Units & Conversions
Alternate units let you sell or purchase the same item in different units of measurement, with automatic conversion to the base tracking unit for stock.
When to use alternate units
Section titled “When to use alternate units”Use alternate units when:
- You track stock in one unit but sell in another (for example, track in pcs but sell in dozens)
- You buy in bulk and sell retail (for example, buy in 50kg sacks but sell in 1kg bags)
- Your supplier invoices in one unit but you sell in another (for example, fabric in metres vs. rolls)
Do not use alternate units when:
- The “different units” are actually different products (a 5L can vs. a 15L drum of paint)
- You need size/colour combinations — use Variants for that
Setting up an alternate-unit item
Section titled “Setting up an alternate-unit item”Step 1: Create the item with mode “Alt Units”
Section titled “Step 1: Create the item with mode “Alt Units””When creating a new item, select Alt Units as the Item Mode. You cannot change the mode later.
Fill in the item with its base unit — the unit you track stock in. For example, if you track cloth in metres, the base unit is m (metres).
Step 2: Define alternate units
Section titled “Step 2: Define alternate units”In the Unit Variants section, add one or more alternate units. For each alternate unit, specify:
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Yes | The alternate unit (for example, roll) |
| Conversion Factor | Yes | How many base units equal one alternate unit. For example, if 1 roll = 50 metres, the conversion factor is 50. |
| Sale Price | Yes | Price per unit in this alternate unit |
| Purchase Price | No | Purchase price per unit in this alternate unit |
Example: Cloth
Section titled “Example: Cloth”- Base unit:
m(metre) - Base sale price: ₹80 per metre
- Alternate unit 1:
roll, conversion factor 50, sale price ₹3,800 per roll (50m at ₹76/m)
When you sell 2 rolls of cloth on an invoice:
- The invoice shows: “Cloth — 2 rolls @ ₹3,800 = ₹7,600”
- Stock is decremented by: 2 rolls × 50 m/roll = 100 metres
Example: Eggs
Section titled “Example: Eggs”- Base unit:
pcs - Base sale price: ₹7 per egg
- Alternate unit 1:
dozen, conversion factor 12, sale price ₹78 per dozen - Alternate unit 2:
box, conversion factor 30, sale price ₹195 per box (tray of 30)
Using alternate units on invoices
Section titled “Using alternate units on invoices”When you select an alternate-unit item on an invoice line item, a Unit dropdown appears alongside the standard unit. Choose the unit you are selling or purchasing in:
- The unit price fills in from the selected unit’s configured sale/purchase price
- Stock is converted to the base unit automatically (using the conversion factor)
Stock display
Section titled “Stock display”Stock for alternate-unit items is always displayed in the base unit. For the cloth example above, you will see “1,250 m” in the stock column, not rolls.
Supported units
Section titled “Supported units”See Supported Units for the full list of unit codes you can use.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Can I have more than two alternate units?
Yes. Add as many alternate units as needed in the unitVariants array on the item.
What happens to the conversion factor when I edit an invoice? The conversion factor at the time of invoice creation is stored on the invoice line item. If you later change the item’s conversion factor, existing invoices are not affected — they use the stored value.
My conversion factor has decimals. Is that supported?
Yes. Conversion factors support up to 4 decimal places (stored as NUMERIC(10,4)). For example, if 1 yard = 0.9144 metres, you would set the conversion factor to 0.9144.
I accidentally set up an item as “Simple” but it should have alternate units. Can I convert it? No — the item mode is fixed at creation. The easiest workaround is to create a new item with the correct mode, migrate any invoices that reference the old item (by editing them), then delete the old item once it has no linked invoices.