What is a transmittal register?

A transmittal register is the log of every document transmittal a project or asset has issued, with each transmittal's number, date, recipient, the documents and revisions it carried, and the response it is waiting on. It answers what was sent, to whom, when, and at which revision. This template gives you that register in Excel, with a CSV copy for any other tool.

What columns does a transmittal register need?

At a minimum, a transmittal register needs the transmittal number, the date issued, the recipient and their company, the documents included with the revision of each, and the purpose of issue. A register that is worked rather than filed also carries the issue method, a response due date, a status, and the date the recipient acknowledged receipt. This template ships all of these, plus a file location and a notes column.

How do you number transmittals?

Use one unbroken sequence for the whole project, such as TR-0001 onwards, and never reuse a number. Some organisations prefix the project or the sending party, for example AWF-TR-0001, which helps when two parties both issue transmittals on the same job. Keep the sequence in the register itself, so the next number is always the row below the last one.

Should a transmittal register record incoming transmittals too?

Many document controllers keep one register for outgoing transmittals and a second for incoming ones, because the fields differ. If you want a single register, add a Direction column with Outgoing and Incoming, and read Issued by as the sender either way. What matters is that a received package is booked in against its own number, so a document that arrived is never mistaken for one you were never sent.

When should you move off a spreadsheet transmittal register?

A spreadsheet register works until the row and the files that were actually sent are two different things, or the acknowledgement lives in someone's mailbox rather than the record. When you are reconstructing an issue from sent email, or checking whether the revision named on a row is the revision that left, move the record into document control software that issues transmittals against documents held under revision control.

Does the template work in Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. The .xlsx file opens in Excel with the header styling, the header row frozen, and the Issue method, Purpose of issue, and Status dropdowns in place. The .csv copy opens anywhere, including Google Sheets and any other spreadsheet tool, and holds the same columns and example rows without the formatting.

fig. 01 · transmittal register template

Free transmittal register template for Excel.

A ready-to-use transmittal register that logs every issue by number, date, recipient, and the documents sent at their revision. Download it, fill in your own transmittals over the example set, and you have a working register in minutes. No email, no form.

Download for Excel (.xlsx)Download the CSV

.xlsx and .csv · 14 columns · Dropdowns for method, purpose, and status · Example project included · No email required

fig. 02 · what is inside

Every column a real transmittal log needs.

The template is built from document-control practice, not a blank grid. Fourteen columns cover the issue, who it went to, the documents it carried at their revision, and the response it is waiting on.

The Issue method, Purpose of issue, and Status columns carry dropdowns, the header row is frozen, and a second sheet explains how to fill each column.

Read what a transmittal is

Column14 fields

01
Transmittal number
The controlled number for this issue. Keep the format consistent and the sequence unbroken, so a missing number is obvious.
02
Date issued
The date the package left. This is the date people argue about later.
03
Issued by
The person or team that sent the transmittal.
04
Recipient
The named contact the package went to, not just the company.
05
Recipient company
The company or organisation the contact belongs to.
06
Issue method
How the package was sent, picked from a dropdown of Email, Secure link, File transfer, Courier, Hand delivery, or Post.
07
Purpose of issue
Why the documents were sent, picked from a dropdown of For information, For review, For approval, For construction, For tender, or For as-constructed record.
08
Documents included
Every document number with the revision that was sent, for example AWF-ARC-2001 Rev C, separated by semicolons.
09
Document count
How many documents the transmittal carried, so a short package is caught on receipt.
10
Response required by
The date a reply is due. Leave it blank when the issue is for information only.
11
Status
Where the transmittal sits, picked from a dropdown of Draft, Issued, Acknowledged, Response received, Response overdue, or Closed.
12
Date acknowledged
The date the recipient confirmed receipt.
13
File location
Where the cover sheet and the issued files are filed.
14
Notes
Anything else worth recording against the row.

fig. 03 · how to use it

Log the transmittal as the package leaves.

Six steps keep the register reliable. Work down them as each package goes out, and the register stays a true picture of what was issued, to whom, and what you are still waiting on.

