Inventory lending template in Google Sheets

Does a department in your company lend items internally? Perhaps you have a library in your school that lends books to students. Or an IT department that lends computer equipment to employees. Maybe you run a hire business where you rent items to customers, such as bicycles, tools, or clothing?

Whatever type of business, institute, or organization you work in, tracking lent items is an essential task — but it’s often done manually or using cumbersome IT systems.

Keeping tabs on exactly what stock you currently have in your inventory, what has been lent out (and to whom) helps you to calculate if you have enough equipment for your business, to recognize if certain items are going unused, and to help you trace missing or overdue items that have not been returned.

You could purchase specialist lending software, or ask your IT team to build you a tracking system, but you can actually do it yourself using the tool you already know and use: spreadsheets. Here I’ll show you how to create a reliable inventory lending system in Google Sheets, using a ready-to-use template.

Why choose Google Sheets to manage inventory lending?

• Flexible: Google Sheets lets you build a tailor-made inventory lending system that you can adapt yourself. There’s no coding or expensive software required.
• Accessible: Because they’re online, Google Sheets files can be accessed by everyone in the team anywhere, at any time.
• Compatible with everything: If you use other software packages in your company, you can easily integrate them with Google Sheets. This enables you to merge data from other departments.
• Easy to use: There’s no training required as you’re probably already familiar with spreadsheets. The system is simple to maintain without specialist IT support.

How to get started

Sheetgo’s Inventory lending template is a pre-built spreadsheet system for inventory lending that can be used by businesses or schools renting or loaning equipment of any kind. The system gives managers a reliable way to track inventory levels while providing library or shop staff with a simple way to check items in and out.

What you get with this template:

1. Products tab: list every item you lend out, with its SKU and name.
2. Issued tab: log each item as it goes out — date, item, borrower and due date.
3. Returned tab: record each item when it comes back.
4. Loan status tab: see what is currently out, who has it, and whether it is overdue — calculated for you.
5. Borrowers tab: keep a handy list of names and contact details.

How to get the Inventory lending template

Get the free template by clicking the button below and then Make a copy:

How to use the inventory lending template

Step 1: Remove the sample data

The template comes with sample data so you can see how it works. Remove it from all the white cells before entering your own.

Step 2: List the items you lend

In the Products tab, list every item you lend out. Enter the SKU in column A and the product name in column B.

Logging a loan in the Issued tab:

Step 3: Track loans in the Loan status tab

Finally, open the Loan status tab to see what is currently out, who has each item, and whether anything is overdue.

Lend out items and track returns in Google Sheets

Because the template is built in Google Sheets, it is easy to adapt. You can add entries from a Google Form or share it with other teams, such as sales or finance.

That’s how you use the Inventory lending template in Google Sheets. 

Frequently asked questions