Bill of materials template

A bill of materials is the foundation of any manufacturing process, but tracking parts, costs, and suppliers across spreadsheets creates version control problems, gaps in traceability, and manual work that slows production down. This free bill of materials template gives teams a connected workspace to manage their full BOM, with built-in AI that flags missing cost data and generates supplier summaries automatically.

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Try the template

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What is a bill of materials template?

A bill of materials template is a structured framework for capturing every component, part, raw material, and sub-assembly needed to produce a finished product, including part numbers, quantities, unit of measure, cost per unit, and supplier information. It gives manufacturing and product teams a single source of truth to manage their production process from design through procurement and assembly.

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This free template includes three linked tables for parts, suppliers, and assemblies, with formula fields for total cost, filtered views for procurement tracking, and Field Agents that surface gaps and generate summaries on demand.

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Why use a bill of materials template instead of Excel?

Excel, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Word templates work as a starting point, but they break down fast: there's no live connection between your parts list, your supplier records, and your assembly costs, and change management means manually updating multiple files.

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This template replaces disconnected bom lists with a relational workspace where parts link directly to suppliers and assemblies, total cost calculates automatically, and every team member works from the same up-to-date data. It's free to use, and its tables, fields, and embedded AI workflows can be customized to match your workflows as your product catalog and team grow.

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What should a bill of materials template include?

A complete bill of materials template typically includes part names, part numbers, descriptions, quantity required, unit of measure, cost per unit, total cost, supplier information, and production phase. This template includes all of these. Unlike a static Excel file or downloaded spreadsheet, this template connects parts to suppliers and assemblies in real time, so changes in one table reflect across the others. That linked structure supports traceability across the full production process: you can see exactly which supplier provides a given component, which assembly it belongs to, and whether cost data is complete.

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Benefits of using a bill of materials template

Managing a multi-level BOM across linked tables, automated cost rollups, and filtered views reduces manual work and keeps production planning accurate. Here are some benefits:

• Real-time cost visibility: Knowing your total cost at every level — part, sub-assembly, and finished product — is essential for budgeting and procurement decisions. This template calculates total cost automatically using a formula field on the parts table, and rolls up estimated total cost to each assembly so you always have an accurate picture.
• Centralized supplier information: Managing supplier information across separate documents makes it difficult to assess lead times, reliability, or vendor dependency at a glance. The suppliers table links directly to parts, so you can see which components come from which vendor, compare reliability ratings, and use the supplier summary Field Agent to generate a concise overview of each supplier's performance.
• Procurement clarity: Identifying which parts need to be purchased externally and where they are in the production process is easier when that data lives in one place. The procurement list view filters the parts table to show only "buy" items, and the phase tracker view groups parts by production phase so procurement and operations teams can prioritize work without digging through the full BOM.

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How to use a bill of materials template

Here's how to get started in a few steps:

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Step 1. Add your parts and components

Start by entering your parts into the parts table, filling in part number, part name, description, category, quantity required, unit of measure, and unit cost. Capturing this information upfront creates an itemized list that every other table and view in the template depends on. With complete part records, your total cost fields calculate automatically and your procurement list view populates without any additional setup. Once your parts are in, you're ready to connect them to your supplier records.

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Step 2. Link components to suppliers

For each part, use the supplier field to link to the relevant record in the suppliers table. Connecting parts to suppliers gives you traceability across your supply chain, so you can see which vendors are providing which components, factor in lead times, and spot single-source dependencies. This linked structure also means the suppliers table stays current as you add or update parts, so your supplier directory reflects the real state of your BOM. With supplier links in place, you can start organizing parts into assemblies.

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Step 3. Organize parts by assembly and production phase

Use the parent assembly field on each part to link components to their finished product or sub-assembly in the assemblies table. This builds out your multi-level BOM structure, and the assemblies table will automatically count components and roll up total cost as you add links. The phase tracker view groups parts by production phase, like design, procurement, assembly, QA, or shipping, so the team has a clear view of where every component stands. Once your parts, suppliers, and assemblies are connected, you're ready to run the template's AI features.

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Step 4. Use AI to flag gaps and surface insights

This template includes two embedded AI agents: one on the parts table that flags any record where unit cost is empty but quantity required is greater than 0, and one on the suppliers table that generates a one-sentence summary of each supplier based on their parts and lead time. Running these on demand helps you catch incomplete cost data before it affects your total cost calculations and keeps your supplier directory informative without manual write-up. Both Field Agents run at the record level, so you can trigger them individually or across the full table.

