Raw materials are the core of every manufacturing business. If they aren’t managed well, costs increase, schedules delay, and warehouses get crowded with unused items. In the fashion sector, where fabrics and trims vary seasonally and issues arise before production even starts, this occurs frequently.

That’s why brands need more accurate and smarter raw material inventory management instead of guessworks. Luckily, the solutions mentioned here will help you reduce waste, improve visibility, and build smarter, more sustainable operations. 

This blog will review the best raw material inventory management software for fashion and manufacturing firms to track materials, plan purchases, forecast demand, and work with suppliers.

Nūl

Nūl is an AI-based inventory tool made for fashion and apparel brands. Unlike other systems focusing on finished products, Nūl starts at the raw material stage, where many fashion problems actually begin. It helps teams balance fabric and trim orders with real demand by connecting what they buy with what they plan to make and sell.

Using multi AI agents, Nūl tracks every step from sourcing materials to cutting and production. So, brands always know where their fabric and accessories are going. This helps reduce overproduction, waste, save costs, and make better use of what’s already in stock.

Key Features:

• AI-based raw material forecasting: Predicts future material needs based on historical sales, trends, and seasons to decide fabric orders.

• Supplier and PO automation: Links sales data to forecast data to have signals, then creates and updates material orders automatically.

• Material visibility dashboard: Tracks fabric rolls, trims, and accessories across suppliers and factories in real time.

• Dynamic allocation: Moves materials to where they are needed as sales trends change.

• Sustainability metrics: Monitors waste, excess stock, and the aging of raw materials to help with sustainability reporting.

Limitation: This is still a specialized solution for fashion and clothing brands, not a full ERP. Not very good for those that need other modules like accounting, HR, or logistics to be integrated.

Nūl is an AI-based inventory tool made for fashion and apparel brands.

Katana MRP

Katana MRP is a cloud-based inventory and production platform for manufacturers to have better control over their materials and orders. It shows brands in one dashboard what they have in stock, what’s being made, and what they need next. 

For fashion and apparel companies, Katana tracks fabrics, trims, and other materials at different locations. It links sales, purchasing, and production so teams can plan ahead and avoid running out of key items. The system also works well with e-commerce and accounting platforms, which makes it easy to track everything from design to delivery.

Key Features:

• Real-time stock updates: Always know how much raw material or finished product is available.

• Automatic material tracking:  Keeps track of the fabrics and trims used in each order of manufacture.

• Simple production planning: Helps schedule tasks and balance workloads in factories.

• Integrations: Works with Shopify, QuickBooks, and other popular platforms.

• Reports and insights: Provide clear summaries that help you make decisions about future purchases and plans.

Limitation: Katana requires integration with dedicated accounting software (like QuickBooks) for financial functions such as payroll or detailed COGS reporting.

Katana MRP is a cloud-based inventory and production platform. (Source: Katana)

MRPeasy

MRPeasy is a manufacturing and inventory system made for small to medium-sized producers. It doesn’t just track finished goods, it includes the raw materials, production planning, and order-flow, so everything stays organised in one place. 

With MRPeasy, fashion brands or manufacturers can keep better tabs on their fabrics, trims, and other materials. The system links sales orders to buying and production, so what you expect to sell helps determine what you order and make. It also lets you see where stock is in real time, avoid running out of materials, and stop having too much leftover.

Key Features:

• Real-time inventory overview: Know how much raw material and components you have, at what location.

• Production planning: Create and update production orders while making sure there are enough materials, workers, and time to get each job done on schedule.

• Procurement support: Predict what materials will be needed, create purchase orders, and keep track of supplier data.

• Traceability & batches: Track materials by lot or batch, so you know age, expiry, usage.

• Unified workflow: Data from purchasing, production, sales, warehouses, and finance are connected.

Limitation: The user interface is less modern than other applications, which can make navigation and multi-step tasks feel less streamlined.

MRPeasy is a manufacturing and inventory system. (Source: MRPeasy)

QT9 MRP

QT9 MRP is an all-in-one tool that keeps every part of manufacturing connected from raw materials and production to final products. Teams can clearly see what is available, what has to be ordered, and what is being made. So, work runs more smoothly day to day. 

Beyond simple tracking, QT9 helps manufacturers stay organized and proactive. It replaces manual spreadsheets with live data to let teams plan new production runs, track how materials are used, and stay in sync with suppliers. For fashion brands, this means fewer shortages in the last minutes and smoother coordination between sourcing and production.

Key Features:

• Real-time material tracking: Shows exactly how much materials you have and where it’s stored.

• Multi-level BOM support: Keep track of all the parts of a product, from the base fabrics to the finished clothes.

• Smart purchase planning: Plans and creates purchase orders when stock runs low or new production starts. 

• Production scheduling: Keeps tasks, machines, and materials in sync so production stays on time. 

