A materials register for makers: recording what goes into each piece
Updated · 9 min read
Ask a maker what a piece from three years ago is made of and you will often hear "oak, I think from the usual yard" or "sterling, probably from the last order". That is fine until an owner asks for a matching chair, a ring needs resizing near a stone, a café wants to know what glaze is on their plates or an authority asks where your timber came from.
A materials register is a simple record of what went into each piece and where it came from. This guide covers what to record for different crafts, why it matters (repairs, provenance and some legal rules) and simple formats that work in a busy workshop.
Where we mention law, we describe what the official text says and link to it. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text and ask the relevant authority about your own situation.
Key takeaways
- Keep two linked lists: material lots coming in, and pieces going out, joined by a lot ID.
- For each lot, record supplier, invoice, date, batch or lot number, species or alloy, and any certificates or declarations.
- Under the EUDR, downstream operators and traders keep supplier and buyer details for at least five years. Wood and wooden furniture are covered; cattle leather was removed from the list in September 2026.
- The EU General Product Safety Regulation requires manufacturers to give each product an identifying type, batch or serial number or other element, and to keep technical documentation for ten years.
- Jewellers need to know alloy and weight for hallmarking; ceramicists making tableware need records behind any food-contact declaration.
What to record
For each material lot as it arrives
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Lot ID | L-2026-031 |
| Date received | 14 September 2026 |
| Supplier and contact | Name, address, email |
| Invoice or delivery note number | Copy the number and keep a photo |
| Material | European oak, 925 silver sheet, stoneware body, vegetable-tanned shoulder |
| Batch, lot, melt or hide number | As printed by the supplier |
| Origin, if stated | Country or region on the paperwork |
| Certificates or declarations | FSC or PEFC claim on the invoice, mill or assay certificate, glaze supplier's data sheet |
| Notes | Moisture content, colour batch, defects |
For each piece as it leaves
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Piece ID | 2026-014, matching the maker's mark if you use one |
| Description | Oak bedside cabinet, one drawer |
| Lots used | L-2026-031 (carcass), L-2026-027 (drawer sides) |
| Finish, glaze or treatment | Product name and batch |
| Hardware, stones, findings | Supplier and part numbers |
| Date finished | 2 November 2026 |
| Buyer | Name and address, kept private |
Extra fields by craft
- Furniture and woodwork: species (common and botanical name), board or bundle marks, any certification claim on the invoice, finish product and batch.
- Jewellery: metal and fineness (for example 750 gold, 925 silver), supplier and melt or batch, weight of each metal, stones with any grading report, and whether and where the piece was hallmarked.
- Ceramics and glass: clay body, glaze recipe or product with batch, firing temperature and kiln log reference, and whether the piece is intended for food.
- Leather and textiles: animal and tannage (for example chrome or vegetable tanned), supplier, hide or lot number, thread, dyes and edge paint.
- Instruments and metalwork: wood species with any paperwork that came with it, alloy and mill certificate for metal parts, strings and hardware.
Why it matters
Repairs and matching
A register turns repair work from guesswork into a lookup. You can order the same stain, the same alloy for a ring shank or the same clay body for a replacement cup. For an owner who wants a second chair or a matching bowl, you can say honestly whether you can match the original material.
Provenance for the owner
When an owner asks what their piece is made of and where it came from, a short record, handed over with the piece, answers that with facts rather than marketing. It also stays useful when the piece is sold or inherited.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (wood)
The EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, covers wood and cattle among its commodities. Annex I lists the products by customs code. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102, published on 17 September 2026 and in force from the following day, deleted the entries for raw hides, tanned or crust hides and "leather of cattle, further prepared after tanning or crusting" (ex 4101, ex 4104 and ex 4107), so finished cattle leather is no longer a listed product. The same act rewrote most wood and furniture entries and excluded used and second-hand products from them. Check the current Annex I for your exact products.
Article 5 says downstream operators and traders must collect the name, postal address, email and, if available, web address of the businesses that supplied them and of the businesses they supplied, and keep that information for at least five years. The European Commission's EUDR page gives the application dates as 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators, and 30 December 2026 for micro and small operators already covered by the EU Timber Regulation.
A materials register with supplier details per lot covers much of this record-keeping. Whether you are an operator, a downstream operator or outside the rules depends on how you buy and sell, so read the regulation or ask your competent authority.
Product identification under the GPSR
The EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 has applied since 13 December 2024. Article 9(5) says manufacturers must ensure products bear a type, batch or serial number or other element enabling identification, easily visible and legible for consumers, or on the packaging or an accompanying document where the product's size or nature does not allow it. Article 9(3) says manufacturers keep technical documentation for ten years after the product is placed on the market.
A piece ID that links to your register does both jobs: it identifies the piece and lets you find what went into it.
Food contact (ceramics, glass, wooden boards)
Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 covers materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. Article 17 requires traceability at all stages and says businesses must have systems to identify who supplied materials to them and who they supplied. For ceramics, Directive 84/500/EEC as amended requires ceramic articles not yet in contact with food to be accompanied by a written declaration of compliance at marketing stages up to and including retail, containing the identity of the article, the manufacturer and the date.
If you make tableware, the glaze batch and kiln record for each piece are the evidence behind any declaration. Testing limits are outside the scope of this guide.
