Free Purchase Order Template for Excel (.xlsx)
A purchase order is the document a buyer sends a seller: what's being ordered, in what quantity, at what price — written and sent before anything ships. That makes it the mirror image of an invoice, where the seller asks the buyer to pay after the work is done. This page has the Excel version of our free purchase order template — the same standard and blanket layouts as the main template page, as live .xlsx spreadsheets: line totals and the subtotal add themselves up as you type, and the tax figure stays a cell you fill in yourself. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Download the purchase order template for Excel
Standard purchase order
One order, specific items and quantities, one requested delivery date. This is the one most people need.
Blanket purchase order
Agreed prices and terms across a period, drawn down as you order — a validity window and a not-to-exceed amount instead of one delivery date.
Every download is free — no email, no sign-up, no watermark.
Prefer PDF or Word? Both are on the main purchase order template page, along with a filled-in example and what to put in every field.
Editing the spreadsheet: which cells are formulas
The workbook has live formulas in three places. Everything else is a cell you simply type in.
- Line totals — cells F13:F32. Each row's Amount is a formula. Type into the item fields; leave column F alone.
- Subtotal — cell F34. It's `=SUM(F13:F32)`, the whole item table. It updates as rows fill in.
- Total — cell F36. Subtotal plus tax.
- Tax (enter amount) — cell F35 — is not a formula. It's a blank cell: enter your tax amount. Nothing in this file works a tax rate out for you, and that's deliberate — the rate is between you and the vendor.
To add item rows: insert whole rows inside the table — right-click a row number anywhere between rows 13 and 32, choose Insert, then copy the Amount formula into the new row by dragging the fill handle down from the row above. Because the new row lands inside the `SUM(F13:F32)` range, the subtotal grows to include it. The one edit that silently breaks the sheet is typing extra items below row 32: they sit outside the range and never reach the subtotal, and the order goes out with a total that's too low.
To remove item rows: delete the whole row (right-click the row number › Delete), not just its contents — a cleared row still prints as an empty line in the middle of your order.
The header rows are frozen, so the column titles stay visible while you scroll, and the print area is set so a filled order prints on one US Letter page. The blanket version has the same formulas; what changes is the labels — a validity window instead of a single delivery date, estimated quantities, a not-to-exceed amount in place of the total, and a release number line (which version to use is covered on the main template page).
What goes where in the workbook
The spreadsheet follows the standard purchase order layout, top to bottom: the PO number and dates sit top right, where the vendor's eye lands first. Four address blocks follow — From (Buyer) on the left (your details: on a purchase order the buyer issues the document, so the From and To sit the opposite way round from an invoice), then Vendor, Ship To and Bill To. The item table runs from row 16, one line per item: description, quantity, unit price, amount. Totals sit bottom right, and Terms and Authorised by close the page — the signature line is the field the whole document exists for.
What to actually write in each of those boxes — and what goes wrong when they're left vague — is covered field by field on the main purchase order template page.
Frequently asked questions
Do the totals calculate automatically?
Line totals and the subtotal do — they're live formulas, so amounts add themselves up as you fill rows in. The tax figure doesn't: it's a cell you type, because the rate is whatever you've agreed with the vendor, and the file has no way of knowing it. The final total then adds subtotal and tax together.
Should I send the vendor the .xlsx or a PDF?
Send a PDF. The spreadsheet is your working copy — once the order is filled in, use File › Save As (or Export) and pick PDF, so what the vendor receives opens the same everywhere and can't be quietly edited. Keep the .xlsx; next order you change three cells instead of starting over.
What's different in the blanket purchase order file?
The formulas are identical; the labels change. The requested delivery date becomes a validity window, quantities are estimates rather than commitments, the total becomes a not-to-exceed amount, and there's a release number line for drawing down against the order. If you order the same things repeatedly on agreed terms, it's the version to use — the Word version has the same two layouts without the formulas.