Open a row as each transmittal goes out

Start a row when the package leaves, before the cover sheet is filed. Fill the transmittal number, date issued, recipient, and recipient company first, then the rest as the issue is answered.

Number transmittals in one unbroken sequence

Give every transmittal the next number in a single sequence, TR-0001 onwards, and never reuse one. A gap in the sequence is the first thing anyone auditing the record asks about.

List every document at the revision you sent

Record each document number with the revision that went out, and the count beside it. The revision is the part people dispute, so it belongs on the row. Keep the numbers the same as the ones in your drawing register.

State the purpose of issue on every row

Use the Purpose of issue dropdown to say what the recipient is meant to do: read it, review it, approve it, build from it, price it, or file it as the as-constructed record.

Set a response date when you need one back

Fill Response required by when the issue needs a reply, and leave it blank when it does not. Sort on that column and the register becomes the chase list.

Close the row when the response arrives

Record the date acknowledged, move the status to Response received or Closed, and keep the row. A closed transmittal is the proof you issued the drawing, and the proof of which revision you issued.

fig. 04 · a worked example

What a filled-in transmittal register looks like.

The file arrives with five transmittals already on it, issued on one worked project: a ferry terminal and wharf called Aurora Wharf. Three of them show what the register has to prove: what was sent, at which revision, to whom, and whether anything came back.

TR-0021Row 01
One drawing issued for review, comments returned
Date issued
2026-01-21
Recipient
R. Sandoval, Aurora Wharf JV
Issue method
Secure link
Purpose of issue
For review
Documents included
AWF-CIV-3005 Rev A
Document count
1
Response required by
2026-02-04
Date acknowledged
2026-01-22
Status
Response received
Purpose of issue is the column that decides what happens next. For review means a response is owed, so Response required by carries a date and the register can be chased on it. The recipient acknowledged the next day, the comments came back on 3 February, one day inside the deadline, and the status moved to Response received. Note the revision on the line: this transmittal sent Revision A, so a comment on Revision A can be answered even after Revision B goes out.
TR-0039Row 02
Three drawings issued for construction after a pile schedule update
Date issued
2026-03-01
Recipient
L. Okafor, Aurora Wharf JV
Issue method
Email
Purpose of issue
For construction
Documents included
AWF-STR-1100 Rev B; AWF-STR-1101 Rev B; AWF-STR-1102 Rev A
Document count
3
Response required by
Blank
Date acknowledged
2026-03-02
Status
Acknowledged
One transmittal, three documents, each named with the revision it went out at, separated by semicolons, and a document count that has to agree with the list beside it. Nothing is owed back, so Response required by stays empty and the status stops at Acknowledged. The reason for the issue sits in the notes: the pile schedule update, which is the same change the RFI register template example rows raise as RFI-0012.
TR-0051Row 03
As-constructed handover pack, acceptance outstanding
Date issued
2026-04-03
Recipient
K. Marsh, Aurora Wharf FM
Issue method
File transfer
Purpose of issue
For as-constructed record
Documents included
AWF-HYD-5010 Rev 0
Document count
1
Response required by
2026-04-17
Date acknowledged
2026-04-04
Status
Response overdue
Acknowledged is not accepted. The facilities team confirmed receipt the day after the pack went out, but formal acceptance was due on 17 April and has not come, so the status reads Response overdue. That distinction matters at handover. What counts there is whether the asset owner has taken the record on, and a receipt confirmation does not answer it.

The same Aurora Wharf project runs through all six templates, using the same document numbers, so the registers line up if you take more than one.

fig. 05 · when the spreadsheet stops keeping up

A spreadsheet log works, until it does not.

A register like this is quick to start, everyone can read it, and it holds the whole issue history on one page. It keeps working until two things happen: the row and the files that were actually sent are two different things, and the acknowledgement lives in someone's mailbox rather than the record. When you are reconstructing an issue from sent email, that is the sign to move the record into document control software. Read how the transmittal process works on both sides of the exchange.

Transmittals issued from the record

Issue a transmittal covering a set of documents at their current revision, and the recipient, the date issued, and the revision of each document sent go on the record with it.

