Free BOM (Bill of Materials) Template - Download Now
Need an easy-to-use BOM template for your team? We’ve got you covered. With Duro PLM’s best practices in mind, we’ve designed a bill of materials template that’s flexible and practical. Best of all, it’s free to use.
Download Duro’s editable BOM template PDF now.
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What is a Bill of Materials?
A bill of materials, or BOM, is a structured list of the parts, components, assemblies, materials, and quantities required to build a product. For hardware teams, the BOM is one of the most important documents in the product development process because it connects engineering design to sourcing, manufacturing, cost planning, and production.
Think of a BOM as the product’s source of truth. It tells your team what needs to be purchased, how many of each item are required, which manufacturers or suppliers are approved, and how each component fits into the finished product. A strong BOM helps engineering, procurement, operations, and manufacturing teams stay aligned from early design through production.
A BOM template gives teams a clear starting point for organizing this information. Instead of building a spreadsheet from scratch, teams can use a standardized format to capture part numbers, descriptions, quantities, manufacturers, suppliers, lifecycle status, and other critical product data.
Why is a BOM important?
A BOM is more than a parts list. It helps teams reduce mistakes, control costs, and move from design to production with fewer delays. When a BOM is incomplete, outdated, or difficult to understand, teams can run into problems like purchasing the wrong parts, missing critical components, using obsolete parts, or sending inaccurate information to suppliers and contract manufacturers.
A well-structured BOM helps teams:
- Keep product data organized in one place
- Improve communication between engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing
- Estimate costs more accurately
- Identify long-lead-time or obsolete components earlier
- Track approved manufacturers and suppliers
- Manage revisions as the product changes
- Prepare cleaner handoffs to suppliers and production partners
For simple products or early-stage prototypes, a BOM spreadsheet can be a practical place to start. As products become more complex, many hardware teams move from static BOM templates to a dedicated PLM system to manage revisions, approvals, sourcing data, and change history more reliably.
What should be included in a BOM template?
A useful BOM template should include the information needed to identify, source, and build every part of the product. The exact fields may vary depending on the product, industry, and stage of development, but most BOMs include several core fields.
Common BOM template fields include:
- Item number
- Part number
- Part name
- Description
- Quantity
- Unit of measure
- Manufacturer
- Manufacturer part number
- Supplier or distributor
- Supplier part number
- Lifecycle status
- Revision
- Lead time
- Cost
- Reference designator, for electronic components
- Approved alternates
- Notes or assembly instructions
The goal is not to add every possible field. The goal is to create a BOM that gives your team enough information to make accurate engineering, purchasing, and manufacturing decisions.
BOM & PLM FAQs
What is BOM management?
BOM management is the process of creating, organizing, updating, reviewing, and controlling the bill of materials throughout the product lifecycle. Effective BOM management helps teams keep product data accurate as designs change, parts are sourced, and products move toward production.
Who uses a bill of materials?
BOMs are used by engineering, product development, procurement, operations, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams. Engineers use BOMs to define the product, procurement teams use them to source parts, and manufacturers use them to build the product correctly.
What is the difference between an EBOM and an MBOM?
An engineering bill of materials, or EBOM, reflects how the engineering team designs the product. A manufacturing bill of materials, or MBOM, reflects how the product is actually built, packaged, and assembled for production. The EBOM is typically focused on design intent, while the MBOM includes manufacturing-specific details such as assembly steps, packaging, consumables, and production structure.
How does PLM help with BOM management?
PLM software gives teams a centralized place to manage BOMs, parts, revisions, sourcing data, approvals, and engineering changes. Instead of relying on disconnected spreadsheets and manual updates, teams can use PLM to maintain a more accurate and traceable product record from design through manufacturing.
Why Do I Need a PLM?
Hardware products are more complex than ever. These systems blend mechanical assemblies, electronics, and software in ways that demand real-time coordination between engineering, procurement, and manufacturing. Without PLM as a central nervous system, data lives in silos, knowledge gets lost, and costs add up from delays and mistakes.
What is Duro PLM?
Duro is an AI and cloud-native PLM platform that accelerates time to market, helping engineering teams develop products up to three times faster. Its agile, lightweight architecture streamlines bill of materials, change orders, and sourcing management.
Duro ensures smooth and instant connectivity with out-of-the-box integrations for CAD tools like SolidWorks, NX, and Altium, as well as ERP systems like NetSuite. Duro offers self-hosted PDM for tailored data management and is a trusted, ITAR-compliant solution for aerospace, robotics, industrial automation, and energy management companies.