Unit of Measure
Units of Measure (UoMs) let you define multiple ways to sell and receive the same item. A single item can be sold by the piece, layer, pallet, case, square foot, yard, or any custom unit — VMX handles the conversion automatically.
When to Use UoMs
- Stone products — priced per square foot, sold by piece/layer/pallet
- Aggregates — received in tons, sold in yards
- Bagged goods — sold individually or by the case/pallet
- Fabric/rolls — sold by the foot or by the roll
- Any item where the buying unit differs from the selling unit
Key Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Base Unit | The fundamental unit for the item (e.g., SF, PC, YD, EA). This is what inventory is counted in. |
| UoM Name | A label for an alternate unit (e.g., "Section", "Bundle", "Case", "Pallet") |
| UoM Size | How many base units are in one of this unit. A "Bundle" of 125 sqft means size = 125. |
| UoM Retail Price | Optional price override for selling in this unit. If blank, VMX calculates it from the base price x size. |
| Default Selling UoM | Which unit is pre-selected when the item is added at the register. |
| Allow Selling | Whether cashiers can sell in this unit. Uncheck to hide a unit from the register without deleting it. |
| Tagging UoM | Which unit appears on printed shelf tags and signs. |
Setting Up UoMs
Navigate to the item's detail page, then go to the Parent/Child tab. The Units section is at the top.
The Base Unit Row
The first row is always the base unit:
- Name: Edit this to match your item's natural unit (e.g., "SF" for square feet, "YD" for yards, "EA" for each)
- Size: Always 1 (cannot be changed)
- Price: Uses the item's unit price (set on the main Details tab)
Adding Alternate Units
Click the blank row at the bottom to add a new unit. For each unit, specify:
- Name — A short label the cashier will see (e.g., "Section", "Bundle", "Case")
- Size — How many base units this equals
- Unit Price — (Optional) A fixed price for this unit. Leave blank to auto-calculate from the base price.
- Default Selling — Check the radio button if this is the most common way to sell the item
- Allow Selling — Check to make this unit available at the register
- Tag UOM — Check if this unit should appear on printed tags
Click Save when done.
Example: Stone Paver (Square Footage)
A paver is inventoried in square feet, but yard workers need to pick by section (layer) or full pallet (bundle):
| Unit | Name | Size | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | SF | 1 | Price per square foot (e.g., $6.30) |
| Alt 1 | Section | 10.45 | 1 section = 10.45 sqft ($65.84) |
| Alt 2 | Bundle | 125.4 | 1 pallet = 125.4 sqft ($790.02) |
When a cashier sells 2 Sections, VMX calculates: 2 x 10.45 = 20.9 sqft x $6.30 = $131.67. The receipt and pick ticket show "2 Section" so the yard crew knows exactly what to pull.
Example: Bagged Product (Cases)
A bag of mulch is sold individually or by the pallet:
| Unit | Name | Size | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | EA | 1 | Price per bag (e.g., $6.99) |
| Alt 1 | PL | 60 | 1 pallet = 60 bags ($419.40) |
Example: Landscape Fabric (Feet vs Roll)
Option A — Base unit is the full roll:
| Unit | Name | Size | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | EA | 1 | Price per roll (e.g., $30.00) |
| Alt 1 | FT | 0.1 | 1 foot = 0.1 of a roll ($3.00) |
Option B — Base unit is feet:
| Unit | Name | Size | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | FT | 1 | Price per foot (e.g., $3.00) |
| Alt 1 | ROLL | 10 | 1 roll = 10 feet ($30.00) |
UoMs at the Register
When an item with multiple UoMs is added to a sale:
- The default selling UoM is pre-selected (or the base unit if none is set)
- To change the unit, click the line item to edit it
- Select the desired unit from the UoM dropdown (shows options like "SF/1", "Section/10.45", "Bundle/125.4")
- Enter the quantity in that unit (e.g., "2" for 2 sections)
- VMX automatically converts to base units and calculates the correct price
The receipt shows both the unit sold and the base quantity:
2 Section Trevista 50 Smooth Carrara — $131.67
Barcode-Linked UoMs
You can assign a barcode to a specific UoM so that scanning it automatically selects that unit:
- Go to the Barcodes tab on the item detail page
- Add or find the barcode
- In the UoM dropdown next to the barcode, select the unit it represents
- Save
Now when that barcode is scanned at the register, the UoM is automatically selected — no manual dropdown change needed.
UoMs on Purchase Orders
When adding items to a purchase order, you can select the receiving unit:
- Add the item to the PO
- Select the UoM from the dropdown next to the Quantity field
- Enter the quantity in that unit (e.g., "5 pallets")
- VMX converts to base units for inventory tracking
- Each Cost shows the cost per base unit; Total Cost shows the full line total
This is especially useful when suppliers sell in different units than you sell in. For example, receiving aggregate by the ton but selling by the yard — set up a "TON" UoM with the appropriate conversion factor.
Setting a Preferred Purchase UoM
On the item's Part Numbers tab (under the vendor), you can set a Purchase UoM for each vendor. When that vendor's PO is created, the item automatically uses that unit — no manual selection needed.
UoM Price Override
By default, VMX calculates the price for each UoM by multiplying the base price by the size:
Base price $6.30/SF x 125.4 SF/Bundle = $790.02/Bundle
To set a custom price for a UoM (e.g., a bundle discount), enter a value in the Unit Price column on the Units form. This overrides the calculated price. Leave it blank to use the automatic calculation.
How Inventory is Tracked
Regardless of which unit is used for selling or receiving, inventory is always tracked in the base unit. If you sell 2 Sections (10.45 SF each), inventory decreases by 20.9 SF. If you receive 5 Bundles (125.4 SF each), inventory increases by 627 SF.
This means your on-hand quantity always reflects the base unit — you never need to convert mentally when checking stock levels.
Tips
- Keep the base unit small — it's easier to scale up (1 SF x 125 = Bundle) than to work with fractions
- Use descriptive names — "Section" and "Bundle" are clearer than "S" and "B" on pick tickets
- Set the default selling UoM to whatever the cashier uses most often — saves a click on every sale
- Uncheck "Allow Selling" to hide units that are only for purchasing (e.g., a receiving-only ton unit)
- Assign barcodes to UoMs for case barcodes, pallet barcodes, etc. — scanning auto-selects the right unit