Free Purchase Order Generator

Create professional purchase orders online for free. Add vendor details, line items, taxes, and shipping notes, then export a branded PDF — no sign-up needed.

About this free purchase order generator

A purchase order (PO) is the document a buyer sends to authorise a purchase before any invoice is raised. This generator produces a clean, numbered PO you can send to a vendor in minutes — useful for keeping procurement consistent, controlling spend, and giving your accounts team something to match invoices against.

How to fill it in

Enter your company as the buyer, the vendor you are ordering from, and a ship-to address if it differs. Give the PO a number, list the items you want with quantities and agreed unit prices, then set the delivery date and payment terms before you download and send it.

What each field means

PO number — the reference the vendor must quote on their invoice and delivery note so everything can be matched (buyer PO → invoice → goods received).
Vendor vs ship-to — the vendor is who you are buying from; ship-to is where the goods should physically arrive, which is not always your billing address.
Delivery date — the date you expect the goods; leaving it blank is the most common source of chase-up calls.
Payment terms — when you will pay the vendor once goods are received and the invoice is approved.

A quick example

An office manager orders 250 steel brackets, a box of mounting hardware, and 120 lengths of aluminium extrusion from a supplier, sets delivery for the 30th and terms of Net 30, and issues PO-0042. When the supplier’s invoice arrives quoting PO-0042, accounts can approve it without a single email.

Common mistakes to avoid

Reusing a PO number — every order needs its own; duplicates break three-way matching.
Omitting the ship-to address when it differs from billing.
No delivery date or agreed price — a PO with blanks is not really an authorisation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?

The buyer issues the purchase order before the sale to authorise it; the seller issues the invoice after delivering to request payment. The invoice should quote the PO number so the two can be matched.

Is the purchase order generator free?

Yes. You can create and download purchase orders for free with no sign-up. A free account adds saving, vendor libraries, and status tracking.

Does a purchase order become a contract?

A PO becomes a binding contract once the vendor accepts it — by confirming in writing or by shipping the goods. Until acceptance it is an offer to buy on the stated terms.

How should I number purchase orders?

Use a simple sequential scheme such as PO-0001, or a date- or project-based scheme as volume grows. The only hard rule is to never reuse a number.

What format does the PO download in?

It downloads as a print-ready PDF. Editable Word and Excel purchase order templates are also available in the templates section.