How to Use Different Units of Measure in Odoo

When dealing with certain types of goods, it may be required to use a variety of measurement systems. For instance, a company might purchase goods from a nation that operates under the metric system and then sell those goods to another nation that operates under the imperial system; in this case, the company will need to convert the units.

Another scenario that calls for unit conversion is when a company buys a large quantity of a certain product from a supplier in the form of a pack and then proceeds to resell that product in individual quantities. It is possible to configure Odoo to utilize a variety of units of measurement for a single product. Therefore, in this article, we will show you how to use different units of measure in Odoo!

Table of Contents:

• The importance of handling products in different units of measure
• How to Use different units of measure in Odoo
  • Step 1: Activate the Units of Measure setting
  • Step 2: Manage units of measure categories
  • Step 3: Set units of measure on a product
  • Step 4: Measure unit conversion
    • Purchase items from the Purchase User Interface Module
    • Replenishment
    • Sell in a different UoM
• Wrapping Up

The importance of handling products in different units of measure

The vast majority of businesses are engaged in both sales and purchase activities. The successful upkeep of each of these components may add to the company’s overall success. On the other hand, we can run into a lot of problems in this sector. We are able to find solutions to these problems with the help of Odoo.

In the course of our daily lives, we will work with a variety of different units of measurement. Additionally, each one is composed of many subunits. For some, changing units from one to another is a challenging undertaking.

When you work for a large company, you have to acquire a lot of different goods and have them in stock. Customers have the option of requesting either a small number of goods or a large number of items. When this occurs, we are required to convert the units.

The Unit of Measure Category feature that Odoo has developed enables us to categorize units and makes it simpler for us to convert between different unit types.

How to Use different units of measure in Odoo

Step 1: Activate the Units of Measure setting

In order to use a variety of units of measurement within Odoo, first activate the Units of Measure setting by navigating to Inventory > Configuration > Settings > Products. Then, select the Save option.

Step 2: Manage units of measure categories

Following the activation of the units of measure option, navigate to Inventory > Configuration > Units of Measure > UoM Categories to see the predefined units of measure categories. Because Odoo can only convert the units of a product from one unit to another if both units belong to the same category, the category plays a crucial role in the unit conversion process.

A reference unit is associated with each category of units of measure. The reference unit is marked in blue within the Uom column on the page that lists the many categories of measurement units. Odoo will always begin the creation of new units from the reference unit.

In order to make a new unit, you must first choose the appropriate category. To sell a product in a box of six units, for instance, you would need to click on the line labeled “Unit category.” Next, select the Edit option. After you’ve done that, click the Add a line button. Then, in the field labeled “Unit of Measure,” give the new unit the name “Box of 6.” Choose “Bigger than the reference Unit of Measure” from the drop-down menu located in the Type field. To reflect the fact that a box of six is six times larger than the reference unit, enter 6.00000 in the area labeled “Ratio” (1.00000). In the end, select the Save option.

Select the Unit category by clicking on it.

Click the Add a line button. To illustrate this point, we will design a Box that can hold six individual Egg units and put it into production. The box of six is six times larger than the reference unit of measure for the category, which in this case is the “Units.”

There are three different kinds of references. The first is the “Reference Unit of measure for the category”, the second is “a smaller unit of measure than the reference unit”, and the third is “a larger unit of measure than the reference unit”. Choose the option that best, fits your needs from the menu that drops below.

In the field labeled “ratio,” we are required to enter the ratio of the unit of measure that we specified to the reference unit that was provided.

The quantity of Units has been chosen to serve as the reference unit, and we have also included a Bunch that is significantly larger than the reference unit. It has a ratio of 20 to 1. According to this interpretation, one Bunch is equivalent to 20 Units, but one Stem is comparable to units. That makes one bunch equivalent to twenty stems in total.

Within the record, there is a section that is titled Active. There is a checkbox that you can use for that. By deselecting these options, the particular unit of measure in question will be disabled without being removed entirely.

After you have finished adding detail, you should click the Save option to save the changes.

The newly implemented unit of measurement is included in the list of categories for units of measurement that are currently available.

Step 3: Set units of measure on a product

First, navigate to Inventory > Products > Products, and then click on a product to open its settings. This will allow you to set the units of measure for a product. After that, select the Edit option.

You can specify the unit of measure that the product is offered for sale in by editing the field labeled “Unit of Measure” located in the General Information tab. The specified device will also serve as the unit for recording and keeping track of internal product transfers and inventory of the product. Change the value in the Purchase UoM field to indicate the unit of measurement that was used to acquire the product.

Step 4: Measure unit conversion

Purchase items from the Purchase User Interface Module

When you use the Purchasing app to create a new request for quotation (RFQ), Odoo will automatically use the purchase unit of measure that has been defined for the product. On the other hand, the UoM can be manually updated on the RFQ if it becomes necessary.

Click on the bright button labeled “Receipt,” located in the top right corner of the purchase order (PO) once the RFQ has been converted into a purchase order. As a result of Odoo’s automatic conversion of the bought unit of measure into the product’s sales/inventory unit of measure, the quantity that has been converted is displayed in the Demand column of the delivery receipt.

For instance, if the product’s unit of measure for purchases is Box of 6, but its unit of measure for sales and inventories is Units, then the purchase order will display the quantity in boxes of six, while the delivery receipt will display the quantity in units.

Replenishment

It is also possible to generate a request for a quotation for a product directly from the product form by using the button labeled “Replenish.” When you click the “Replenish” button, a box labeled “Replenish Assistant” will appear. If necessary, the unit of measurement for the purchase can be changed here using the manual edit button. After that, select the Confirm button to finish creating the RFQ.

Next, navigate to the Forecasted Inventory section of the product form by clicking the smart button labeled Units Forecasted and then scrolling down to Requests for a quote. To access the draft RFQ, simply click on the reference number for the RFQ. If it’s necessary, the purchase UoM can also be modified in this section.

Sell in a different UoM

When using the Sales app to generate a new quotation, Odoo will automatically use the unit of measure that has been defined for the product. On the other hand, the UoM can be manually modified on the quotation if that becomes necessary.

Click on the Delivery smart button that is located in the upper right corner of the sales order (SO) once the quotation has been forwarded to the client and transformed into a sales order (SO). Odoo will automatically convert the unit of measure into the unit of measure that is used for the product’s inventory. As a result, the converted quantity will be displayed in the Demand column of the delivery.

For instance, if the unit of measure for the product on the SO was changed to “Box of 6,” but the product’s inventory unit of measure is “Units,” then the quantity is displayed on the SO in “boxes of 6,” while the delivery displays the quantity in “units.”

Wrapping Up

We hope this article will help you understand how to use different units of measure in Odoo. When running a business, it is neccessary to be able to handle products that are measured using a variety of various units. An indication specifying the unit that was used to handle a particular product is referred to as a unit of measure. In Odoo, an administrator can readily configure the unit of measurement for a certain product.