➡️ What is Inventory Usage?
Inventory Usage shows the material activity at a specific warehouse or truck over a period of time. It's the report to use when you want to answer questions like:
Which materials are we using the most?
How many of these did we use this month?
What did those materials cost us?
How much are we charging clients for them?
➡️ How to access it
Go to Reports → Inventory Usage.
➡️ Step 1: Choose a location
Inventory Usage is organized by location. At the top of the page you'll see your warehouses and trucks. Click the one you want to review.
➡️ Step 2: Pick a time range
Once you're in a location, filter by time in one of two ways:
Filter by month: quickly view a specific month (for example, Jan 2026).
Custom date range: pick exact dates (for example, 01/01/2026 – 01/31/2026).
➡️ Summary cards
At the top, five cards give you a snapshot of the selected period:
Card | What it shows |
Average Inventory Amount | The average amount of inventory activity over the range |
Total Inventory Amount | The total quantity of inventory activity for the range |
Total Client Cost | What you charged (or would charge) clients for those materials |
Total Business Cost | What those materials cost your business |
Material Profit Margin | A margin snapshot based on client cost vs. business cost |
➡️ Materials table
Below the cards, a table lists every material activity in that period. Each row shows:
Material name and variation
Quantity (QTY)
Client cost (per item and total)
Business cost (per item and total)
User name
Action / Reason
Date
This is the part you'll use most when you need to understand what happened with a specific item.
➡️ Sorting and filters
Sort by:
Name (A–Z / Z–A)
Item # (A–Z / Z–A)
Quantity
Oldest first / Newest first
Filters: click Filters to narrow by Category, Brand, Manufacturer, or Tags. Handy when your catalog is large and you only want to review one group of items.
➡️ Exporting the report
Click Export as… in the top right corner to download the data. The export includes:
Material Name
Variation
Action Type
Reason Type
Date
QTY
Cost for Business (per item and total)
Cost for Client (per item and total)
User Name
➡️ Best practices
✅ Check the location first. The report only shows one warehouse or truck at a time, so double-check you're looking at the right one.
✅ Use Action / Reason to separate usage from movement. If you only care about what went to jobs, sort or filter the export by Action Type and Reason Type in Excel.
✅ Compare month to month. Running the same location for consecutive months is a quick way to spot materials whose usage is going up or down.
➡️ Common Issues
"My totals are higher than what we actually used on jobs."
Inventory Usage includes all material activity at that location, not only materials sent to jobs. Transfers, adjustments, and deletions show up too. Check the Action / Reason column, or export to Excel and filter by Action Type and Reason Type to keep only job usage.
"I need one total across all my locations."
The report works one location at a time. Export each location and combine them, or reach out to Support if you need a consolidated view on a regular basis.
"The margin looks off."
Material Profit Margin is based on the client cost and business cost of each material. If some materials don't have a client cost or business cost set, the margin will be skewed. Review those materials' pricing in your Catalog.
➡️ FAQs
Does it show what's on hand right now?
No. Inventory Usage tracks activity over time. For current quantities, check the location in Stock.
How is this different from Movement Reporting?
Inventory Usage focuses on how much each location used and what it cost. If you want to follow materials moving between locations, use Movement Reporting. See SureStock Reports.
Can I see the notes my team entered on stock adjustments?
Not in this report right now. If you need them, reach out to Support and we can put together an export for you.
Still need help?