Receiving Orders
Receiving orders lets you confirm delivered quantities and add received products to inventory. When an order is received, Mathership checks product mappings and converts ordered products into ingredient stock.Confirm deliveries
Check what was delivered and enter the actual received quantities.
Post to inventory
Add mapped products into ingredient stock in the selected storage unit.
Create ledger entries
Create receipt movements with quantity, cost, value, and source references.
What receiving means
Receiving an order means:- Checking which products were delivered
- Confirming the received quantity
- Entering the unit cost
- Selecting the storage unit
- Posting mapped products into inventory
- Creating inventory ledger entries
- Recording variances and notes when deliveries differ
Why receiving is important
| Without receiving | With receiving |
|---|---|
| Orders are only order records | Orders update inventory |
| Stock does not change | Stock increases automatically |
| Delivery differences are not tracked | Variances can be recorded |
| Inventory value may be incomplete | Inventory value is updated |
When receiving becomes available
The Transfer button on an order is only available once the order has been sent. Draft and scheduled orders cannot be received. Once sent, the order detail page shows:- Transfer all button to open the receiving sheet for all items
- Transfer selected button when one or more items are selected
- Transfer button on each individual item row
Basic receiving flow
The receiving sheet
The receiving sheet opens as a side panel from the order detail page.Status banners
The sheet shows a banner at the top when a relevant condition is detected.| Banner | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Yellow warning | Products need to be mapped to ingredients first — no mapped items in scope |
| Green success | All products in scope are already transferred |
| Blue info — last transfer | Unit cost was pre-filled from the most recent transfer of this product |
| Blue info — price | Unit cost was pre-filled from the product price on the order |
Item table columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| # | Article number |
| Product | Product name and packaging text |
| Ordered | Ordered quantity from the order |
| Received | Editable field — defaults to the ordered quantity |
| To transfer | Variance badge and calculated ingredient quantity that will be added |
| Unit cost | Editable cost per unit — pre-filled from last transfer or product price |
Variance note
When the received quantity differs from the ordered quantity:- A variance badge appears in the To transfer column showing the difference
- Red indicates short delivery
- Grey indicates over-delivery
- A note textarea appears below the received quantity field so you can explain the difference
Below the table
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Storage unit | Required — where the ingredient stock is added. Pre-filled from the delivery location if linked |
| Delivery date | Optional — the actual delivery date. Pre-filled from the order if set |
| Estimated total | Calculated automatically from received quantity × unit cost across all items |
Receiving preview
When the receiving sheet loads, Mathership fetches a preview for each order item. The preview includes:| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Product | Ordered vendor product |
| Ordered quantity | Quantity from the order |
| Price | Product price from the order |
| Mapping status | Whether the product is mapped to an ingredient |
| Ingredient | Ingredient that will be updated |
| Factor | Conversion factor |
| Total base quantity | Quantity that will be added to inventory |
| Already posted | Whether the item was already received |
| Last product cost | Last known cost from a previous transfer of this product |
Mapped and unmapped products
Only mapped products can be posted into ingredient inventory.| Product status | Result |
|---|---|
| Mapped | Can be received into inventory |
| Unmapped | Cannot be posted to ingredient stock |
| Already received | Will not be posted again |
How quantities are calculated
Formula: received quantity × factor = ingredient quantity added| Received quantity | Factor | Ingredient stock added |
|---|---|---|
| 1 box | 10 kg | 10 kg |
| 2 boxes | 10 kg | 20 kg |
| 5 packs | 1.5 kg | 7.5 kg |
Example
A vendor delivers tomatoes in boxes.| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Ordered product | Box of tomatoes |
| Ordered quantity | 3 boxes |
| Received quantity | 2 boxes |
| Ingredient | Tomatoes |
| Factor | 10 kg |
| Storage unit | Main kitchen |
| Stock added | 20 kg |
Unit cost and inventory value
The unit cost field determines the value of the receipt ledger entry. Mathership pre-fills the unit cost in this priority order:- If the item was already posted — the cost used in that posting
- If a previous transfer of this product exists — the cost from the last transfer
- Otherwise — the product price from the order
| Product price | Factor | Calculated unit cost |
|---|---|---|
| €20.00 per box | 10 kg | €2.00/kg |
| €12.00 per crate | 12 L | €1.00/L |
| €5.00 per pack | 0.25 kg | €20.00/kg |
Ordered quantity vs. received quantity
The ordered quantity is what was requested. The received quantity is what actually arrived.| Ordered | Received | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| 5 boxes | 5 boxes | 0 |
| 5 boxes | 4 boxes | −1 |
| 5 boxes | 6 boxes | +1 |
| Situation | Example note |
|---|---|
| Short delivery | Supplier only delivered 3 of 5 boxes |
| Damaged product | 1 crate damaged, not accepted |
| Replacement | Replaced with similar product |
| Price difference | Price differs from order |
| Quality issue | Accepted but quality lower than expected |
Variance
Variance shows the difference between received quantity and ordered quantity. Received quantity − ordered quantity = variance| Ordered quantity | Received quantity | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | 8 | −2 |
| 10 | 12 | +2 |
Storage unit
Every receipt needs a storage unit. The storage unit defines where the ingredient stock is added. The storage unit is pre-filled from the order’s delivery location if it has a linked storage unit. You can change it before posting.| Storage unit | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Main kitchen | Fresh food and daily use |
| Dry storage | Dry goods |
| Cold room | Chilled products |
| Bar storage | Drinks and bar products |
| Freezer | Frozen products |
Partial receiving
You can receive less than the ordered quantity by entering a smaller number in the received quantity field.| Ordered product | Ordered | Received | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes box | 5 | 3 | +30 kg added |
| Milk crate | 4 | 4 | Fully received |
| Butter pack | 10 | 0 | No stock added |
0, no stock is added for that item.
