Kardex example

If you are searching for a kardex example, you probably already know what a kardex is, but you still need to see what a finished one looks like, with real numbers and every column in place. The short answer: a kardex is a table that records, in chronological order, all the inflows and outflows of a product, together with the available balance and its value. In this article you will find three complete, verifiable examples: a merchandise kardex for a store using the weighted average method (jeans), a basic warehouse kardex with inflows, outflows and balance, and a physical kardex card with all its fields. Each table is designed so you can check the numbers yourself: add up the columns and the final balance ties out. The three examples use the same structure most businesses work with, so you can use them as a template: copy the table, change the product name, the dates and the documents, and you will have your own working kardex.

Example 1: weighted-average merchandise kardex for a store

The most useful example for a store is a valued kardex using the weighted average method. It is called that because every time merchandise enters at a different cost, the average cost is recalculated: the total value on hand is divided by the total number of units. Later sales leave at that average cost rather than at the price of each individual purchase, which keeps the cost of sales from jumping from one day to the next. Example data: product jeans, SKU JEAN-32, unit of measure: unit. Values are shown in dollars ($). The period runs from March 1 to March 30 and there are eight records: the opening balance, four purchases and three sales.

Date	Detail / concept	Document	Inflows (units)	Inflows: unit cost ($)	Inflows: value ($)	Outflows (units)	Outflows: unit cost ($)	Outflows: value ($)	Balance (units)	Balance: unit cost ($)	Balance: value ($)
Mar 01	Opening balance	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	45,000	450,000
Mar 03	Purchase from Andean Textiles	PI 0012	20	46,500	930,000	–	–	–	30	46,000	1,380,000
Mar 06	Retail sale	SI 0145	–	–	–	12	46,000	552,000	18	46,000	828,000
Mar 10	Purchase from Andean Textiles	PI 0018	12	47,000	564,000	–	–	–	30	46,400	1,392,000
Mar 15	Retail sale	SI 0161	–	–	–	20	46,400	928,000	10	46,400	464,000
Mar 20	Purchase from El Hilo Garments	PI 0026	30	45,600	1,368,000	–	–	–	40	45,800	1,832,000
Mar 25	Retail sale	SI 0189	–	–	–	15	45,800	687,000	25	45,800	1,145,000
Mar 30	Purchase from El Hilo Garments	PI 0035	25	46,200	1,155,000	–	–	–	50	46,000	2,300,000

Read the table row by row, always from top to bottom. On March 1 the business starts with an opening balance of 10 jeans valued at $450,000, that is, $45,000 per unit. On March 3 it buys 20 units at $46,500 and the total value on hand rises to $1,380,000 (450,000 + 930,000); the new average cost is 1,380,000 / 30 = $46,000. That average is what values the March 6 sale: 12 units x $46,000 = $552,000, leaving 18 units worth $828,000. The average is recalculated only when merchandise enters at a different cost. On March 10: (828,000 + 564,000) / (18 + 12) = 1,392,000 / 30 = $46,400. On March 20: (464,000 + 1,368,000) / (10 + 30) = 1,832,000 / 40 = $45,800. And on March 30: (1,145,000 + 1,155,000) / (25 + 25) = 2,300,000 / 50 = $46,000. Notice that sales do not change the average cost: only a purchase at a different price does. Final check. During the month 87 units came in (20 + 12 + 30 + 25) for a value of $4,017,000 and 47 units went out for $2,167,000. Since the opening balance was 10 units worth $450,000, the final inventory must be $450,000 + $4,017,000 - $2,167,000 = $2,300,000, which equals the 50 units x $46,000 shown in the last row. You can also check it by units: 10 in the opening balance + 87 that came in - 47 that went out = exactly 50 units. If your numbers do not tie out like this, there is an error in one of the movements or entries.

How to read a kardex: what each column means

Formats vary from one business to another, but the columns of a kardex always tell the same story. Here is what each one means:

Date: the day the movement happened. A kardex is read in chronological order: each row is a new fact about the same product.
Detail or concept: what happened on that date: a purchase, a sale, a return, a transfer, an adjustment or shrinkage.
Document: the number of the invoice, voucher or delivery note that supports the movement. It is the proof that the entry is real and lets you trace it later if needed.
Inflows: the units that come in (purchases, customer returns, transfers into the store), with their quantity, unit cost and total value.
Outflows: the units that go out (sales, returns to suppliers, internal use, shrinkage), valued at the cost in effect at the time.
Balance: the accumulated stock after each movement. This is the column that answers how much is available.
Unit cost and value: value is always quantity x unit cost. Entries use the purchase price; outflows and balance use the current average cost.

