FAQ — How Do I Configure Units of Measure for Bulk Purchasing?
If you sell items individually but buy them in bulk (e.g., selling cans one at a time but ordering cases of 24), you can configure the Unit of Measure fields to handle the conversion automatically.
How to Set It Up
- Open the item in the Inventory Item form
- On the General Information tab, find the Unit of Measure section
- Set the three fields:
| Field | What to Enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Base UOM | The unit you sell in and track stock with | Each |
| Purchase UOM | The unit you buy from your vendor | Case |
| Conversion Factor | How many base units per purchase unit | 24 |
- Click Save
What This Does
| Operation | Behavior |
|---|---|
| POS sales | Sells in Base UOM (Each). Selling 3 deducts 3 from stock. |
| Stock display | Shows stock in Base UOM (e.g., "144 Each"). |
| Purchase Orders | Orders in Purchase UOM (e.g., "6 Cases"). |
| Receiving | Receiving 6 Cases automatically adds 144 Each to stock (6 x 24). |
| Cost calculation | If a Case costs $48.00, per-unit cost = $48.00 / 24 = $2.00 per Each. |
Common Examples
| Product | Base UOM | Purchase UOM | Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soda cans | Each | Case | 24 |
| Copy paper | Ream | Carton | 10 |
| Nails | Each | Box | 500 |
| Cooking oil | Gallon | Pallet | 48 |
| Fabric | Yard | Roll | 50 |
| Wine | Bottle | Case | 12 |
Tips
- If you buy and sell in the same unit, leave the Conversion Factor at 1 (the default)
- The Conversion Factor must be greater than zero
- Stock is always displayed in the Base UOM throughout AccuArk
- Changing the factor only affects future purchases — it does not change existing stock counts
- The per-unit cost from purchase orders feeds into the Weighted Average Cost (WAC) calculation