Order Form Template: Fields, Examples and Best Practices

Quick answer: An order form template is a reusable document customers fill in to request products or services. A good one captures the customer's details, an order number and date, each item with quantity and price, tax, shipping and total, delivery and payment details, and terms for cancellations and returns, so orders arrive complete and easy to invoice.

Whether you sell handmade products, wholesale stock, catering, printing or services, orders that arrive by text message or a vague email cause most of the mistakes that show up later on invoices: wrong quantities, missing delivery addresses, disputed prices. A simple order form fixes that by asking for the same information every time. This guide lists the fields to include, shows a worked example with totals, explains how an order form fits next to purchase orders and invoices, and covers best practices for paper, PDF and online versions.

What is an order form?

An order form is a structured request to buy. The customer, or your staff on the customer's behalf, completes it with what they want, how many, where it should go and how they will pay. You then confirm the order, fulfill it and bill for it. It sits at the very start of the sales paperwork:

1. Quote or price list (optional): what you offer and at what price. See our quotation format guide.
2. Order form or purchase order: the customer's request to buy.
3. Order confirmation or sales order: your acceptance of the order.
4. Delivery note or packing slip: what was shipped.
5. Invoice: the request for payment.
6. Receipt: proof that payment was received.

The order form is mainly used by consumers and small business buyers. Larger companies usually send their own purchase order instead; our purchase order template guide covers that document.

Order form vs purchase order vs invoice

Feature	Order form	Purchase order	Invoice
Who creates the layout	Usually the seller	The buyer	The seller
Who fills it in	The customer, or seller staff	The buyer	The seller
Timing	Before fulfillment	Before fulfillment	After delivery or at a billing milestone
Purpose	Request goods or services	Authorize a purchase on the buyer's terms	Request payment
Reference number	Order number	PO number	Invoice number
Typical users	Consumers, small shops, events, wholesale buyers	Companies with procurement teams	Every seller
Triggers payment	Only if prepaid	No	Yes

For the buyer-side comparison, see invoice vs purchase order, and for the seller's internal confirmation document, see our guide to invoice vs sales order.

Fields every order form template should include

Header

• Your business name, logo, address, phone, email and website.
• The title "Order Form" so it is never mistaken for an invoice.
• Order number and order date.
• Sales rep or channel, if you track where orders come from.

Customer details

• Customer or company name and contact person.
• Phone and email.
• Billing address and delivery address (with a "same as billing" checkbox).
• Customer tax ID or account number, for business buyers who need it on their invoice.
• Customer PO number, if the buyer issues one.

Order lines

• Item number or SKU.
• Description, including size, color, model or service details.
• Quantity and unit (each, box, hour, kg).
• Unit price and line total.

Totals

• Subtotal, discount, tax, shipping or delivery charge, and grand total.
• Deposit required and balance due, if you take part payment up front.

Delivery and payment

• Delivery method, requested delivery date and any special instructions.
• Accepted payment methods and when payment is due (in advance, on delivery or on invoice).

Terms and acceptance

• Cancellation, returns and refund policy.
• Price validity, for example "Prices valid for 30 days."
• Customer signature and date, or an acceptance checkbox for online forms.

Order form template example (worked)

Here is an illustrative order form for a small bakery taking a corporate event order. All figures are made up.

• Order number: ORD-2026-0147  |  Order date: October 27, 2026
• Customer: Northside Dental Clinic, contact: J. Rivera, delivery to the clinic's main entrance
• Requested delivery: November 6, 2026, 9:00 a.m.

Item	Qty	Unit price	Line total
Assorted pastry box (12 pieces)	4	$36.00	$144.00
Fruit platter, large	2	$48.00	$96.00
Coffee service (serves 10)	3	$30.00	$90.00

The arithmetic:

• Subtotal: $144 + $96 + $90 = $330.00
• Corporate discount 5%: 0.05 × $330 = −$16.50, leaving $313.50
• Sales tax at an illustrative 7%: 0.07 × $313.50 = $21.945, rounded to $21.95
• Delivery fee: $20.00
• Grand total: $313.50 + $21.95 + $20.00 = $355.45
• Deposit required (50%): 0.50 × $355.45 = $177.725, rounded to $177.73; balance on delivery $355.45 − $177.73 = $177.72

When the order is delivered, the bakery issues an invoice that quotes ORD-2026-0147, shows the same lines and totals, records the $177.73 already paid and shows a balance due of $177.72. Because the order form captured everything up front, the invoice takes minutes. Rates like the 7% here vary by location; the sales tax calculator helps check your own figures.