Hallmarking (jewellery and silversmithing)
In the UK, the Assay Office London says items below 1.0 g of gold, 7.78 g of silver and 0.5 g of platinum are exempt from hallmarking, and that selling or describing un-hallmarked articles above those weights is unlawful. Schedule 1 of the Hallmarking Act 1973 sets the same weights and adds 1 g for palladium. In Poland, Article 6 of the Prawo probiercze (assay law) exempts items whose precious alloy parts weigh less than 1 g for platinum and gold alloys and 5 g for silver alloys from the general rule. Article 12 requires items newly made in Poland to carry a maker's mark when submitted for assay, and items whose hallmarks were damaged during repair to be resubmitted.
So record the metal, fineness and weight per piece, and where and when it was assayed.
Certification claims
FSC UK says companies that process or transform FSC-certified products must be certified to apply an FSC label or sell with an FSC claim. Buying certified timber does not by itself let you label a finished piece. Record the claim on the supplier's invoice in your register; only make claims you are certified to make.
Simple register formats
A two-tab spreadsheet
The format that works for most small workshops:
- Tab 1, Lots: one row per delivery or batch, with the fields above.
- Tab 2, Pieces: one row per finished piece, with a column listing lot IDs used.
- A folder per lot ID with photos of the label, invoice and any certificate.
Keep IDs short and permanent. Never reuse one. See spreadsheets vs workshop software for how to keep a sheet reliable.
Paper cards
A card per lot, filed by ID, and a card per piece stapled to the job sheet. It works at a dusty bench. Photograph the cards monthly so you have a backup.
Example rows (illustrative)
These rows are invented to show the format.
| Lot ID | Received | Supplier | Material | Supplier batch | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-2026-031 | 14/09/2026 | Timber merchant A | European oak, 27 mm | Bundle 4471 | Invoice 8812, FSC claim on invoice |
| L-2026-032 | 20/09/2026 | Bullion dealer B | 925 silver sheet, 1 mm | Melt 22-118 | Invoice 3307, assay certificate |
| L-2026-033 | 02/10/2026 | Clay supplier C | Stoneware body | Batch 0926 | Data sheet, invoice 551 |
| Piece ID | Finished | Description | Lots used | Finish or glaze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-014 | 02/11/2026 | Oak bedside cabinet | L-2026-031 | Hardwax oil, batch on tin |
| 2026-015 | 28/10/2026 | Silver cuff, 31 g | L-2026-032 | Hallmarked, date noted |
A routine that takes minutes
- On delivery: give the lot an ID, write it on the material, photograph the label and invoice, add a row.
- On cutting or first use: note the piece ID next to the lot, or the lot ID on the job sheet.
- On completion: fill the piece row: lots, finish, hardware, date.
- On handover: give the owner a short summary of materials and care. Keep their personal details in your register only.
- Once a year: check that photos and rows match, and export a copy.
Personal data about buyers stays private. If you publish anything about a piece, publish the materials, not the person.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on the facts of each case. Before a decision about your own contract, product or business, check the current text with the relevant authority or ask a lawyer.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR), consolidated text of 26 December 2025, EUR-Lex: Article 5 downstream operator records and five-year retention, Annex I wood entries (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 amending Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, EUR-Lex: deletion of ex 4101, ex 4104 and ex 4107 cattle hides and leather, exclusion of used and second-hand wood products, entry into force the day after publication on 17 September 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Regulation on deforestation-free products, European Commission: application dates by company size, commodities covered (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety, EUR-Lex: Article 9(3) ten-year documentation, Article 9(5) product identification, date of application (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on food contact materials, EUR-Lex: Article 16 declaration of compliance, Article 17 traceability (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Council Directive 84/500/EEC on ceramic articles, consolidated text, EUR-Lex: Article 2a and Annex III declaration of compliance (accessed 3 November 2026)
- FAQs, Assay Office London: UK hallmarking weight exemptions and consequences of not hallmarking (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 1 Part II, legislation.gov.uk: exemption weights for gold, silver, platinum and palladium (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Ustawa Prawo probiercze, tekst jednolity Dz.U. 2023 poz. 536, Sejm RP (ELI): Article 6 weight exemptions, Article 12 maker's mark and resubmission after repair (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Chain of custody certification, FSC UK: certification needed to apply an FSC label or sell with an FSC claim (accessed 3 November 2026)
Questions this guide gets asked
What is the minimum I should record for each piece?
The main materials and where they came from: supplier, invoice number, batch or lot if there is one, and the species, alloy, clay body or leather type. Add the finish or glaze, the date the piece was finished and who it went to. That is enough to answer most repair and provenance questions.
How long should I keep material records?
It depends on the rule. Under the EUDR, downstream operators and traders keep supplier and buyer details for at least five years. Under the General Product Safety Regulation, manufacturers keep technical documentation for ten years. For repairs, records are useful for the whole life of the piece. Check which rules apply to you.
Can I call a piece FSC certified if I bought FSC timber?
Not automatically. FSC UK says companies that process FSC-certified products must hold chain of custody certification to apply an FSC label or sell with an FSC claim. Record the claim on your supplier's invoice, but do not label the piece unless you are certified. Ask FSC or a certification body about your case.
Does a one-off piece need a batch or serial number?
The EU General Product Safety Regulation requires manufacturers to ensure products bear a type, batch or serial number or other element that identifies them, or provide it on packaging or an accompanying document if the product cannot carry it. A maker's mark with a piece number is one practical way to do this. Check how it applies to your products.
Is a spreadsheet good enough for a materials register?
Yes, for most small workshops. Use two tabs: one for material lots, one for pieces, linked by a lot ID. Photograph labels, certificates and invoices and store the photos in a folder named with the same ID. The habit matters more than the format.