Unit of Measure and Purchase Conversions
Many businesses sell items individually but purchase them in bulk — for example, selling soda cans one at a time but buying them by the case. AccuArk's Unit of Measure (UOM) system handles this with three fields on the General Information tab.
The Three UOM Fields
| Field | Description | Default | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base UOM | The unit in which you sell the item and track stock | Each | Each, Pound, Liter, Foot |
| Purchase UOM | The unit in which you buy the item from vendors | (same as Base UOM) | Case, Box, Pallet, Roll |
| Conversion Factor | How many Base UOM units are in one Purchase UOM unit | 1 | 12 (1 case = 12 each), 24 (1 box = 24 each) |
How It Works
When you set a Purchase UOM and Conversion Factor, AccuArk automatically converts between the two units in different contexts:
| Context | Unit Used | Example (1 case = 12 cans) |
|---|---|---|
| POS sales | Base UOM | Customer buys 2 cans — stock decreases by 2 Each |
| Stock levels | Base UOM | Current stock shows 144 Each |
| Purchase Orders | Purchase UOM | You order 5 Cases — AccuArk knows that equals 60 Each |
| Receiving | Purchase UOM → Base UOM | Receiving 5 Cases adds 60 Each to stock |
| Cost calculations | Per Base UOM | If a case costs $12.00 and has 12 units, the per-unit cost is $1.00 |
Setting Up UOM for an Item
- Open the item in the Inventory Item form
- On the General Information tab, find the Unit of Measure section
- Set the Base UOM to the selling unit (e.g., "Each")
- Set the Purchase UOM to the buying unit (e.g., "Case")
- Set the Conversion Factor to the number of base units per purchase unit (e.g., 12)
- Click Save
Common UOM Configurations
| Product | Base UOM | Purchase UOM | Factor | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soda cans | Each | Case | 12 | Sold individually, bought by the 12-pack |
| Printer paper | Ream | Carton | 10 | Sold per ream, bought in cartons of 10 reams |
| Fabric | Yard | Roll | 50 | Sold per yard, bought in 50-yard rolls |
| Bolts | Each | Box | 100 | Sold individually, purchased in boxes of 100 |
| Cleaning solution | Gallon | Pallet | 48 | Sold per gallon, pallets hold 48 gallons |
How Conversion Affects Cost
When you enter a cost on a Purchase Order using the Purchase UOM, AccuArk calculates the per-unit cost automatically:
Per-Unit Cost = Purchase Price / Conversion Factor
For example:
- You order 5 Cases at $24.00 per case
- Conversion Factor = 12 (12 cans per case)
- Per-unit cost = $24.00 / 12 = $2.00 per can
- This $2.00 per-unit cost feeds into the Weighted Average Cost (WAC) calculation
When Conversion Factor = 1
If the Conversion Factor is 1 (the default), the Base UOM and Purchase UOM are effectively the same. This is the normal setup for items that are bought and sold in the same unit.
Tips
- The Conversion Factor must be greater than zero
- Changing the Conversion Factor on an existing item does not retroactively change past transactions or stock levels — it only affects future purchases and cost calculations
- If an item can be purchased in multiple bulk units (e.g., both cases and pallets), use the most common purchase unit. You can manually adjust quantities on individual purchase orders as needed
- Stock is always tracked and displayed in the Base UOM throughout AccuArk — the Purchase UOM only appears on purchase orders and receiving screens