---
title: "About types of purchase orders"
description: "Visma Net supports four types of purchase orders, described below: normal, drop-ship, blanket, and standard."
lang: en
languages:
  en: https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/process-purchase-orders/about-types-of-purchase-orders/index.md
lastmod: 2026-02-19
---

> Documentation index: https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/process-purchase-orders/llms.txt


# About types of purchase orders

Last modified February 19, 2026

> Visma Net supports four types of purchase orders, described below: normal, drop-ship, blanket, and standard.


## Normal orders

You can create normal purchase orders to order goods and services for retail, wholesale,
production, stock replenishment, and other demands.
Products purchased on normal
orders are generally received to the company's warehouses.
The quantities of items
on such orders update the item's availability data.

With the item look-up dialog box, you can check the item availability at a particular
warehouse.
With quantities on hand, available quantities, and quantities already on
purchase orders in view, you can specify the appropriate quantity for
the item.

You generally create normal purchase orders by using the [Purchase orders (PO301000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/purchases-windows/purchase-orders-po301000/index.md) window.
You select the type of the order as
**Normal** and add the items to be purchased to the list; you can also add
lines from an existing purchase order (or add the whole purchase order).
Also, to
adjust the quantity of the item on the order, you can view the demand for the item
(that is, the item's quantity specified on back orders or orders with **Mark for purchase order** check box selected).

By using the [Create purchase orders (PO505000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/purchases-windows/create-purchase-orders-po505000/index.md) window, you can create multiple normal purchase orders for available back orders or sales orders with lines that list items not currently available in the company's stock and that have the **Mark for purchase order** check box selected.

For more information on processing normal orders, see: [About purchase order processing options.](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/process-purchase-orders/about-purchase-order-processing-options/index.md)

## Standard orders

Orders of this type are available only if the **Blanket and standard purchase orders** functionality is enabled in the [Enable/disable functionalities (CS100000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/common-settings/enable-or-disable-functionalites/enable-disable-functionalities-cs100000/index.md) window.

Standard purchase orders are used as templates for normal orders.
If your company
regularly purchases from a supplier the same list of products in the same quantities,
you can create a standard purchase order with those items listed in the required
quantities by using the [Purchase orders (PO301000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/purchases-windows/purchase-orders-po301000/index.md) window.

You can create multiple normal purchase orders that reference the standard purchase order.
To
do this, you add the entire standard sales order to a new normal purchase order, or
add several lines from the standard sales order to a normal purchase order and edit
the resulting item quantities.

Unlike blanket purchase orders, standard orders have no expiration date, and their status does
not change to **Closed** when all goods in the related normal orders are
received.
The quantities of items on standard orders do not update the items'
availability data.

## Drop-ship orders

Drop-ship purchase orders are used for goods that will be delivered directly from the supplier to the customer that ordered the goods from your company.
These goods are not
received in the inventory at your company.
Orders of this type are available only if
the **Drop shipments** functionality is enabled in the [Enable/disable functionalities (CS100000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/common-settings/enable-or-disable-functionalites/enable-disable-functionalities-cs100000/index.md) window.

To create a drop-ship purchase order, you create a new purchase order on the purchase orders
window and select the **Drop ship** type.
If there are sales orders for the items
your company plans to purchase from the supplier, you can create a drop-ship order by
using the [Create purchase orders (PO505000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/purchases-windows/create-purchase-orders-po505000/index.md) window.
Once you select an item and a supplier
for a new drop-ship order, sales orders (if they request the selected stock item
and have the **Mark for purchase order** check box selected) are available for selection and
can be added as document lines in the [Create purchase orders (PO505000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/purchases-windows/create-purchase-orders-po505000/index.md) window.
For
details, see: [Create a drop-ship order flow](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/purchases/process-purchase-orders/create-a-drop-ship-order-flow/index.md).

## Blanket orders

Blanket purchase orders are created for a longer time interval or a larger quantity of goods
than your company currently needs.
You may choose to order goods in larger volumes
for reserved stock if considerable volume discounts are offered or the specified
goods are not always available from the supplier.
A blanket order has expiration date
after which the order cannot be used for generating normal orders.
Orders of this
type are available only if the **Blanket and standard purchase orders** functionality is enabled in the [Enable/disable functionalities (CS100000)](https://docs.vismasoftware.no/visma-net-erp/help/common-settings/enable-or-disable-functionalites/enable-disable-functionalities-cs100000/index.md) window.

A blanket order can be fulfilled through multiple normal orders.
To do this, you create
purchase orders with the **Normal** type that reference the blanket order.
In
this case, the open quantity on the blanket order is reduced by the quantity
specified in the purchase orders with the **Normal** type, and the price is
transferred to normal orders from the blanket order.
When the entire quantity of
goods included in the blanket order is purchased and received through normal orders,
the blanket order's status changes to **Closed**.


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