We are starting a small hardwood lumber business. I would like to know if there is an industry standard for inventory control or a standard index for different spices of wood. I can’t find any standards on the web. If there is no standard does anyone have any suggestions?
From contributor La
Not sure what you are asking. Physical control? Put a lock on the door. Inventory, depends on what you need to track. Usually tracked by bd ft. What you put in less what you take out. Adjust to reality once in awhile. Units of lumber from the mills marked with a bar code or RF tag. Board @ a time store, mark each pc. with a SKU. Input that into your inventory, take it out when sold.
From contributor Ji
If you are starting a retail outlet, the inventory is the same as any other place. Just wood instead of canned goods.
Suggest a course at a community college dealing with store inventory.
From contributor Ji
We buy most or wood in logs and have small mills saw it. What I am asking is if there is an industry standard number system for each spices of wood or a standard SKU. For example, Ash would have a number of 001, Maple 302. This way I can use it as a primary key in a database. If an industry standard numeric system exist, I would like to use it. Does anyone know it such a system exists?
From contributor St
Not that I'm aware of. You may send an email to to National Hardwood Lumber Association. If anyone has attempted to create a universal SKU/code for domestic wood species, it would be them (even if no one uses it).
There are a number of commercial inventory software solutions for the lumber industry but I suspect they all use propriety codes.
