Units of measure
Custom measurement units — reference unit, conversion ratios, and how unit types relate to each other.
Units of Measure define the custom measurement units your organization uses for inventory quantities. They let you track items in any unit — pieces, meters, kilograms, boxes — with automatic quantity conversion when items are expressed in different units.
Fields
Section titled “Fields”| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Unit name. Unique within the organization. Maximum 22 characters. Examples: Piece, Box, Meter, Kilogram. |
| Unit Type | Defines how this unit relates to the reference unit. See Unit types below. |
| Ratio | The conversion factor between this unit and the reference unit. Must be greater than zero. |
Unit types
Section titled “Unit types”Every organization has exactly one Reference unit. All other units are defined relative to it.
| Type | Description | Ratio meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Reference | The base unit for the organization. All other conversions go through this unit. Only one reference unit can exist. | Always 1. |
| Smaller | A unit that is a subdivision of the reference unit. | How many of these units make one reference unit. Example: if the reference is Piece and ratio is 2, then 2 Halves = 1 Piece. |
| Bigger | A unit that contains multiple reference units. | How many reference units are in one of these. Example: if reference is Piece and ratio is 100, then 1 Pack = 100 Pieces. |
Example
Section titled “Example”| Unit | Type | Ratio | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piece | Reference | 1 | — |
| Box (12 pcs) | Bigger | 12 | 1 Box = 12 Pieces |
| Half piece | Smaller | 2 | 2 Half pieces = 1 Piece |
- Units of measure apply organization-wide. All items share the same unit list.
- Only one unit can be marked Reference at a time — this is enforced on save. There is no destroy-guard on the reference unit itself, so deleting it is possible but breaks conversions for every unit defined relative to it; avoid deleting a reference unit that is in use.
- Changing a unit’s ratio after items are already in stock does not retroactively correct existing quantity records. Update ratios only before the unit is in active use.
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