Inventory and stock

What is a batch number? Meaning, format and uses

Definition

Batch number: A batch number, also called a lot number, identifies one group of a product made or received together, so its expiry date, cost and buyers can be traced.

Also called: lot number, batch code, lot code, batch no., batch number meaning

What a batch number means

A batch, or lot, is a quantity of one product that shares the same history: made in the same production run, or delivered in the same consignment from a supplier. Every unit in it has the same raw materials, the same manufacture date and the same expiry date. The batch number is the code on the pack and in your records that ties them together.

An SKU tells you which product something is. A batch number tells you which run of that product it came from. One SKU, such as turmeric powder 500 g, can have many batches in stock at once, each with its own expiry date.

Why batch numbers matter

Batch numbers turn a pile of identical packs into stock you can trace. They help in four ways:

Expiry: you can see which batch expires first and sell it first.
Complaints and recalls: the batch number shows which raw materials went in and which customers received the same batch.
Cost: batches bought or made at different prices can each carry their own cost.
Labels: FSSAI's labelling rules require packaged food to carry a batch, lot or code number, with some exceptions, so your records should use the number printed on the pack.

How to format a batch number

Any mix of letters and numbers works if it is unique for the product. A practical pattern is product code, date and run number, such as GM-261023-1 for the first garam masala run on 23 October 2026. It shows the batch's age at a glance and is short enough for a small pouch. For goods you buy, record the supplier's batch number exactly as printed, so you can trace a problem back to them. Never reuse a batch number for a later run.

Worked example

Tracing a complaint at a masala maker

A masala maker makes two 50 kg runs of garam masala on 23 October 2026, GM-261023-1 and GM-261023-2, and packs each into 500 pouches of 100 g. In December a distributor reports a damp pouch from GM-261023-2. The batch record shows that run used chilli from the supplier's lot CH-0925-17, and the dispatch records show its 500 pouches went to 6 distributors. The owner calls those 6 and checks the rest of that chilli lot, instead of recalling all 1,000 pouches made that day.

In managemate

managemate calls a batch a lot. Each lot belongs to one product and has its own number, an optional expiry date, a cost and a quantity at each location. Enter the supplier's batch number when you receive a purchase; if you leave it blank, managemate creates a lot number for stock with an expiry date and adds stock without one to the product's undated lot. A completed production run creates a lot named after the run, such as MO-00012, unless you type your own. Lot numbers are unique per product, and reusing one with a different expiry date is refused. Open a lot to see where it is, where it came from and every movement since, and print QR labels that carry its lot number. managemate records the expiry date but not a separate manufacturing date.