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How to Use Multiple Units of Measure in QuickBooks for Manufacturers
Published 02/18/2010 | 
I have about 250 products. Each product has potential for 6-7 quantities. For example, I sell Shell Rotella 15w40 CJ-4 by the case of quarts, the 5 gal pail, the 16 gal, the 30 gal, the 55 gal drum, in bulk, or the tote tank. The cost per each is measured differently. Cases are sold at a price per case with quart sized quantities. Pails – drums are priced by the pail or drum. The bulk and totes are sold price/gallon, and tote tanks vary in size (250-275-300-330 gal sizes.) Right now, I have to have 6-7 items for every product. When I sell a drum, it is a flat rate for the drum, say $465/drum. I sell one drum for that price. When I sell bulk, I sell it at 7.44/gal, and depending on how many gallons the truck fills into the customer’s (owned) tank, I would invoice the customer by inserting the quantity of say 189 gallons at a rate of $7.44/gal. What I would like to know is if QuickBooks offers me the ability to have a product with multiple, customizable versions of the price. This way I can track and find product a bit more easily without having to code things and scroll so long through my item list. Let me know if you have any insight on this. Thanks!
Only QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise for Accountants, Contractors and Manufacturers offer units of measure. You can use multiple units of measure, but it uses the base unit of measure for the default pricing. For instance, if quart is your base unit and you sell it for $5, the default price for the 5-gallon would be $100, the 16-gallon would be $320, etc. You can always change the default pricing on your transactions, but if you want it to default to a different price then you’d need to create a separate item for it. This is actually a good use for group items, especially if you’d like your customers to see that they got a discount for purchasing a higher quantity on the invoice. Let’s say you give a 10% discount for the 16-gallon. You could create a group that includes a discount item so it’ll automatically calculate and show up on the invoice. But this does mean you’ll have a separate item, which could lead to a very long item list.
Here are the steps for setting up Multiple Units of Measure:
- Turn on the preference (Edit > Preferences > Company Preferences > Items & Inventory) and select Multiple U/M Per Item.
- Define your units of measure by going to Lists > U/M Set List, click the U/M Set button and select New. Select the type of unit of measure (count, length, weight, etc.) and select the smallest unit of measure you either purchase or sell as the base unit. Add the related units making sure to enter the # of base units and select the defaults for purchases and sales If you have more than one type of unit of measure, add a new one.
- To add units of measure to your items, go to Lists > Item List, right-click on the item, and select the U/M Set.
Written by +Ruth Perryman, CMA, CFE, CFM, MBA
Ruth is the president of The QB Specialists, Inc. and has provided QuickBooks help to thousands of businesses around the world since 1996. She is an Intuit Solutions Provider, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network. She is also certified in QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.
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