Product Units and Packaging
Tell the system that a product comes in boxes, packs or bags, how many base units each holds, and which unit to use when you buy it.
You do this in the Web admin. Open the product under Inventory > Products, click the pencil to edit it, and open the Units of Measure tab. There is no separate packaging screen: the app calls a product's purchase and packaging units its Units of Measure.
The units themselves (Kilogram, Box, Piece) and the conversions that are true for every product (1 KG = 1000 G) live in Inventory > Unit Of Measures and Unit Of Measure Conversions: see Units of Measure. This page is about a fact that depends on the product, such as a box of this cola holding 24 cans. That is set on the product.
The Units of Measure tab
Each row is one unit the product can be counted in:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Unit of Measure | The unit's name and code from your unit list. |
| Custom Name | An optional label of your own for this unit on this product, for example "Case of 24". |
| Conversion Factor | How many base units one of this unit holds. The base unit is marked Base and always has a factor of 1. |
| Defaults | Purchase marks the unit offered first on purchase order lines. Sales is stored and shown here; no other screen uses it at present. |
| Barcode | An optional barcode for this unit. |
| Actions | Set as Base UOM (the square tick, only on non-base rows), the star for Purchase/Sales Defaults, the pencil to edit, and a bin. |
When you create a product, its Base Unit of Measure is added here automatically as Base, Purchase default and Sales default. Everything else you add yourself.
Every factor converts straight to the base unit, not to the next unit down. If a box holds 4 packs and a pack holds 6 cans, the Box factor is 24, not 4.
Add a purchase or packaging unit
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Check the unit existsThe dialog only offers units from Inventory > Unit Of Measures that are not already on this product. If "Bag" or "Carton" is not in your unit list, add it there first. See Units of Measure.
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Click Add UOMThe Add Unit of Measure dialog opens.
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Choose the Unit of MeasureRequired. The line below changes to read 1 Box = followed by the name of the base unit.
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Enter the Conversion FactorHow many base units one of this unit holds, for example 24 if a box holds 24 pieces, or 5000 if a pack of meat weighs 5000 grams. It must be more than 0; decimals are allowed.
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Tick Purchase Default if this is the unit you buy inThe dialog shows the current default under each box. Ticking Purchase Default here moves the default from the current unit to this one. Leave Sales Default alone unless you have a reason to change it.
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Add a Custom Name or Barcode if useful, then click Add UOMThe row appears in the table. Nothing else on the product changes.
Change which unit is the purchase default
Click the star on the row you want, then Purchase Default (or Sales Default). The mark moves to that row at once. Use the star for this rather than the Edit dialog: ticking Purchase Default in the Edit dialog while another unit holds it is refused with "Only one purchase default UOM is allowed per product".
Edit a unit
Click the pencil on a non-base row. The Edit Unit of Measure dialog lets you change the Conversion Factor, Custom Name and Barcode, and untick a default this unit holds. Click Update UOM. Do not open Edit on the row marked Base: its factor must stay at 1 and it needs no changes there.
A new factor applies to receipts and recipes from then on. Stock already recorded is not recalculated.
Change the base unit
The square tick on a non-base row is Set as Base UOM. It opens Confirm Change; Yes, Set as Base makes that unit the base with a factor of 1.
The other units keep the factors they had, the old base unit is left with a factor of 1, and stock quantities already recorded are not converted. If you change the base unit, re-enter the Conversion Factor of every other unit straight afterwards, and do it before any stock has been received. It is far safer to choose the right base unit when you create the product.
Remove a unit
The bin button on a unit row does not remove the unit at present. If you added a unit by mistake, leave it with the right factor so that it does no harm, and make sure it is not the purchase default.
Where the product's units are used
| Screen | How the units are used |
|---|---|
| Purchase order lines | The unit list on a line offers the product's units, with the Purchase default selected first. See Purchases. |
| Goods received notes and direct receipts | A quantity entered in a purchase unit is multiplied by that unit's factor and added to stock in base units. Only units set on the product are converted; receiving in a unit that is not on the product adds the quantity as typed. See Units of Measure. |
| Recipes | An ingredient used in one of the product's units is converted with the product's factor first, then with the account-wide conversions. See Recipes. |
| Product Details | The Units of Measure card lists the same rows, read-only. |
Examples
| Product | Base unit | Units to add |
|---|---|---|
| Cola 330 ml can | Piece | Pack, factor 6. Box, factor 24, Purchase default. |
| Ground beef | Gram | Pack, factor 5000, Purchase default. |
| Cooking oil | Milliliter | Liter, factor 1000 (if you buy by the liter), or a container unit with its volume in milliliters. |
Troubleshooting
"Please select a unit of measure." or "Conversion factor must be greater than 0."
Choose a unit in the dialog and type a factor above zero.
The unit I need is not in the dialog
Either it is already on the product (check the table) or it does not exist in your unit list. Add it under Inventory > Unit Of Measures and try again.
"Only one purchase default UOM is allowed per product"
You ticked a default in the Edit dialog while another unit holds it. Close the dialog and use the star on the row instead.
A delivery in boxes added the wrong quantity
The box unit was not on the product when the receipt was posted, so the quantity was added as typed. Add the unit with its factor, then correct the stock with an adjustment under Stock Movements.