Items and catalog
The item catalog is the master record every other Inventory surface reads from. A receipt is a quantity of an item; a count is a count of items at a location; a transfer moves items; a shipment ships items. If the catalog is wrong — wrong unit, wrong category, wrong default cost — the receipts, counts, and shipments that reference it are wrong too. This page covers creating items, the fields that matter, and the catalog hygiene that keeps the rest of the module honest.
TL;DR — Open Inventory → Catalog → New item. Pick the item type (stocked / non-stocked / service / kit), the primary unit of measure, the costing method, the categories. Save. The item is now available everywhere the catalog is read.
Before you start
- Confirm whether the new item is really new or whether it duplicates an existing one under a different name. Duplicate items split on-hand quantities + cost layers and are notoriously hard to merge after movement starts.
- For purchased items, identify the default supplier(s) so Procurement's PO suggestions later pick the right vendor automatically.
- For items with multiple units (e.g. a case of 24 cans) decide the primary unit + conversion before any receipt happens. Changing units after movement requires a reconciliation.
Item types
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| Stocked | Physical item you hold on hand and track quantity of. | The most common type. On-hand is tracked at every location it can live. |
| Non-stocked | Physical item you order and consume but don't carry inventory of. | Receipts are recognized as expense on receipt, not as on-hand. Useful for office supplies, low-cost consumables. |
| Service | Non-physical line item — labor, fees. | Appears on POs + invoices; never has on-hand quantity. |
| Kit | An item composed of other catalog items. | Receiving a kit decrements its components; shipping a kit ships the bundle. Useful for assemblies + repackaged sets. |
| Lot-tracked | Sub-classification — each receipt creates a lot identifier. | Required for regulated goods (food, pharma, chemicals). Recall + expiry tracking ride on the lot. |
| Serial-tracked | Each individual unit has its own identifier. | For high-value or warranty-tracked items. Pick + ship requires the specific serial. |
Create an item
Open Inventory → Catalog → New item
The intake form opens.
Pick the item type
Stocked / non-stocked / service / kit. The form adapts — kits add a components section; lot or serial tracking add their sub-fields.
Enter identifiers
SKU (your internal code) + display name + description. Optional: manufacturer part number, UPC / GTIN, supplier part number. The SKU must be unique workspace-wide.
Pick the primary unit of measure
What you'll most naturally count this item in. Add alternative units + their conversion to primary (a case = 24 each, a pallet = 40 cases) for purchase or shipping flexibility.
Pick the costing method
FIFO (first-in-first-out), LIFO, weighted-average, or standard cost. FIFO is the default; finance owns the choice. Once you transact against the item, the costing method is locked.
Set categories + GL coding
Inventory category (drives reporting) + asset / expense GL accounts (drive finance posting). Finance reviews the GL mapping; you typically set the inventory category.
Configure replenishment
Reorder point (min on-hand before alert), safety stock (target buffer), preferred supplier(s), supplier lead time, lot-size rounding. Replenishment alerts ride on these.
Save
The item is now active. It appears in catalog search, in Procurement's PO line autocomplete, and in scan flows on the floor.
Categories + classification
A clean category structure makes valuation + ABC analysis + replenishment configurable at the right level (a category, not item-by-item).
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| Category tree | Hierarchical classification (e.g. Hardware → Fasteners → Bolts → 1/4-in × 2-in). | Each level can carry defaults that items inherit. Item-level overrides win. |
| ABC class | Effort-based grouping for count cadence. | A = high-velocity + high-value (count monthly); B = mid (quarterly); C = low (annually). Auto-suggested from rolling movement value; admin confirms. |
| Hazard class | Regulatory classification (e.g. flammable, oxidizer). | Drives storage segregation + shipping documents. |
| Country of origin | For customs + trade compliance on outbound shipments. | Defaults from supplier; item may override (e.g. for relabelled goods). |
Locations + bins
Items live at locations; within a location they may live in bins. The hierarchy is workspace-configurable but the typical shape is:
- Site (a building / warehouse)
- Zone (an area within a site)
- Bin (a specific shelf / slot / box)
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| Default put-away bin | Where receipts of this item should be placed. | Receivers can override case-by-case; the default keeps the line moving. |
| Pick-face bin | Forward storage that picks happen from. | Replenished from bulk bins as needed. Floor staff usually pick from here. |
| Quarantine bin | For items pending QC or return-to-vendor. | On-hand is held but unavailable for picks until released. |
Every field, explained
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| SKU | Your internal identifier. | Required; unique workspace-wide. Once transacted against, edits are restricted. |
| Display name | Human-readable label. | Shown on receipts + counts + reports. Keep concise. |
| Description | Longer context (specs, alternative names). | Searchable; useful for receivers + buyers. |
| Unit of measure (primary) | What on-hand counts in. | Cannot be changed once transacted; alternative units convert to primary. |
| Costing method | How cost layers are consumed. | FIFO / LIFO / weighted-average / standard. Locked after first transaction. |
| Reorder point + safety stock | Replenishment triggers. | Reorder point alerts; safety stock is the target buffer. |
| Lead time (days) | Supplier's typical delivery time. | Feeds replenishment timing. |
| GL accounts | Asset + expense accounts the item posts to. | Finance-owned. |
| Active / inactive | Whether the item is available for new transactions. | Inactive items still show in history but block new receipts / picks. |
Common gotchas
- "The SKU I want is taken." Search the catalog first — the
existing item may be the right one. If you must add a new
SKU, suffix to disambiguate (e.g.
WIDGET-A-REV2). Don't reuse a retired SKU; cost-layer ghosts come back to haunt. - "I need to change the unit of measure after we've started transacting." Don't edit in place. Create a new item with the right unit, transfer remaining on-hand at the documented conversion, deactivate the old SKU. The history then shows the migration as deliberate, not silent.
- "The default supplier doesn't appear when buyers create a PO." Check that the supplier-item link is set in Procurement → Vendor onboarding. The catalog stores the preference; Procurement reads it.
- "Lot tracking turned on after the fact." Existing on-hand has no lot; new receipts will. The catalog flags the gap so recall lookups know which window is uncovered.
- "I keep getting duplicate-item suggestions on save." Take the suggestion seriously — duplicates split on-hand and fragment cost layers. Merge before saving.
Troubleshooting
| Error code | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
ITEM_SKU_DUPLICATE | The SKU is already in use. | Search the catalog; reuse the existing item or pick a distinct SKU. |
ITEM_UOM_LOCKED_AFTER_TRANSACTION | You tried to change the primary unit after a transaction posted. | Create a new item with the new unit and migrate; deactivate the old. |
ITEM_COSTING_LOCKED_AFTER_TRANSACTION | Costing method change blocked. | Same — create a new item under the new method; migrate; deactivate. |
ITEM_GL_MISSING | Save attempted without asset or expense GL coding. | Coordinate with finance to set the right accounts; required before activation. |
ITEM_DUPLICATE_CANDIDATE_DETECTED | The platform suggests an existing item is the same. | Review the suggestion; merge if it's a true duplicate. |
How this is recorded
Every catalog change — create, edit, deactivate, reactivate — writes to the catalog ledger. Each entry captures who, when, what changed, and the prior value. Finance reads this ledger during the close to explain valuation movements that didn't come from on-hand transactions (e.g. a reclassification or a costing-method correction on a separate migrated item).
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