No repository access required

Send a package to one or more contacts without granting them access to the document repository, so an external reviewer gets the files and nothing else.

Revision control on the files

The documents carry their own revision history, so the revision named on the transmittal and the file that was sent can never be two different things.

An audit trail behind every issue

Every change is logged, so who received what, and when, is a lookup rather than a search through a sent-items folder.

Lunr is document control software built for the record. It issues transmittals against documents held under revision control, records the recipient, the date, and the revision of every file sent, and keeps that issue on the record, so the log and the files can never drift apart.

Book a demo See document control software Explore the features

fig. 06 · questions

Questions about transmittal registers.

What the register is, the columns it needs, how transmittals are numbered, and when a spreadsheet has done its job.

What is a transmittal register?: A transmittal register is the log of every document transmittal a project or asset has issued, with each transmittal's number, date, recipient, the documents and revisions it carried, and the response it is waiting on. It answers what was sent, to whom, when, and at which revision. This template gives you that register in Excel, with a CSV copy for any other tool.
What columns does a transmittal register need?: At a minimum, a transmittal register needs the transmittal number, the date issued, the recipient and their company, the documents included with the revision of each, and the purpose of issue. A register that is worked rather than filed also carries the issue method, a response due date, a status, and the date the recipient acknowledged receipt. This template ships all of these, plus a file location and a notes column.
How do you number transmittals?: Use one unbroken sequence for the whole project, such as TR-0001 onwards, and never reuse a number. Some organisations prefix the project or the sending party, for example AWF-TR-0001, which helps when two parties both issue transmittals on the same job. Keep the sequence in the register itself, so the next number is always the row below the last one.
Should a transmittal register record incoming transmittals too?: Many document controllers keep one register for outgoing transmittals and a second for incoming ones, because the fields differ. If you want a single register, add a Direction column with Outgoing and Incoming, and read Issued by as the sender either way. What matters is that a received package is booked in against its own number, so a document that arrived is never mistaken for one you were never sent.
When should you move off a spreadsheet transmittal register?: A spreadsheet register works until the row and the files that were actually sent are two different things, or the acknowledgement lives in someone's mailbox rather than the record. When you are reconstructing an issue from sent email, or checking whether the revision named on a row is the revision that left, move the record into document control software that issues transmittals against documents held under revision control.
Does the template work in Excel and Google Sheets?: Yes. The .xlsx file opens in Excel with the header styling, the header row frozen, and the Issue method, Purpose of issue, and Status dropdowns in place. The .csv copy opens anywhere, including Google Sheets and any other spreadsheet tool, and holds the same columns and example rows without the formatting.

fig. 07 · the other templates

Five more registers, free to download.

Each one ships as an Excel file with dropdowns, a frozen header row, example rows over the same worked project, and a second sheet explaining every column, plus a CSV copy for Google Sheets. No email, no form.

01
Master document register template
Every document the job is contracted to produce, including the ones nobody has started, with a planned issue date, a review code, and a responsible party against each.
Deliverables · 16 columns · .xlsx and .csv
02
Drawing register template
Every drawing on the job, one row per revision, with the status it carries and the transmittal that issued it.
Drawings · 14 columns · .xlsx and .csv
03
Document register template
Every controlled document the job produces, from drawings and specifications to calculations, reports, and manuals, at its current revision.
Controlled documents · 14 columns · .xlsx and .csv
04
RFI register template
Every request for information raised on the job, with who owes the answer, the documents it concerns at their revision, and the date a response is due.
Questions · 15 columns · .xlsx and .csv
05
Document control register template
The procedures, work instructions, forms, and plans that govern the work, with an owner, an approver, a review date, and a distribution list against each.
Procedures and forms · 16 columns · .xlsx and .csv

See how the six registers sit against each other on one job on the document control templates hub.

fig. 08 · get started

Outgrown the spreadsheet transmittal log?

Book a walkthrough with someone who knows what a transmittal and an as-constructed drawing are, and watch Lunr record every issue against the register.

Book a demo See document control

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entity: Lunr Labs Pty Ltd
location: Melbourne AU
workspace: documents.lunr.app
rev: 2026