Medicine Stock Register Format: Batch, Expiry and Schedule H1 (Free Sample)
A free batch-wise medicine stock register format for pharmacies and clinics, the Schedule H1 register, and a 10-minute monthly expiry check.
By OPDly Team · Updated 23 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Quick answer: a medicine stock register records every medicine batch-wise: medicine name and strength, batch number, expiry date, supplier and invoice number, quantity received, quantity sold or issued, quantity written off, and the balance in stock. Keep one page (or one row group) per medicine, add a line for every purchase, sale total and correction, and check the balance against the shelf every month. Pharmacies selling Schedule H1 drugs must also keep a separate H1 register under Rule 65 of the Drugs Rules, open for inspection for three years.
This guide gives you a free stock register format, the H1 register format, a simple expiry check, and the mistakes that leave clinics and medical stores with expired stock on the shelf.
Free medicine stock register format (sample)
Use one block per medicine. Copy it into a notebook, Excel or Google Sheets.
MEDICINE: Paracetamol 500mg tablet Pack: 10 x 15 strip
Schedule: None / OTC Rack: A-3 Reorder level: 20 strips
Date | Particulars | Batch | Expiry | In | Out | Balance
----------|-------------------------|----------|---------|----|-----|--------
01-10-26 | Opening stock | PC2311 | 11/2027 | | | 30
04-10-26 | Purchase, Inv 4471, | PC2405 | 04/2028 | 50 | | 80
| Sharma Pharma Dist. | | | | |
04-10-26 | Sales 1–4 Oct | PC2311 | 11/2027 | | 18 | 62
11-10-26 | Sales 5–11 Oct | PC2311 | 11/2027 | | 12 | 50
11-10-26 | Damaged (1 strip) | PC2405 | 04/2028 | | 1 | 49
31-10-26 | Physical count: 49 ✓ | | | | | 49
Quantities are in strips here; use the unit you actually sell in, and stay consistent.
What each column is for
- Batch and expiry: two batches of the same medicine can expire a year apart. Without batch-wise stock you cannot tell which strips to sell first or which ones to return.
- Particulars: purchase (with invoice number and supplier), sales total for the day or week, return to supplier, return from patient, damaged, expired write-off. One word is enough, but always say why stock moved.
- In / Out / Balance: the balance after every line is what lets you catch a mistake on the day it happens instead of at the year-end count.
- Reorder level: when the balance falls to this number, order more.
- Rack: saves time at the counter and during the monthly count.
Schedule H1 register format
Schedule H1 covers certain antibiotics, anti-TB drugs and habit-forming medicines. Under Rule 65 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, every H1 supply must be entered in a separate register at the time of sale with the prescriber's name and address, the patient's name, the drug name and the quantity supplied. The register must be kept for three years and open for inspection.
SCHEDULE H1 REGISTER
Date | Patient name | Prescriber name and address | Drug and strength | Batch | Qty
---------|---------------|------------------------------------|-------------------------|--------|-----
08-10-26 | Ravi Kumar | Dr. A. Kumar, City Care Hospital, | Cefixime 200mg tablet | CF1123 | 10
| | MG Road, Bengaluru | | |
Schedule X drugs have stricter rules of their own. Ask your State Drugs Control department which registers they expect to see for your licence.
Monthly expiry check (10 minutes)
- List every batch expiring in the next 90 days.
- Move them to the front of the shelf so they sell first.
- For batches you won't sell in time, return them to the supplier if your agreement allows — check how many months before expiry they accept returns.
- Move anything already expired to a separate, marked box — never leave it on the selling shelf — and write it off in the register.
- Count 10 random medicines and compare with the register balance. Big gaps mean entries are being missed.
Paper register or software?
| Paper register | Pharmacy software | |
|---|---|---|
| Updating stock | Every purchase and sale written by hand | Purchase entry adds stock; each sale reduces it |
| Batch and expiry | Easy to skip under pressure | Stored with every batch; earliest expiry sold first |
| Near-expiry list | Monthly manual check | A list of batches expiring in 30, 60 or 90 days |
| Low stock | Noticed when the shelf is empty | Alert at the reorder level |
| GST registers | Prepared separately | Sales and purchase registers with CGST/SGST split |
A paper register is fine for a doctor supplying a small stock to their own patients. Once you run a pharmacy counter with dozens of medicines, the register is the first thing that falls behind.
Common mistakes
- One line per medicine instead of per batch, so you can't tell which strips expire first.
- Sales not written off the register on busy days; the balance drifts until nobody trusts it.
- Expired stock left on the selling shelf.
- Free goods and samples not entered, so the physical count never matches.
- No reason written for corrections — an auditor or inspector will ask.
How OPDly keeps the stock register for you
OPDly's pharmacy keeps stock batch-wise with expiry. Recording a supplier purchase adds the batches; every sale reduces stock and, on Auto (FEFO), sells the earliest-expiry batch first. The Alerts screen lists batches expiring in 30, 60 or 90 days, expired batches still in stock, and medicines at their reorder level, and the Stock register report shows current batch-wise quantity, cost, MRP and value with expired batches flagged. Sales and purchase registers carry the CGST/SGST split for GST filing. Each medicine can be marked with its schedule (H, H1, X, G). Read more about OPDly's pharmacy software, see our medical store bill format, or start a free 30-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is a medicine stock register?
A record of every medicine in a pharmacy or clinic — batch, expiry, what came in, what went out and the balance — so you always know what is in stock and what is about to expire.
What columns should a pharmacy stock register have?
Date, particulars (purchase, sale, return, write-off), batch number, expiry date, quantity in, quantity out and balance, with the medicine name, strength, pack size and reorder level at the top of each page.
What is the Schedule H1 register?
A separate register that pharmacies must keep under Rule 65 of the Drugs Rules for every Schedule H1 drug sold, with the prescriber's name and address, the patient's name, the drug name and the quantity. It must be kept for three years and shown on inspection.
How do I track medicine expiry in my pharmacy?
Record the expiry of every batch, check the batches expiring in the next 90 days every month, sell the earliest-expiry stock first, return what you can't sell in time, and remove expired stock from the shelf.
How often should I count pharmacy stock?
Check a sample every month and do a full count at least once a year, or whenever the register and the shelf don't match.
Do doctors need a stock register for medicines given to their own patients?
A doctor supplying medicines to their own patients under Schedule K of the Drugs Rules should still buy from licensed dealers and keep purchase records with batch details. A simple batch-wise stock register makes that easy.
Medicine names, batches, suppliers and doctors in the samples are examples. This guide is general information, not legal advice — confirm the registers your licence needs with your State Drugs Control department. Last updated 23 October 2026.
Sources: Drugs Rules, 1945 — Rule 65 (conditions of retail sale licence, Schedule H1 register, inserted by G.S.R. 588(E), 30 August 2013) and Schedule K.