Furniture
ERP software for furniture manufacturers and showrooms
A bill of materials for every design, work orders that move stock, one stock count across workshop and showroom, and counter invoices a buyer can pay on the spot.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for furniture manufacturers and showrooms. Each design gets a bill of materials, work orders turn board, foam and hardware into finished pieces, and showroom invoices, advances, purchases and payroll post to one ledger.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
A day in a furniture business
A furniture business makes in one place and sells in another, and the money and the stock have to meet in the middle.
At Kirkgate Furniture in Leeds, the workshop is welding steel racks and fitting mesh chairs while the showroom on the high street opens at ten. A walk-in buyer pays for two office chairs by card, and Summit Interiors wants forty chairs made for a new office, with an advance paid first.
By evening the questions pile up. How many racks are in the showroom? What did the last batch of chairs cost now that castors have gone up? How much of the Summit advance is unbilled? The answers sit in a stock book, a receipt book and the supervisor's memory.
SimpleERP puts them in two documents that do the work: a work order that turns material into finished pieces at actual cost, and a sales invoice that issues the piece from the workshop or showroom it left, posts the tax and settles any advance against it.
Manufacturing
Know what each design costs to make
Every design gets a bill of materials listing board or sheet, tube, foam, fabric and hardware for one batch, and a work order turns those components into finished pieces at actual cost.
- Scrap allowance per component, such as 5% on board offcuts, raises planned quantity and cost.
- Additional cost per batch for labour, polish or power, absorbed into the finished piece.
- Versions. Change the foam grade on a chair and save a new version; past work orders keep the old one.
- Plan, start, complete. Only completion moves stock.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
Inventory
One stock count across workshop and showroom
Each workshop store and showroom is a warehouse in SimpleERP, so you see how many pieces sit in each place and what they are worth at weighted average cost. Moving display pieces to the showroom is a stock transfer.
- Stock on hand per warehouse, such as 40 racks in the main store and 12 in the high street showroom.
- Reorder levels on raw materials and finished pieces put shortfalls on the low-stock list.
- Purchase orders and supplier bills receive sheet, foam and castors at the bill cost.
- Physical counts fix the numbers with a reason, and the difference posts to the books.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Billing
Showroom invoices a buyer can pay on the spot
A counter invoice prints on clean A4 with your bank details, so a walk-in buyer can pay by card or transfer before the chair leaves the floor. It issues stock from the showroom and posts the sale, cost and tax together.
- Your tax rate on each design, with a tax summary by rate on the print.
- A zero or exempt rate on the line when an order is not taxable, such as an export.
- Record cash, card or bank transfer against the invoice and it shows paid.
- Returns become a credit note that puts the piece back in stock.
Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.
Sales orders
Take an advance on made-to-order pieces without losing track
A sales order records what the customer ordered before anything is made or billed, and a work order can be created from any of its lines. Record the advance as a customer payment kept on account, then allocate it to the invoice when the pieces are delivered.
- Quotation to sales order to invoice with the lines copied at each step.
- Invoice an order in parts as pieces are ready.
- Unallocated advances show on the customer's page until they are applied.
| Line | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Office chair mesh | 40 pcs @ $75 | $3,000 |
| Tax 20% | on $3,000 | $600 |
| Invoice total | $3,600 | |
| Advance received | bank transfer, kept on account | $1,200 |
| Balance due | $2,400 |
People and payroll
Pay carpenters, welders and showroom staff from attendance
Mark attendance for the workshop and the showroom on one screen, and the monthly payroll run reads paid days and loss of pay from it. Each payslip carries the deductions you set up.
- Shifts with grace minutes, so late marks are consistent.
- Advances recovered through the payslip, month by month.
- Overtime paid as a salary component in the month it was worked.
- Payroll posts to the books when you approve and pay.
Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, Allowances, Bonus and net pay of 4,440.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
The plumbing is seeded at sign-up, so your first afternoon goes on designs and stock, not on configuring software.
- A chart of accounts with inventory, cost of goods sold and manufacturing overhead already mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product or service.
- Units such as pieces, sets, kilograms and metres.
- Document numbering for quotations, orders, invoices and work orders on your financial year.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service, to copy and adjust later.
By job
Furniture by job
Inventory for furniture makers
Timber in cft, plywood in sheets, hardware in pieces and finished sets per warehouse, valued at weighted average cost.
Read moreAccounting for furniture makers
Showroom dues, buyer advances, timber depot bills and machinery depreciation in one double-entry ledger.
Read morePayroll for furniture factories
Monthly pay for carpenters, polishers and upholsterers from attendance, with advances recovered and deductions on every payslip.
Read moreManufacturing for furniture makers
A bill of materials per design and a work order per batch that turns white oak, glue and polish into finished tables at real cost.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A completed work order moves stock and writes a journal; the invoice that follows writes the sale, the cost of goods and the tax.
Manufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for furniture businesses yet
Check these against how you work before you move.
- A variant matrix for colour, finish and size. Each combination you stock is a separate product with its own SKU.
- Delivery and installation scheduling. Use the expected delivery date on the sales order.
- Batch or lot tracking. Stock is tracked by product and warehouse at weighted average cost.
- Partial completion of a work order. Split a large order into several work orders.
- Delivery notes as stock documents. The invoice moves the stock.
- E-invoicing or transport documents filed through a government system.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Import your finished designs and raw materials from a CSV file with the tax rate and opening stock per store and showroom, then build the BOM for your best-selling design.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What tax rate applies to furniture?
In most countries furniture carries the standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate, with no special treatment for seating or storage. In SimpleERP you set the rate, and a product code where your country uses one, on each product, and the invoice applies them line by line. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Can I record colours and sizes as variants of one design?
No. There is no variant matrix yet. Create each colour or size you stock as its own product, such as Office chair mesh black and Office chair mesh grey, and give each its own BOM if the material differs.
How do I handle an advance on a custom order?
Create the sales order, then record the customer's payment and keep it on account. The advance shows as unallocated on the customer's page, and when you raise the invoice you allocate it, leaving only the balance due.
Does it suit a small workshop with one showroom?
Yes. It is built for businesses of 5 to 50 people, and you can invite every team member, from the supervisor to the showroom staff, each with a role that limits what they see. It runs in any browser, including a phone.
Can I move from spreadsheets or another accounting app?
Yes. Import your products with opening stock from a CSV file, add customers and suppliers with opening balances, and start invoicing from the first day of a month. Keep the old books for earlier years.
Related
Keep reading
Manufacturing
BOMs with scrap and cost roll-up, work orders that move stock, and payroll for shop-floor staff.
Read moreEngineering and fabrication
Quotations to invoices, BOMs and work orders per job, and steel stock in kg and metres.
Read moreRetail
Counter invoices paid on the spot, stock by store with a low-stock list, and the day's cash and bank.
Read moreMoving to SimpleERP
Import masters, balances and open bills from spreadsheets or your old software, checked first and undoable, then run both systems for a month.
Read moreManufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.