Free bar stock sheet for your stocktake
A bar stock count sheet you can download as an Excel file or print as a PDF. Count your sealed and open bottles, then set the stock used against what the till sold. No sign-up and no email address.
Pick the Excel file or the PDF
Both hold the same bar stock count sheet. Use the Excel file if you want the sums done for you, and the PDF if you would rather print a bar stock taking sheet and count on paper. Call it a bar stocktake template or a liquor inventory sheet: the layout is the same.
Three sheets. The Count sheet has the venue, date and room for about 40 products: sealed bottles plus an estimate of each open bottle, added up for you. The Variance sheet sets opening stock, received and closing stock against what the till sold, with a Currency cell for the money columns. The How to use sheet puts the method on one page.
Download Excel (.xlsx)A4 landscape. Page 1 is a count sheet with 25 rows to fill in by hand. Page 2 explains how to use it, with a worked example and a blank variance sheet, so the sheet makes sense on the bar floor.
Download PDFFree and ungated: no sign-up and no email address. Use it for as long as you like, with or without WeighIt.
The count sheet columns, one by one
Six columns. You fill in five, and one does its own sum.
| Column | What goes in it | Who fills it in |
|---|---|---|
| Product | The product name. Type it the same way every time. | You |
| Bottle size (ml) | The size on the label, for example 750 or 1000. | You |
| Unopened bottles | How many sealed bottles of the product you hold. | You |
| Open bottle (tenths) | Your estimate of how full the open bottle is, for example 0.4. With more than one open bottle, add them together. | You |
| Total bottles on hand | The unopened bottles plus the open bottle, in bottles. | The sheet |
| Notes | Anything worth remembering, such as a chipped bottle. | You |
The Variance sheet picks up each product's bottle size and total from the Count sheet by name. Two settings sit at the top of it. The tot size starts at 25 ml, the usual South African tot; for a US 1.5 oz pour, which is about 44 ml, type 44 instead. The currency starts at R; pick or type your own symbol, such as KSh, N$ or US$. It only labels the money columns and nothing is converted.
How to use the sheet, step by step
- Fill in the venue and the date. Type each product on its own row with its bottle size in millilitres.
- Count the sealed bottles of each product and type the number into Unopened bottles.
- Look at each open bottle and estimate how full it is in tenths. Type 0.4 for four tenths full. If a product has more than one open bottle, add the tenths together: 0.4 and 0.7 make 1.1.
- The Excel sheet adds the sealed and open bottles into Total bottles on hand. On the PDF, add them by hand and write the answer in the shaded column.
- On the Variance sheet, set the tot size and the currency in the two cells at the top, then type each product name exactly as it appears on the Count sheet. The bottle size and the closing stock fill in by themselves.
- Type the opening stock (last period's closing figure) and the bottles you received. Used is opening plus received less closing.
- Type the tots the till says were sold and what you pay for a bottle. The sheet works out the variance in tots and what it is worth.
A 750 ml bottle of vodka, worked out
You started the period with 4 bottles and received 6. At the count there are 2 sealed bottles and one open bottle about half full (0.5). The till says 216 tots were sold. The tot size is 25 ml and a bottle costs 240.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Closing stock | 2 sealed + 0.5 open | 2.5 bottles |
| Bottles available | 4 opening + 6 received | 10 bottles |
| Used | 10 - 2.5 | 7.5 bottles |
| Used in tots | 7.5 x 750 ml / 25 ml | 225 tots |
| Variance | 225 used - 216 sold | 9 tots |
| Cost per tot | 240 per bottle / 30 tots | 8 per tot |
| Variance value | 9 tots x 8 | 72 |
These numbers are only an example, and the money is in whatever currency you set. The Excel file ships with this example and a 1 litre whisky example in two grey rows. Type over them or delete them.
Where an open-bottle count goes wrong
Estimating how full an open bottle is, in tenths, is quick. It is also where most stocktake error comes from. Two people can read the same bottle as three tenths and four tenths, and the shape of the glass changes how a level looks.
On a bar with many products, a small difference on every open bottle adds up, and it lands in your variance as if stock had gone missing.
A few habits keep the estimate steadier:
- Have the same person count the open bottles each time.
- Count at the same time of day, ideally with the bar closed.
- Write the count down before you look at the till.
- Estimate in tenths, not in halves and quarters.
WeighIt takes the guessing out: it weighs each open bottle on a Bluetooth scale and works out the tots for you.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
A sheet is a sound way to start. It stops being enough when:
- You hold more products than fit on a page, or you run more than one site.
- Estimating every open bottle by eye is costing you accuracy.
- Typing every figure and carrying the totals across takes longer than the stock take itself.
- You want the count set against your POS sales every month without copying numbers by hand.
- You want to see which product, or which shift, the gap sits in.
WeighIt weighs each open bottle on a Bluetooth scale and works out the tots for you, then sets the count against your POS sales in a monthly variance report. The scale is the Topika Bluetooth kitchen scale. The stock sheet stays free either way.
Read more in the guide on stocktaking software for pubs. To check what a pour earns you, use the pour cost calculator, which picks your currency for you.
What WeighIt costs
We set everything up: your products loaded from your spreadsheet, a Bluetooth scale included and couriered to you, and step-by-step guides and video tutorials for your first stock take. No subscription required.
Monthly variance report against POS sales, unlimited products and users, and priority support. Month to month, no long-term contract.
Questions about the bar stock sheet
Is the bar stock sheet really free?
Yes. You can download the Excel file and the PDF without giving an email address. There is no sign-up and no trial period.
What is in the Excel file?
Three sheets: a Count sheet with room for about 40 products, where you type the sealed bottles and an estimate of each open bottle in tenths, a Variance sheet that sets your stock used against what the till sold, and a How to use sheet.
How do I count an open bottle on the sheet?
Estimate how full it is in tenths and type it in the Open bottle column: 0.4 means four tenths full. If a product has more than one open bottle, add the tenths together. The sheet adds the sealed and open bottles into the total bottles on hand.
What tot size does it use, and can I change it?
It starts at 25 ml, the usual South African tot. Change the tot size cell at the top of the Variance sheet to your own pour, for example 44 ml for a US 1.5 oz pour. On the PDF, write your own size in the Variance sheet heading.
Can I use it in my own currency?
Yes. The Variance sheet has a Currency cell that starts at R. Pick or type your own symbol, such as KSh, N$ or US$, and the money column headings change to match. It only labels the money columns and does not convert anything.
Will it open in Google Sheets or LibreOffice?
It uses plain formulas (IF, INDEX, MATCH and SUMIF), so it should open in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. Cached results are saved in the file, so a quick preview on a phone shows the example rows.
How is the sheet different from WeighIt?
On the sheet you estimate each open bottle by eye. WeighIt weighs each open bottle on a Bluetooth scale and works out the tots for you, and adds the product set-up we do for you and the monthly variance report against your POS sales.
How much does WeighIt cost?
The once-off setup, scale included, is R7,500 per site. The variance programme is then R4,000 per site per month. The stock sheet is free whether or not you use WeighIt.
Get the app and watch how it works
WeighIt runs on iPhone, Android and the web. The tutorial videos cover the setup, the scale and a full stock take.
Ask about WeighIt for your bar
Tell us your venue type and how many sites you run. We reply by email.