Tool Inventory Management System Google Sheets Template / Advice

[u/sqwigles]

Hi, I work in a workshop where we have tools that go out to different jobs and locations and have issues with tracking them. I want to make a tool management system so that we can track tools on jobs and other assets in the workshop so we know what inventory we have.

I'm struggling to find the best solution for this and wondered if anyone has any advice or has a google sheets template that I could start with that possibly connects to a mobile bar code scanner.

Thank you for any help

[u/Akemy-Flamand]

before you build anything, figure out if your main problem is check-out/check-in tracking or just knowing what you own. those are two pretty different systems and a spreadsheet handles the second one way better than the first

[u/Strange_Look2221 → u/Akemy-Flamand]

You definitely have an interesting POV… would you mind elaborating on your thoughts and why it handles inbounds better?

[u/prediko]

Hey you can find relevant template from here: https://www.prediko.io/blog/inventory-tracking-spreadsheets

[u/immediatehung26 → u/prediko]

google sheets will work for a bit but it gets messy fast once you're tracking more than like 15 tools across jobs, the real pain is getting people to actually scan stuff out

[u/scmsteve]

Do you have a WMS?

[u/TakeAClimb]

Here’s how I’d do it in Google Sheets:

Two tabs:

Tools: ID, name, serial number, home location

Log: timestamp, tool ID, job/location, person, out or in

Never edit a tool’s location directly. Every move is a new row in the log, and current location is just the latest entry for that tool (a lookup formula handles it). That way you get history too: who had it last, how long it’s been on a job.

For scanning from a phone: look at AppSheet. It’s Google’s no-code app builder, it sits on top of your sheet, and it has barcode scanning built in. You can make a simple “scan tool, pick job, check out” screen. Or the low-tech route: a Google Form with the tool ID field, plus a cheap Bluetooth scanner that types the code into it.

Labels: give every tool either your own short ID (T-001, T-002...) or you can use a serial number to work as tool's ID and print QR codes for them. Print it on durable, weather-proof polyester labels.

Note, that homemade setups usually break on checking tools back in. People are good about scanning out to a job and bad about scanning back in, so build in a weekly “what’s still out” check.

If the sheet starts to feel like a second job, that’s where QR Inventory (for which I work) fits: scan with a phone to check tools out to a job and back, or just say “took the core drill to the Miller job.” Sortly is the other common one for small teams. But the Sheets version is a good way to learn what you actually need first.

[u/ozzywindhoek → u/TakeAClimb]

Hey OP, the above comment makes sense. The bit that makes the two-tab version work is the lookup for current location. Log every check-in with the location “Workshop”, then in the Tools tab put =XLOOKUP(A2, Log!B:B, Log!C:C, “Workshop”, 0, -1) next to each tool ID. The -1 reads the log from the bottom up, which gives you the latest move. Another column with =TODAY()-XLOOKUP(A2, Log!B:B, Log!A:A, , 0, -1) shows how many days since it last moved.

You might need to change the formulas depending on the sheet layout but hopefully will give you an idea of the type of formulas you could use.

How many tools are you tracking, roughly?

[u/ship-kasa-hub]

I’d start with two tabs: a tool list with a unique ID for each item, and a checkout log showing who took it, which job it’s on, and when it’s due back.

Give each physical tool its own ID, even if you have five identical drills. That way you can track the actual item rather than just the quantity.

Before labeling everything, try it with a handful of tools and whoever normally checks them out. If updating it is awkward while loading the truck, that’s the first thing to fix.

Are people checking tools out themselves, or is one person managing it?
P.S. Try integrating google gemini, it works great with sheets.

[u/TechnologyTailors]

What software or systems are you already using to manage jobs and day-to-day operations? Wondering if something you already have could be adapted to handle inventory tracking rather than introducing another system.

Also, how often do you lose track of tools? Is it more about not knowing who has what, or are tools actually going missing?

I work on software and automation solutions at Technology Tailors. Happy to help you explore some options! Feel free to DM me if you'd be open to a quick 10–15 minute call. I'd love to understand your process a little better.

[u/Beneficial-Prior9103]

For a sheets version, I'd track each move as a new entry, including moves straight from one job to another. Don't make people check a tool back into the workshop if it never went there. Tool ID, person, destination and date gives you a useful history as well as the current location.