Items and units of measurement
Build a clear item catalog and count or order in the units your team uses.
In Inventory Tracking, keep one catalog record for each item, then define how its individual units, packs, and cases relate. Matte converts quantities into a shared base unit while preserving the units used for operational work.
What belongs on an item
Items holds the shared description of a product. The built-in catalog includes name, SKU, barcode, brand, category, supplier, active status, cost per base unit, and sell price per base unit. Depending on the workspace's fields, you may also see flavor, room tags, storage requirement, allergens and dietary information, or default shelf life.
Your workspace can customize fields and views, so exact columns may differ. Item details also provide operational context such as recent counting, ordering, receiving, selling, shipping, and stock movement dates. These dates are filled from activity rather than maintained as a second manual log.
Turning Active off removes the item from normal replenishment consideration while retaining its history. It can still appear in the catalog and search; use an Active filter when you want a view of current items only.
Default shelf life is a catalog field. Receiving currently asks for a best-by date; do not rely on that field to generate expiration dates automatically.
Create and prepare an item
If you do not use an existing SKU scheme, select Generate a unique SKU if left blank in the item creation form. Matte assigns a MAT-style number and keeps any SKU you supplied. You can also add opening inventory rows during item creation, with a quantity, unit, location, and optional expiration date.
- Open Items and choose the action to add an item. Enter its name and identifying details so staff can distinguish it from similar products.
- Choose the supplier if you plan to purchase it. A supplier relationship connects the item to supplier ordering workflows.
- Open Units of measurement. Choose the base unit that all other units will convert to, such as Each, Bottle, or Gram.
- Add the packs you handle, such as a Case containing 12 Bottles. Enter how many base units each pack contains.
- Choose your default counting or stock unit and preferred purchasing unit. They can be the same unit or different units.
- Enter cost or selling details where relevant. Add opening stock entries for the physical locations and batches you already have, or receive future stock through purchase orders.
Understand the base unit and packs
The base unit has a fixed conversion of 1. Other units store a conversion into that base unit. For an item measured in Bottles, a Case with a conversion of 12 means one Case is 12 Bottles. Two Cases and three Bottles represent 27 Bottles.
Unit settings support a singular and plural name, icon, color, barcode, conversion, and an Approximate option. The default stock unit helps prefill stock and counting controls; the preferred purchasing unit helps prefill purchase quantities. Choosing a preferred unit does not create another item.
Quantity controls show a unit alongside the number. Where a mixed-unit control is available, you can combine several quantities instead of converting them in your head. Always review the resulting amount, especially after changing how a product is packed.
Use New unit to add another pack size. Existing non-base units can be archived and restored; the base unit cannot be removed. Archiving a unit keeps its past quantity context available while removing it from normal active choices.
- Cost conversion. When the unit editor shows pricing, a pack price and a price per base unit are linked through that unit's conversion. A $24 case containing 12 units corresponds to $2 per base unit.
- Approximate units. Mark a conversion as approximate when that is how the real product is measured. The label records the uncertainty; it does not make the physical contents exact.
- Previously recorded work. Order and fulfillment records retain their quantity and unit context. If a migrated item needs its unit setup confirmed, resolve the warning before receiving, shipping, or applying a count that depends on it.
Set targets for each location
The stock target editor lets an item have different reorder and par levels in different locations. Choose New stock target, select the location, enter Reorder at and Par level, and select the unit for those targets.
Choose Ask to purchase more when the location replenishes from a supplier. Choose Ask to transfer in and a Transfer from location when another room or warehouse supplies it. A location cannot transfer from itself.
Inventory rows also expose Reorder point and Par level. These targets belong to the item and location together. Editing a target on one batch changes the shared target for all batches of that item at the location.
The purchase-versus-transfer selection records the intended supply route. It does not currently create a transfer suggestion or automatically exclude that location from supplier ordering. Review the actual need and use Move stock for an internal replenishment.
When a control is unavailable
Item changes require the appropriate record-editing permissions. Stock corrections use a separate permission. Barcode scanning and label printing also depend on plan availability.
If receiving or counting displays Finish unit setup, open the item and resolve its unit system first. Check both the conversion and the units selected on the affected work. A unit warning should be resolved at its source rather than worked around with a differently named duplicate item.