Material Issue
A Material Issue records stock that leaves a warehouse location for internal use or consumption. Material issues help you track internal stock movement, maintain accurate inventory records, and fulfil approved material requests.
Note: Material Returns are not a separate module. They are accessed from within the Material Issue details page. To create a material return, open an issued material issue and use the Material Returns tab or the Create Material Return action.
Scenario: Bailey at Zylker Manufacturing approved a material request for 50 LED bulbs. To move the stock from the main warehouse to the retail location, Bailey creates a material issue and finalises it to update the inventory immediately.
Enable Material Issue Module
Before you can create material issues, you must enable the module in your organisation settings.
Prerequisite: You must have admin access or appropriate permissions to enable modules. Ensure at least one warehouse location is active in your organisation.
- Go to Settings from the top right corner of the page.
- Click General under Setup & Configurations in the left sidebar.
- Check the Material Issue option under Modules.
- Click Save.
Once enabled, the Material Issue module will appear under Inventory in the left sidebar.
Create a Material Issue
Create a standalone material issue to record stock that is issued for internal use.
Go to Inventory from the left sidebar.
Click Material Issues.
Click the New button in the top right corner.
Fill in the issue details:
Field Description Material Issue# A unique reference number. This is auto-generated but can be customised by clicking the gear icon. Issue Date The date when the stock is issued. Defaults to the current date. Reason Select the reason for issuing stock (e.g., Internal Use, Production, Testing, Damaged). This helps categorise issues for reporting. Location The warehouse or location from which stock is being issued. Notes Optional internal notes about the issue. This can include context, purpose, or special instructions. In the Item Details section, add the items to issue:
- Click Add Row to add an item line.
- Select the item from the dropdown.
- Review the Available Quantity displayed for each item.
- Enter the Quantity to issue.
- For serial or batch tracked items, select the specific serial numbers or batches to issue.
- Repeat for each additional item.
Note: You cannot issue more than the available stock for any item. If the available quantity is zero or insufficient, restock the location before creating the issue.
- Click Save as Draft to save the issue for review, or Convert to Issued to finalise and update stock immediately.
Create Material Issue from Request
Convert a confirmed material request directly into a material issue to streamline the fulfilment process.
Method 1: From the material request details page
- Go to Inventory from the left sidebar.
- Click Material Requests.
- Open a confirmed request.
- Click Convert to Material Issue in the top right corner.
- Review the prefilled issue details (items, quantities, location).
- Update the issue date, reason, or notes if needed.
- Click Save as Draft or Convert to Issued.
Method 2: From the Material Issue creation page
- Go to Inventory and click Material Issues.
- Click New.
- Click Link to Material Request if the option is available.
- Select a confirmed request from the list.
- The issue form is prefilled with request details.
- Complete the issue and save.
Insight: When you create a material issue from a request, the request status automatically updates to Partially Issued or Issued depending on the quantities fulfilled. You can track linked issues from the Material Issues tab in the request details page.
Material Issue Statuses
Material issues have the following statuses based on their lifecycle:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | The issue has been created but not finalised. Stock has not yet been updated. It can be edited or deleted. |
| Issued | The issue has been finalised and stock has been deducted from the source location. Issued transactions are typically locked for editing. |
Note: Once a material issue is marked as Issued, it cannot be edited or deleted. If you need to reverse an issued transaction, create a material return instead.
View Material Issue
Open any material issue to review its details, status, and item lines.
- Go to Inventory from the left sidebar.
- Click Material Issues.
- Click on an issue number from the list.
- Review the issue header, status, items, and any linked material requests or returns.
- Click the Activity tab to see a log of changes made to the issue.
- Click the Material Returns tab to view any returns created against this issue.
Edit a Draft Material Issue
You can update a draft material issue before it is finalised.
- Open the draft material issue you want to edit.
- Click Edit in the top right corner.
- Update the issue details, date, reason, or item quantities.
- Click Save as Draft to keep it in draft status, or Convert to Issued to finalise immediately.
Warning: Issued transactions are locked for editing to maintain data integrity. If you need to correct an issued transaction, create a material return to reverse it.
Convert Draft to Issued
Finalise a draft material issue to record the stock movement and update inventory.
- Open a draft material issue.
- Review all item quantities and details.
- Click Convert to Issued in the top right corner.
- Confirm the action in the popup.
Once converted, the stock is deducted from the source location and the status changes to Issued.
Insight: Finalise the issue only when items physically leave the location. This keeps your inventory records accurate and prevents stock discrepancies.
Create a Material Return
If issued items are returned to stock, create a material return to reverse the issue and restore inventory.
- Open the issued material issue from which items are being returned.
- Click the More icon (three dots) in the top right corner.
- Select Create Material Return from the dropdown.
- Enter the return details (date, reason, receiving location).
- Enter the quantities being returned for each item.
- Click Save as Draft or Mark as Returned to finalise.
Material returns increase stock at the receiving location and are tracked under the Material Returns tab of the source issue.
Learn more about Material Returns
Print or Download as PDF
Generate a printable or downloadable copy of a material issue for offline records or approvals.
- Open the material issue.
- Click PDF/Print from the action menu in the top right corner.
- Download the generated PDF or print it directly.
Clone a Material Issue
Create a new material issue similar to an existing one by cloning it.
- Go to Inventory and click Material Issues.
- Open the issue you want to clone.
- Click the More icon (three dots) in the top right corner.
- Select Clone from the dropdown.
- A new issue page opens with the same details. Update the date, reason, or items if needed.
- Click Save as Draft or Convert to Issued.
Pro Tip: Cloning is useful for recurring issues with the same items and quantities. Instead of creating a new issue from scratch, clone an existing one and adjust the date.
Delete a Material Issue
Permanently remove a draft material issue that is no longer needed.
- Open the draft material issue you want to delete.
- Click the More icon (three dots) in the top right corner.
- Select Delete from the dropdown.
- Confirm the deletion in the popup.
Warning: Deleting a material issue is permanent and cannot be undone. Issued transactions cannot be deleted — create a material return instead.
Search and Filter Issues
Narrow the material issue list by status, date, or keyword to find specific records quickly.
- Go to Inventory and click Material Issues.
- Use the Search bar at the top to find issues by number, reason, or notes.
- Click the Filter icon to apply status filters:
- All
- Draft
- Issued
- Use the date range filter to narrow issues by issue date.
- Click Apply to view the filtered results.
Export Material Issues
Download the material issue list for reporting, record-keeping, or analysis.
- Go to Inventory and click Material Issues.
- Apply any filters if you want to export a specific subset of issues.
- Click the More Actions icon (three dots) in the top right corner.
- Select Export from the dropdown.
- Choose your preferred format (CSV or Excel).
- Download the generated file.
Note: Exported files include issue number, date, reason, location, status, and item details. You can use this data for analysis or integration with other systems.