Glossary
What is a unit of measure?
What a unit of measure is on a product, why decimal places matter, and how it appears on invoices and tax documents.
Updated
In short
A unit of measure is the unit a product is counted and priced in, such as Nos, kg or metres. In SimpleERP each product has one unit, with its own number of decimal places.
A unit of measure, or UoM, is the unit a product is counted, bought, sold and stored in, such as pieces (Nos), kilograms, metres or litres. It also sets how many decimal places a quantity may have: racks are whole numbers, paint can be 20.50 kg. Some tax systems ask for a standard unit code on invoices, such as NOS or KGS.
Unit of measure (UoM): a worked example
| Product | Unit | Decimal places | Example quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel rack 4 shelf | Nos | 0 | 50 |
| Powder coat paint | kg | 2 | 20.50 |
| Nut and bolt set | Nos | 0 | 1,600 |
| Cable tray 3 m | Nos | 0 | 72 |
FAQ
Questions, answered
What is the full form of UoM?
UoM stands for unit of measure, or unit of measurement. It is the unit a product's quantity is counted in, such as Nos for pieces, kg for kilograms, m for metres or L for litres.
Do invoices need standard unit codes?
Some tax and customs systems ask for standard codes such as NOS, KGS or MTR on invoices or returns. Choose units that map clearly to those codes so your reports are easy to prepare. In India, the GST version is called UQC.
Can I buy in boxes and sell in pieces?
Not with automatic conversion in SimpleERP. Keep the product in pieces and enter the supplier's bill as the number of pieces, with the rate per piece. The bill total stays the same, and stock and average cost stay correct.
Why do decimal places matter?
They stop impossible quantities, such as 2.5 office chairs, and allow real ones, such as 20.50 kg of paint. Work order plans are rounded to the component's decimal places, so set them before you build your BOMs.
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