Spare Parts and Inventory

Item Master Data

Item master data is the controlled core information used to identify, purchase, store, issue, and report spare parts and materials.

What this term means in maintenance

Item master data is the controlled core information used to identify, purchase, store, issue, and report spare parts and materials.

Typical item fields

An item record may include:

  • Part number
  • Description
  • Manufacturer
  • Manufacturer part number
  • Unit of measure
  • Category
  • Stock status
  • Reorder point
  • Lead time
  • Shelf life
  • Criticality
  • Approved suppliers

Practical example

A bearing item has one controlled record used for purchasing, stocking, work orders, and asset BOMs.

Data governance

New-item creation should check duplicates, specification, unit, manufacturer, and existing alternatives.

Common mistake

Creating a new item each time the description is written differently produces duplicates and excess inventory.

How this term differs

Item Master Data is core data describing purchased and stocked parts or materials. It is related to Asset Master Data and Manufacturer Master Data, but these terms describe different records, measures, roles, strategies, or decisions and should not be used interchangeably.

Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.

Glossary FAQs

What is item master data?

Controlled information used to identify, purchase, store, issue, and report spare parts.

What fields are commonly recorded for Item Master Data?

Part number, description, manufacturer, unit, category, lead time, stock, criticality, and suppliers.

How are duplicates prevented in Item Master Data?

Check specification, manufacturer number, unit, description, and existing alternatives before creation.

Turn Maintenance Definitions Into Action

MaintBoard helps plant and facility teams move from scattered maintenance records to organized work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts control, inspections, calibration, and audit-ready history.