stops being enough
A stocktake is a correction, not a cure: it tells you the records drifted, weeks after they did. The fix is a ledger that records every movement as it happens, so counts confirm the number instead of discovering it. That is what Straptory does: live stock, purchase orders and receiving in one tool, priced per person, never per SKU.