To read any row, scan the table from left to right: on the date shown, a quantity supported by a document came in or went out, and the balance updated instantly. In a healthy kardex the balance should never go negative: if it does, a receipt is missing, an issue is too high, or an adjustment is needed.

Example 2: basic warehouse kardex with inflows, outflows and balance

When the only thing that matters is the number of units, as with office supplies, inputs or spare parts, a kardex without values is used, with three movement columns: inflows, outflows and balance. It is the simplest format and also the fastest to audit. Example data: ream of letter-size paper, unit of measure: ream, general warehouse, month of March.

Date	Detail	Document	Inflows	Outflows	Balance
Mar 01	Opening balance	–	–	–	25
Mar 04	Purchase from Central Paper	PO 1024	40	–	65
Mar 07	Issue to accounting	Requisition 210	–	12	53
Mar 12	Purchase from Central Paper	PO 1030	30	–	83
Mar 18	Issue to human resources	Requisition 227	–	15	68
Mar 24	Purchase from Central Paper	PO 1041	50	–	118
Mar 29	Issue to receiving	Requisition 245	–	18	100

The calculation is straightforward: add the inflows of each row to the previous balance and subtract the outflows. For example, on March 7: 65 - 12 = 53 reams. Month summary: the warehouse started with 25 reams, received 120 (40 + 30 + 50) and issued 45 (12 + 15 + 18), so the final balance is 25 + 120 - 45 = 100 reams, exactly as the last row shows. This kardex does not say how much the stock is worth, but it answers without error how many units there are and who requested them.

Example 3: physical kardex card and its fields

Before inventory software existed, the kardex was kept on cardboard cards called kardex cards, filed by product in alphabetical or code order. Many small warehouses still use them. A kardex card is a pre-printed card or sheet with a header that identifies the item and a body where movements are written by hand; it also has control boxes and a space for the signature of the person recording the entries. Using the same merchandise as Example 1, the header of the card would be filled in like this: card No. 021, product: jeans, code: JEAN-32, unit: unit, location: warehouse 2, shelf A3, maximum stock: 60, minimum stock: 10, person in charge: warehouse keeper. And the body of movements would look like this:

Date	Concept	Document	Inflows	Outflows	Balance	Signature
Mar 01	Opening inventory	–	10	–	10	M. R.
Mar 03	Purchase	PI 0012	20	–	30	M. R.
Mar 06	Sale	SI 0145	–	12	18	M. R.

The complete card is made up of the following fields:

Header or item identification: code or SKU, product name, unit of measure (unit, kilo, meter, box) and physical location (warehouse, shelf, bin).
Control data: agreed maximum and minimum stock, usual supplier and, in some formats, the valuation method used.
Body of movements: date, concept or detail, document number, inflows, outflows and balance, always in chronological order.
Closing and control: signature of whoever records each movement and an observations box for notes such as returns or adjustments.

The advantage of the physical card is that it does not depend on electricity or a computer: anyone in the warehouse understands how entries are made and the card remains as physical evidence. Its limitations are also well known: you have to add up by hand, cards get stained and wear out with use, and only one person can update them at a time. That is why many businesses end up keeping exactly this same format in a spreadsheet or in an inventory system.

Why it is useful to look at the kardex history

The real value of a kardex is not in the last row but in the complete history of the product. Keeping that history organized is useful for:

Calculating the cost of sales and the real profit per product, because every outflow is valued at its cost.
Detecting shrinkage, theft or errors: if the kardex says there should be 50 pairs of jeans and the physical count shows 46, the difference stands out and can be investigated in time.
Deciding how much and when to buy, by watching rotation: how much sells per week and how fast each SKU runs out.
Resolving claims and returns: with the date and document number you can reconstruct exactly what happened with a sale or a purchase.
Supporting accounting and audits, because the valued ending inventory of the kardex is the basis of the balance sheet and of taxes.

With these three examples you now know what a kardex looks like, how its columns are filled in and why it pays to keep the history up to date. And if you want to see the examples working without doing the math by hand, Kardex Tauro calculates the weighted average and updates the balance of every product automatically with each sale or purchase.

Labels:

#kardex #example #kardex card