Bill of Materials

A Bill of Materials (BOM) is a product's recipe — what raw materials are needed, and in what quantities, to make it. This guide covers defining one and activating it for use; to actually produce stock against it, see the Manufacturing Orders guide.

What is a Bill of Materials?

A Bill of Materials is a recipe. It says: "to make this many units of Product X, you need these raw materials, in these quantities." Once defined, this recipe is what a Manufacturing Order follows to actually produce stock.

note

Every BOM has a Qty / Run — the batch size the recipe produces per run. The quantities on each component line are needed for that whole batch, not for a single unit. For example, if Qty / Run is 100 and a component line says 5, that 5 covers all 100 units, not each one individually.

Creating a BOM

1. Go to Inventory → Bill of Materials.
2. Click New BOM.

The Bills of Material list — Inventory → Bill of Materials.

3. Fill in the New Bill of Material form:
   • Product — the finished good this recipe produces.
   • Product Quantity — the "Qty / Run" batch size.
   • Preferred Warehouse Unit — optional default production location.
   • Notes — optional.
4. Click Create BOM. The BOM's reference number is generated automatically — you don't type one in.

The "New Bill of Material" form.

Adding components

A new BOM starts in PENDING — this is the only time its components can be added, edited, or removed.

1. On the BOM's detail page, in the Components tab, click Add line.
2. Fill in the Add line item panel:
   • Product — the raw material or component consumed.
   • Quantity — how much is needed per batch (per "Qty / Run", not per unit).
   • Preferred Warehouse Unit — optional sourcing hint.
   • Notes — optional.
3. Click Add line item. Repeat for every component.

The BOM detail page while Pending, Components tab active, with the Add line button.

The "Add line item" panel.

The Components tab, listing every raw material added so far.

note

The same component can't be added twice — trying to will give you a clear error naming the product. Edit the existing line instead.

Activating a BOM

Once at least one component has been added, an Activate button appears next to Edit. Only an ACTIVE BOM can be selected when creating a Manufacturing Order — activating is what makes a recipe usable.

The header, showing the Activate button once components exist.

1. Click Activate.
2. Click activate changes state (current PENDING → new ACTIVE).

The BOM once Active — the button is now "Inactivate" instead.

The "History" tab, recording every status change with who made it and when.

Important

Activating a new BOM does not automatically inactivate an older BOM for the same product — both can be Active at once. If you want only one "current" recipe for a product, you need to inactivate the old one yourself.

note

Components can only be added or edited while a BOM is Pending — once it's Active or Inactive, this screen no longer offers that.

Quick reference

Status meanings

Status	What it means
PENDING	Being built. Components can be added, edited, or removed.
ACTIVE	Usable — selectable when creating a Manufacturing Order.
INACTIVE	Retired. No longer selectable for new Manufacturing Orders.

Glossary

Qty / Run

How many units of the finished product this recipe produces per batch — component quantities are relative to this, not to a single unit.

Component

A raw material or part consumed to produce the finished good.

Preferred Warehouse Unit

A default sourcing/production location suggestion — can still be overridden later.

Reference number

The system-generated BOM identifier (format BOM/…) — not something you type in.

Frequently asked questions

Can two BOMs for the same product be Active at the same time?

Yes — the system allows it and won't warn you. If you only want one current recipe per product, you need to manually inactivate the old one when you activate a new one.

Why can't I set a Work Center or change how components are consumed?

Those settings exist in the system but aren't available on this screen. Speak to your administrator if one needs to be set.

Can I edit a BOM once it's Active?

The Edit and Add-line options disappear once a BOM leaves Pending — treat an activated BOM as locked. If it needs real changes, inactivate it and create a new one.