Types of order form templates

• Product order form: a catalog-style list where customers enter quantities next to SKUs. Common for wholesale and trade shows.
• Service order form: describes the service, scope, date and location. For repair and maintenance jobs, a work order template is often a better fit because it also tracks labor and materials.
• Custom or made-to-order form: adds fields for specifications, sizes, artwork or personalization and usually requires a deposit.
• Online order form: built in a form builder or e-commerce checkout, with required fields and automatic totals.
• Fundraiser or event order form: collects orders from many buyers on one sheet, often with pickup dates instead of delivery.

How to build an order form template in Word, Excel or online

You do not need special software. Pick the format that matches how customers order from you.

Word or Google Docs

Best for printed forms at a counter, market stall or trade show. Put your logo and contact details in the header, add the customer details as labeled lines, then insert a table with columns for item, description, quantity, unit price and total. Leave the totals block at the bottom right and the terms and signature box underneath. Save it as a template file so every new order starts blank, and print the order numbers in advance or write them in sequence by hand.

Excel or Google Sheets

Best when your staff fill in orders for customers, because formulas remove arithmetic errors. Set line total as quantity × unit price, add a subtotal with a SUM formula, then calculate discount, tax and the grand total in the cells below. Lock the formula cells so nobody overwrites them by accident, and keep one tab as a product list so descriptions and prices stay consistent.

Online form builders

Best for repeat ordering by customers you do not see in person. Use required fields for delivery address and phone, dropdowns for products and sizes, and an automatic confirmation email that repeats the order details. The weak point of most form builders is the paperwork afterward: you still need a proper order confirmation and, after delivery, an invoice with a sequential number.

Whichever format you choose

Test the form by placing a fake order yourself. If you have to ask any follow-up question to fulfill it, add that question to the form.

Order form best practices

1. Keep it to one page where possible. Long forms get abandoned or filled in carelessly.
2. Use a separate number sequence. Prefix order numbers with ORD- or SO- and invoices with INV- so they are never confused. The invoice number generator can help you design a consistent format.
3. Make required fields obvious. Mark delivery address, phone and quantity as required.
4. Show prices and totals. A form without prices invites disputes later.
5. State payment timing clearly. Say whether you need payment in advance, a deposit, or payment on invoice. For larger custom orders, a deposit invoice secures commitment.
6. Include your terms. Cancellation deadlines, returns and substitutions should be on the form, not just on your website.
7. Confirm every order. Send an order confirmation with the order number, expected delivery date and total.
8. Be realistic about delivery promises. In the US, the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule says that if you do not state a shipping time, you must have a reasonable basis to ship within 30 days, and you must offer delay or cancellation options if you cannot.
9. Carry the order number through. Print it on the packing slip and invoice. Our comparison of the packing slip vs invoice explains what each document shows.

Common order form mistakes

• Calling it an invoice. A document titled "Invoice" before goods ship confuses customers and your bookkeeping.
• No order number. Without one, matching orders to deliveries and invoices becomes guesswork.
• Missing delivery details. Delivery address, contact phone and time window are the fields most often skipped.
• Vague item descriptions. "Blue shirt" is not enough; include size, model, color or SKU.
• Tax and shipping left off. Customers then dispute the higher invoice total.
• No cancellation terms. Especially costly for custom or perishable orders.
• Outdated prices. Reused templates with old prices create awkward conversations. Add a "prices valid until" date.

Order form checklist

• Title says "Order Form" and the layout shows your business details.
• Unique order number and order date.
• Customer name, phone, email, billing and delivery addresses.
• Item, description, quantity, unit price and line total for each line.
• Subtotal, discount, tax, shipping and grand total.
• Deposit and balance, if applicable.
• Delivery method and date, payment method and timing.
• Cancellation, returns and price validity terms.
• Customer signature or acceptance, and your confirmation sent back.

From order form to invoice

Once the order is fulfilled, turn it into an invoice with the free invoice generator. Copy the customer details and lines, add the order number in the notes or PO field, apply the same discount, tax rate and shipping, and enter any deposit as an amount paid so the PDF shows the balance due. You can also use the same tool to produce a simple order confirmation PDF by labeling it clearly in the notes as not a request for payment. The generator builds documents in your browser; it does not host online order forms, take payments or track orders. A clean layout such as the minimal invoice template works well for both confirmations and invoices.