Unit of Measure in Point of Sale – An Overview

There are two levels of the unit of measure for items in Point of Sale.

Single Unit of Measure (Basic)

A unit of measure can be added to item records and can then be used to filter and sort your item list and reports.

For example, a candy store might define units of measure of "ounces" and "lbs" and then assign one of those units to each of their candy items.

Define the allowed units on the Inventory page of company preferences.

Multiple Units of Measure (Pro)

Using multiple units of measure allow you to purchase and sell items by different units. For example, when you purchase an item by the case but sell it by the bottle, or buy in bulk but sell by the pound.

Select the I Want to set up multiple units of measure… checkbox on the Inventory page in company preferences to enable this feature. Then, on the item record, you can define a base unit of measure and up to three alternate units that you buy or sell by (such as case, six-pack, can, 100 lb bag, one pound, etc.). Each unit of measure can have a different UPC code, alternate lookup value, and sales price, allowing you to list any of the units of measure on documents. You can also specify your default purchase and sell-by units.

If the multiple units of measure feature is turned off, you still retain the single unit of measurement capability.

More Information on Unit of Measure:

This unit of measure feature is enabled in company preferences and allows purchasing and selling an item in up to four different units of measure (sizes, or pack quantities).

Examples:

You buy bottled water by the case and sell by single bottles or cases.

You buy animal feed by 50 lb. bags and sell it in 5, 10, and 25 lb. bags.

You buy fabric by the yard, and sell by the yard and foot.

With multiple units of measure enabled:

You can define multiple units for inventory, non-inventory, and service items.

Unit of measure fields and options are added to the item form and other documents and lists.

Each unit of measure can have unique UPC, alternate lookup, and prices associated with it.

You define a base unit and default order-by and sell-by units. QuickBooks Point of Sale will automatically suggest these defaults when purchasing and selling the item.

Your base unit is used for most inventory values (average cost, quantities, reorder point, etc.) and on reports, though these values are calculated and displayed for alternate units as well.

You can choose in company preferences to add the transaction unit to the quantity field on printed documents.

If importing item information, you can import the unique information for each of your units.