• Quality Checks: Monitor each batch to make sure it meets your standards before moving forward. 

Limitation: QT9 MRP has many advanced tools for full-scale manufacturing, which can make it too complex for smaller fashion teams.

QT9 MRP is an all-in-one tool that keeps every part of manufacturing connected. (Source: QT9 MRP)

Unleashed

Unleashed is a cloud-based inventory software that can manage stock, purchases, production, and sales all from one place. It connects every material, part, and process so that manufacturers can see exactly how their products are made. So, teams can see how much goes into each item and where every piece ends up.

Planners can also have a clear picture of costs and inventory movements as materials move through production. Unleashed shows the full story of how raw materials turn into finished goods, helping brands stay efficient, control waste, and make better pricing decisions. 

Key Features:

• Live material and product linking: Know exactly how parts (like fabrics or trims) fit into a finished item and track where everything is.

• Multi-level build lists: Manage complex item builds (for example, layers of materials and sub-assemblies).

• Smart purchase support: Helps plan material purchase orders based on upcoming production needs to reduce both shortages and excess stock.

• Batch and serial tracking: Track rolls of fabric or bundles of trims by lot, see age/use history, and manage quality or recall needs.

• Cost visibility: Records labour, waste, and packaging costs so you can see the real profit for each product or collection.

Limitation: For smaller teams or those new to structured inventory systems, setting up and learning Unleashed can take extra time and effort before it runs smoothly.

Unleashed is a cloud-based inventory software. (Source: Unleashed)

Odoo

Odoo is an open-source business platform composed of various interconnected apps. You can pick only what you need like inventory, manufacturing, or accounting. Then, connect them to automatically share data in real time across all parts of your business.

For fashion manufacturers, this flexibility is really helpful. It helps manage constant changes in styles, suppliers, and production schedules every season. Instead of forcing teams to follow a fixed system, Odoo adapts to how each brand operates, making day-to-day planning and material tracking simpler and more accurate.

Key Features:

• Unified dashboard: Puts all of your inventory, production, and purchasing data in one place.

• Material planning: Predicts what materials will be needed based on upcoming production.

• Work order tracking: Keeps track of each task from cutting to sewing to completing.

• Supplier integration: Links directly with vendor data to simplify reordering.

• Cost management: Tracks production costs so you can know where time and resources go.

Limitation: Odoo's speed can slow down when managing thousands of SKUs or multi-location warehouses unless optimized or hosted on strong servers.

Odoo is an open-source business platform composed of various interconnected apps. (Source: Odoo)

Cin7

Cin7 helps brands stay organized as they grow. Not just simply tracking stock, it shows how products are made, where materials are used, and how fast they move through production. The system ties every material and product update back to real business outcomes like cost, timing, and customer demand.

For fashion businesses, this means having a simple way to manage collections with different colors, fabrics, or styles without losing track of materials. Cin7 makes these variations clear and easy to follow so teams can make choices based on correct information.

Key Features:

• Bill of Materials (BOM): Shows how each product is made from fabrics and trims to the final piece.

• Batch & serial tracking: Records where each roll of fabric or set of trims came from and how it was used.

• Product variation & bundling: Handles different colors, sizes, kits, or custom orders without losing track of materials.

• Production cost visibility: See how the cost of each product is affected by things like materials, labor, and other costs.

Limitation: Cin7’s reporting tools have limited flexibility for customizing report formats or exporting detailed data, so in-depth analysis may require external software.

Cin7 helps brands stay organized as they grow. (Source: Cin7)

Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl is a manufacturing and inventory system made for small and mid-sized businesses. It helps teams control production from raw materials to finished products. By linking material planning, work orders, and sales data, it keeps production organized and helps prevent unnecessary delays.

Fishbowl also helps managers plan and budget better, not just keeping track of things every day. It shows how materials, labor, and time are being spent, which helps teams find problems early on.

Key Features

• Bill of Materials (BOM): Build and manage detailed multi-level product lists for different job types like manufacturing or repairs.

• Material planning: Predict what materials are needed based on production and sales, and create purchase orders automatically when stock runs low.

• Cost tracking: Record labor, materials, and waste to understand the real cost of each finished product.

• Work-in-progress overview: See the value of materials and labor currently in production, even before goods are complete.

Limitation: Fishbowl doesn't come with built-in tools for HR or complex customer management, so planners have to connect it to other platforms. Also, its UI feels dated and has a steep learning curve.

Fishbowl is a manufacturing and inventory system. (Source: Fishbowl)

Conclusion

Choosing the right raw material inventory management software depends on how your business works — not just its size, but how it plans, sources, and produces. All the tools mentioned above have their own strengths and use cases with specific target audiences. But, the goal is the same: keeping materials organized, reducing waste, and making better decisions with clear, real-time data.

In the end, the best system is the one that fits your workflow and grows with your business.