Free Excel template
Min/max, kanban and turnover Excel template
Three planning tools in one formula-driven workbook: set inventory policies, size kanban loops and check stock turnover. No macros or sign-up; all example data is invented.
By Dan K., CPIM, DDMRP certified · Updated October 20, 2026
Drafted with AI assistance; every worked example is recomputed in code before publishing.
Download the Excel workbook (.xlsx)
Yellow cells are inputs; white cells contain formulas you can inspect. Each calculation sheet includes its web tool's worked example and ten fictional items, with formulas and input formatting for 500 rows. The workbook was generated from code and recalculated in LibreOffice, then compared with the same TypeScript engines as the calculators.
What is in each sheet
Workbook sheets, inputs and results
| Sheet | Inputs | Results / purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Read units, percentage conventions and instructions before pasting. | How to use each sheet; input/formula legend; sorting and compatibility notes. Made with inventorybuffercalculator.com. |
| Min-Max | Item, daily demand, lead days; entered safety OR sigma and service level; entered quantity OR EOQ costs OR review days; on hand, on order, backorders, MOQ and multiple. | Safety used, annual demand, policy quantity, min, max, position, inclusive reorder trigger, raw need, suggested order and position after. Inputs A:Q; results R:AC; hidden AD is a rounding helper. |
| Kanban | Item, daily demand, lead days, review / collection days, safety percentage and container quantity (A:F). | Response time, lead-time demand, safety allowance, raw and whole cards, total loop inventory, modeled maximum and half-full-loop average (G:O). |
| Turnover | Item, COGS, opening AND closing OR an average value, days in period and optional annual carrying rate (A:G). Set the DIO threshold in B2. | Average used, turnover, DIO, annual carrying cost, review flag, status and notes (H:O). Zero COGS and zero inventory have explicit messages instead of division errors. |
| Method | Read the assumptions and formula definitions. | Every calculated field explained in words, including rounding, optional blanks, status precedence and undefined ratios. |
Worked examples from the web tools
The first example row on each calculation sheet
| Tool | Inputs | Calculated results |
|---|---|---|
| Min-Max | 40 units/day; lead 5 days; safety 60; policy quantity 200; on hand 180, on order 50, backorders 10; MOQ 100; multiple 50. | Min 260, max 460, position 220. At/below min: Yes. Raw need 240; order 250; position after 470. |
| Kanban | 40 units/day; lead 5 days + collection 1 day; safety 20%; container 50 units. | Response 6 days, demand 240, allowance 48; 5.76 raw cards -> 6 cards. Loop / maximum 300; half-full average 150. |
| Turnover | COGS 90,000 over 365 days; opening value 10,000, closing 20,000; annual carrying rate 25%; DIO threshold 90 days. | Average 15,000; 6 turns; DIO 60.8333 days; annual carrying cost 3,750. Within threshold. |
These worked examples are locked by the web tools' tests. The workbook verification also covers zero demand, fractional orders, MOQ before multiples, trigger and DIO boundaries, 50% and 99.9% service levels, zero COGS, zero inventory, missing inputs, invalid pasted values, blank rows, the final formatted row, sorting and an edited DIO threshold. Formula errors must be zero.
The formulas and choices
- Min = daily demand × lead days + safety stock. Safety is entered or calculated as
NORM.S.INV(service / 100) × sigma daily × SQRT(lead days), with service restricted to 50–99.9%. - Max = min + policy quantity. Quantity is entered,
SQRT(2 × daily demand × 365 × order cost / annual holding cost per unit), or daily demand × review days. Fill only the selected basis. - Position = on hand + on order − backorders. At or below min, order the positive gap to max, first raised to MOQ, then rounded up to a positive order multiple. A blank or zero multiple keeps the fractional quantity.
- Cards = ceil(daily demand × (lead + collection days) × (1 + safety % / 100) ÷ container quantity). Loop inventory = cards × container quantity; modeled maximum = loop inventory; half-full average = maximum ÷ 2.
- Turnover = COGS ÷ average inventory value; DIO = days in period ÷ turnover. Average is (opening + closing) ÷ 2, or an entered average. For several equally spaced snapshots, calculate their mean first and enter that average.
- Annual carrying cost = average value × annual carrying rate / 100, independent of the COGS period length. A blank rate leaves the estimate blank; entered zero gives zero.
Use consistent inputs and review the result
Enter 20 for 20% kanban safety, 95 for 95% cycle service and 25 for a 25% annual carrying rate. Use consistent daily-demand and lead-time units. COGS and inventory values must use the same currency and valuation basis; turnover by units can differ when unit costs vary. Always state the days covered by COGS.
Read each row's input status before using it. Data validation blocks invalid typing, while formulas also check pasted values. Blank rows stay blank. No COGS with positive stock is flagged for review and has no finite DIO; zero average inventory has neither turnover nor DIO. Statistical results can differ slightly between NORM.S.INV and the site's inverse-normal approximation; the verification allows a small numeric tolerance while checking card counts and pack-rounded orders without that tolerance.
This is decision support, not a time-phased replenishment plan or an ERP import. Each row is independent; duplicate item names are not merged. Keep item numbers as text and sort the whole table, including hidden helpers. Use the live tools for min/max planning, kanban sizing and turnover analysis when you prefer CSV input and export.
FAQ
Is the Excel template free?
Yes. Download the workbook without an account, email address or payment. You can edit it for your own planning. It contains no macros, external connections or automatic uploads; all examples are invented.
Does it work in LibreOffice and Google Sheets?
The .xlsx uses IF, IFERROR, COUNT, NORM.S.INV, SQRT, ROUND and ROUNDUP, supported by Excel 2010+, LibreOffice Calc and Google Sheets. It has been recalculated and checked in LibreOffice. Import it into Google Sheets and let formulas recalculate; we have not separately tested the workbook in Google's hosted app. A static file preview may have blank results until recalculation.
How do I paste or sort my items?
Yellow cells are inputs and white cells are formulas. Clear the example input cells only, then paste values into the input columns. There are 500 formatted data rows per tool. Sort the whole table, including the hidden Min-Max rounding helper, so inputs and formulas move together. Never sort one column alone or paste over formula columns.
Why can the min/max order exceed the maximum?
The maximum is a target before supplier constraints. In the worked example, the raw need is 240; rounding to a 50-unit multiple gives 250. Position after ordering is 470, above the 460 target. MOQ is applied before rounding, and no order is suggested when there is no positive need.
What do the kanban maximum and average mean?
The loop maximum assumes all authorized containers are full. The average is a simple half-full-loop illustration, maximum divided by two. It does not predict measured warehouse on hand when stock is in transit, in process or held as a safety reserve.
Are my figures uploaded?
The workbook has no upload connection and can be used locally. For the web calculators: No. Calculations and CSV parsing run in your browser, and the numbers and files you enter are never sent to a server, unless you choose to share a link, which carries the single-item inputs in its address. The page has no ads, sign-up or third-party trackers; the site host keeps standard anonymous visit counts.
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