When a new container arrives in your lab, a new container record should be created for it in your inventory. Container records should be created for each individual container, even if containers hold the same substance.

There are three main methods that can be used to create new container records. All users except those with Read-Only privileges are able to create new records.

Add a Container page

The Add a Container page can be accessed from the left navigation bar. Entry areas will be listed for all fields that can store information against your containers, including any custom fields defined in your inventory. It might be worth noting that there are only two required fields: Container Name and Location.

When you click the Next button, ChemInventory will search for relevant chemical information about the container's substance (including chemical structure and GHS safety information). The result from this search will be displayed on the right side of the interface.

For commercially-available compounds, the CAS number you enter will be used as the primary identifier to retrieve substance information. For any compounds which do not have a CAS number, such as in-house made chemicals, you can add your own chemical information as needed. This information will be retained in your database for any containers of the same substance added in future.

Quick Add tool

If your new container has a CAS number, then you may wish to use the Quick Add tool to add it to your inventory. This tool speeds up the process of adding new records, by automatically assigning a name to the container based on its substance. To open the tool, click on the Quick Add button.

The Quick Add tool can also be used to add more than one container record at a time of the same substance.

Excel Import tool

Users with Group Administrator privileges can import any number of container records at a time by uploading an Excel file into ChemInventory. This functionality can be accessed from the Inventory Management page, from the Inventory Tools menu. More information about the Excel import tool can be found on its support page .

Order Requests

If your laboratory uses ChemInventory's Order Requests pages to help manage new container orders, then users with Order Handler or Group Administrator privileges can create new container records directly from the Current Orders page.

By clicking on the Add Container to Inventory button, the order request will be transferred from the current orders list directly into your active inventory. This can assist with cradle-to-grave tracking, where records will exist in your inventory from when an order was requested, through to when the container arrived on site, and finally to its disposal from your active inventory at the end of its life.