Items with 0 received quantity are excluded from the posting.
Inventory ledger entry
When a mapped product is posted, Mathership creates an inventory ledger entry with transaction typeRECEIPT.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ingredient | Ingredient that was received |
| Storage unit | Location where stock was added |
| Quantity | Converted ingredient quantity |
| Unit cost | Cost per ingredient base unit |
| Value | Quantity multiplied by unit cost |
| Reference | Related order item |
| Date | Time of receipt posting |
Already received items
Mathership checks whether an order item has already been posted to inventory. Already-transferred items are shown with an Already transferred label and their input fields are disabled. This prevents duplicate stock entries from the same delivery.Delivery date
The delivery date field in the receiving sheet records when the products actually arrived.| Date field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Estimated delivery date | Expected delivery date set on the order |
| Delivery date | Actual delivery date confirmed during receiving |
| Placed at | Date when the order was created |
Receiving and inventory value
Receiving affects inventory value because each receipt entry includes quantity and unit cost. The received quantity, conversion factor, and unit cost determine the stock value added to inventory.Example receiving table
| Product | Ordered | Received | Mapping | Storage | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes box | 5 | 4 | Tomatoes, 10 kg | Main kitchen | +40 kg |
| Milk crate | 3 | 3 | Milk, 12 L | Cold room | +36 L |
| Butter pack | 10 | 8 | Butter, 0.25 kg | Cold room | +2 kg |
| Cleaning tabs | 2 | 2 | Not mapped | Dry storage | No stock movement |
Receiving and reports
Received order data appears in reports, including:- Inventory movements and ledger history
- Delivery location reports
- Inventory value reports
- Vendor order reports
- Untransferred order reports
Untransferred orders
An untransferred order is an order that still has items not posted into inventory. This usually means:- The order has not been received yet
- Some products are unmapped
- Some items were skipped
- The order was only partially received
Common problems
Product does not appear in inventory
Product does not appear in inventory
Check that:
- The product is mapped
- The correct ingredient is selected
- The received quantity is greater than zero
- The correct storage unit was selected
- The receipt was posted successfully
Stock quantity is too high
Stock quantity is too high
Check that:
- The product was not received twice
- The factor is correct
- The unit conversion is correct
- The received quantity matches the actual delivery
Stock quantity is too low
Stock quantity is too low
Check that:
- The received quantity was entered correctly
- The factor is not too small
Product is shown as unmapped
Product is shown as unmapped
Check that:
- A product mapping exists
- The mapping belongs to the correct company
- The ingredient still exists
Item cannot be received again
Item cannot be received again
The item already has a
RECEIPT ledger entry.Mathership blocks duplicate postings to protect inventory accuracy.Unit cost looks wrong
Unit cost looks wrong
Check the pre-fill source shown in the blue info banner.If cost was pre-filled from a previous transfer at the wrong price, update the unit cost field before posting.
Best practices
Review mappings before posting
Always check the mapped ingredient and factor before posting receipts.
Use actual received quantities
Do not simply accept ordered quantities if the delivery differs.
Select the correct storage unit
Choose the real storage location where the product was physically stored.
Add notes for variances
Explain missing products, damaged products, price differences, or substitutions.
Review high-value products
Be careful with expensive products such as meat, fish, wine, and spirits.
Fix unmapped products first
Use the map link on each unmapped item to create a mapping without leaving the order.
Related pages
Product Mapping
Connect vendor products to internal ingredients and conversion factors.
Ingredients
Manage the ingredient master list used for receiving and stock tracking.
Storage Units
Manage the storage locations where received stock is posted.
Inventory Ledger
Review receipt movements and other inventory transactions.
Inventory Reports
Analyze stock, movement history, costs, and ingredient activity.
Reorder Suggestions
Use stock levels and mappings to suggest future orders.