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What's included in the bill of materials template?

A bill of materials template typically includes structured fields for parts, costs, and supplier data. This template adds linked tables, formula fields, filtered views, and built-in AI to turn that static structure into a working system. Here's what's included:

• Parts table: The parts table is the core of the template, capturing part numbers, part names, descriptions, categories, quantities, unit of measure, unit cost, total cost, make-or-buy status, and production phase for every component. It gives teams a single, structured record for each part in the BOM.
• Suppliers table: The suppliers table tracks supplier name, contact information, lead time in days, and reliability rating for each vendor, with a linked field showing all parts sourced from that supplier. It supports procurement planning and managing supplier information without needing a separate system.
• Assemblies table: The assemblies table links component parts to finished products or sub-assemblies, automatically counting components and rolling up estimated total cost from linked parts records. It gives product operations and manufacturing teams visibility into the structure and cost of every assembly.
• Embedded AI workflows: This template includes a "cost missing" embedded Field Agent on the parts table that flags incomplete cost records, and a "supplier summary" Field Agent on the suppliers table that writes a concise description of each supplier's parts and lead time. Both run on demand, reducing manual review and keeping BOM data complete.
• No-code building: Airtable's built-in building expert, Omni, lets you extend this template using plain-language prompts. For example, "add a revision history field to the parts table" or "create a view that shows only components in the QA phase." Omni makes it straightforward to adapt the template to new product development processes or changing team needs without writing any code.
• AI-powered reporting: You can also use Omni to build custom reports directly from your BOM data. For example, asking for a cost breakdown by supplier, a summary of components by production phase, or a count of parts flagged for missing costs. This gives stakeholders the specific views they need without building additional infrastructure.

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Types of bill of materials templates

Different teams use bill of materials templates for different stages of the product lifecycle, and this template is flexible enough to support a range of BOM types across manufacturing, product management, and operations workflows. Here are some common types of BOMs this template can support:

• Manufacturing BOM: Tracks all physical components and sub-assemblies required to produce a shippable product
• Engineering BOM: Captures parts and specifications from the design and new product development process
• Sales BOM: Lists components included in a specific sales configuration or customer order
• Service BOM: Tracks parts needed for product maintenance, repair, or replacement
• Multi-level BOM: Organizes components hierarchically, linking parts to sub-assemblies and sub-assemblies to finished products

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What to ask Claude about your bill of materials

You can connect Airtable to Claude using the MCP to bring your live BOM data into conversations, asking questions about your parts, costs, suppliers, or production status and getting answers grounded in your actual records. Here's a list of prompts you can try with this template:

• "Which parts in my BOM are missing cost data?"
• "What is the total estimated cost for each assembly?"
• "Which suppliers have a lead time of more than 14 days?"

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Manage your bill of materials with Airtable

Airtable's bill of materials template helps manufacturing teams, product managers, and operations leads plan, track, and manage their components and production workflow in a single, connected workspace. With flexible views, linked supplier records, and built-in AI that flags missing costs, summarizes supplier data, and surfaces production blockers, you can move from design to procurement faster — and keep every stakeholder aligned without chasing updates across spreadsheets.

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Try Airtable's manufacturing solutions and build a bill of materials that scales with your product.

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Frequently asked questions

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What is the difference between a single-level and multi-level BOM template?

A single-level BOM lists the direct components of a finished product, while a multi-level BOM breaks each component into its own sub-assemblies, showing the full hierarchy of parts across the production process. This template supports multi-level BOM structures through the parent assembly link field on the parts table.

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Can I use a spreadsheet as a bill of materials template?

Excel and Google Sheets work as a starting point, but spreadsheet-based BOMs become difficult to manage at scale: version control is manual, collaboration is limited, and connecting parts to supplier or assembly data requires additional tools. This template replaces disconnected spreadsheets with a relational workspace where all of that data stays linked and current.

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How is a bill of materials template different from a work order or purchase order?

A bill of materials template defines what is needed to build a product — the complete parts list with quantities and costs. A work order specifies when and how the build happens on the production floor, and a purchase order is the procurement document sent to a supplier. The BOM is the source of truth that informs both, and this template connects directly to your supplier records to support that workflow.

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What tools support bill of materials templates beyond spreadsheets?

Options include ERP systems, PLM software, and no-code database platforms that let teams build relational BOM trackers with custom fields, linked records, and collaboration built in. This template includes linked tables for parts, suppliers, and assemblies, formula-based cost rollups, and built-in AI — without the complexity or cost of enterprise software.

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