Machine tool proforma invoice template
Machine tool proforma invoice template: the machine and its options, tooling, factory acceptance test, installation and training, with the payment stages.
Templates by industry
- CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck
- Tooling and tool holder package
- Factory acceptance test at our works
- Installation, commissioning and operator training
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm goods and delivery terms
Example: confirm the quantity and unit price of "CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck", then the delivery terms, transport and insurance.
Set the validity and send
Check every line down to "Installation, commissioning and operator training", add the valid-until date and the prepayment account, and send the proforma to the buyer.
Invoice after payment or shipment
When the buyer pays or the goods ship, make the invoice from the proforma. The proforma stays unchanged as the offer the buyer accepted.
A machine tool is usually paid in stages: a down payment when the order is placed, more after the factory acceptance test, the rest once the machine runs in the buyer’s shop. The proforma invoice is what the buyer’s finance team pays the first stage against, and often what a lender or leasing company sees. This template separates the machine, the tooling package, the acceptance test and the installation work, so each stage of payment can point to the lines it covers.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck, Tooling and tool holder package, Factory acceptance test at our works, Installation, commissioning and operator training: the goods or services and the quantities you intend to supply, at the prices you will invoice.
- CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck
- Give the model, the CNC control and each option fitted, such as a bar feeder or live tooling; options added later need their own proforma.
- Tooling and tool holder package
- List the tooling package by count of holders and inserts, or attach the tooling list and quote its number.
- Factory acceptance test at our works
- Say what the acceptance test proves, for example a test part machined to the buyer’s drawing, and who attends.
- Installation, commissioning and operator training
- State how many days of installation and training are included and what the buyer prepares beforehand.
- Delivery terms
- State the delivery terms (such as an Incoterm and the named place), how the goods travel and who insures them.
- Validity and prepayment
- Give the date the prices hold until and, if you ask for payment in advance, the account the buyer pays into.
- Scope to agree
- Name the model, the control and the options included, state the payment stages tied to acceptance, and say what the buyer must have ready for installation: foundation, power supply and compressed air.
Before sending
- Does “CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck” match the buyer’s order in quantity, unit price and currency?
- Does “Tooling and tool holder package” need an HS code or country of origin in its description for the buyer’s import licence?
- Can “Factory acceptance test at our works” ship in the quantity shown once the prepayment arrives?
Show 4 more
- Does “Installation, commissioning and operator training” match the buyer’s order in quantity, unit price and currency?
- Check that quantities, unit prices and currency match what the buyer ordered or asked you to quote.
- Add the HS code and country of origin to the item descriptions if the buyer needs them for an import licence.
- Check the valid-until date, the delivery terms and the prepayment account, and that the document says it is not a tax invoice.
Worked example: a lathe paid in three stages
The figures are an example, in dollars, with an example tax rate of 8%. A dealer offers a turning centre with tooling, a factory acceptance test and three days of installation and training; the buyer pays 30% with the order.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CNC turning centre, 8-inch chuck | 1 × $68,000.00 | $68,000.00 |
| Tooling and tool holder package | 1 × $5,400.00 | $5,400.00 |
| Factory acceptance test at our works | 1 × $1,800.00 | $1,800.00 |
| Installation, commissioning and operator training | 1 × $3,600.00 | $3,600.00 |
| Subtotal | $78,800.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $6,304.00 | |
| Total | $85,104.00 | |
The four lines come to $78,800.00; tax at 8% is $6,304.00, so the proforma total is $85,104.00. The first-stage invoice asks for 30% of that total, and the proforma stays the reference for the later stages.
Common mistakes on a machine tool proforma
- Listing the machine model without the options, so the delivered machine and the proforma differ.
- Putting the payment stages in an email instead of in the terms of the proforma.
- Leaving out what the buyer must prepare, then losing installation days to a missing power supply.
- Issuing the proforma to the buyer when a leasing company is paying for the machine.
- Quoting delivery to the shop floor without a line for rigging.
What the document must show
These details make a proforma invoice easier to approve and to file.
- The seller's and the buyer's names and addresses
- Proforma number and issue date
- Each item with quantity and unit price; add the HS code and country of origin to the description if the import licence needs them
- Delivery terms (such as an Incoterm), transport and insurance
- Payment terms and the account for prepayment
- The date the proforma is valid until
- A statement that it is not a tax invoice
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Frequently asked questions
How do I show payment stages on a proforma?
Keep the lines at their full prices and write the stages in the terms, for example a share with the order, a share after the acceptance test and the balance after installation. Each stage then gets its own invoice later.
What if the buyer’s leasing company needs the proforma in its name?
Ask the buyer before you issue it. A lessor often buys the machine itself, so the customer on the proforma, and later on the invoice, may be the leasing company, with the buyer as the place of delivery.
Should freight and rigging be on the machine proforma?
If you deliver to the shop floor, yes, as separate lines, since rigging a heavy machine into a building is priced on its own. If the buyer arranges transport, state the Incoterm and where your responsibility ends.
Is the acceptance test free?
Usually it is part of the price, but travel and stay for the buyer’s staff may not be. Say what is included so the test line is not read as an extra charge.
How is tax calculated on this template?
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending. The editor keeps the net amount, the tax and the total apart, and recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a unit price or the country setting.
Is this template free?
Yes. You can fill in this template and print it or save it as a PDF without an account, and there is no payment step and no watermark on the document. Saving it to your account and downloading Excel or Word files need a free account.
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Reading for the Machine tool proforma invoice template: Proforma vs invoice and down payment invoice and Quote, proforma, invoice, receipt, credit note: which to use. The currency converter converts the amounts when you quote in another currency.