Quickbooks Enterprise U/M Set-up

saavy · ‎March 24, 2019

I need help understanding the U/M in Enterprise Manufacturing. If I purchase it by the pound and use grams, kilograms or ounces for manufacturing, how is the best way to set it up?

Anonymous · ‎March 24, 2019

Generally an item that needs multiple units is going to be an inventory type item. So you probably don't want to set a situation where your going to end up with odd-ball decimal values of stock. Nor do you probably want stock quantities with 9 digits that wont print. The 'base' quantity you set for the item will be the quantity in which the inventory tally & valuation is maintained. Using gram as the base could mean you never deal with decimal stock, but who wants millions of item count on the inventory tally - that looks ridiculous. If you use both both pound and kilo units could lead to odd decimal leftovers (buy 10 kg and use 20 lb - whats in stock .92815?) If you must mix metric & imperial then maybe pound is a good base, as the ounce is an exact decimal 0.0625 and you can use 2.20x for KG. But if you try to be exact and use 2.20462x for KG then your stock is always going to be a 5 decimal number.

In the end its a pretty arbitrary decision as to the base and alternate units you use - choose what you like to work with.

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Anonymous · ‎March 24, 2019

You can create and use whatever units you wish - QB doesn't know what a gram or ounce is - you have to tell it all the units you use and define the factors between units - therefore you can also makeup your own units if you use something special in your business or trade. Cases, masterpacks, and pallet packs can be created for wholesale/retail merchants.

The general advice for working with UoM is to use the smallest unit you want to define as the 'base' and then make all the other units larger multiples. That might not be ideal if you normally work in kilos, but occassionally use a gram.

If you do define alternate units that are less than the 'base' then try to ensure there is an exact decimal multiple between them. ie: don't create a sub-unit that is 1/3 of the base (0.33) - it can cause rounding errors.

saavy · ‎March 24, 2019

I think I might be thinking this too hard.

For example, one ingredient we purchase is by the pound. So I have the base as the pound and the other related units as Kilo, Gram and Ounce. What am I not understanding if I am supposed to make the base a smaller unit?

Anonymous · ‎March 24, 2019

Generally an item that needs multiple units is going to be an inventory type item. So you probably don't want to set a situation where your going to end up with odd-ball decimal values of stock. Nor do you probably want stock quantities with 9 digits that wont print. The 'base' quantity you set for the item will be the quantity in which the inventory tally & valuation is maintained. Using gram as the base could mean you never deal with decimal stock, but who wants millions of item count on the inventory tally - that looks ridiculous. If you use both both pound and kilo units could lead to odd decimal leftovers (buy 10 kg and use 20 lb - whats in stock .92815?) If you must mix metric & imperial then maybe pound is a good base, as the ounce is an exact decimal 0.0625 and you can use 2.20x for KG. But if you try to be exact and use 2.20462x for KG then your stock is always going to be a 5 decimal number.

In the end its a pretty arbitrary decision as to the base and alternate units you use - choose what you like to work with.

saavy · ‎March 26, 2019

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. I appreciate this.

LAG1 · ‎January 06, 2020

Why is my Unit of Measure Grayed out in the Inventory Preferences tab?

Ashley H · ‎January 06, 2020

Good evening, @LAG1. I'm here to help you fix your Unit of Measure in the Inventory Preferences.

There are two Units of Measure modes in QuickBooks; Single U/M Per Item and Multiple U/M Per Item. The way to change a Unit of Measure depends on which of these modes is currently selected. Here's how:

Go to the Edit menu, then Preferences.
Select Items & Inventory, then go to the Company Preferences tab.
Check the Unit of Measure section.

If you see the Enable button instead of Single U/M Per Item or Multiple U/M Per Item, the Unit of Measure is currently turned off. Select Enable to turn on, then select a mode.

Here's an article with more information and details on the Unit of Measure in QuickBooks.

If you have any other questions, just know I'm a few clicks away. Have a great day.

LAG1 · ‎January 06, 2020

This is where the Enable button is grayed out. Is there somewhere else in Enterprise that I need to turn on the feature? I've attached a screen shot.

RCV · ‎January 06, 2020

Let me share some information about the availability of the unit of measure (U/M) in QuickBooks, LAG1.

The single and multiple units of measure for items are only available to the following QuickBooks products and editions:

QuickBooks Accountant
QuickBooks Premier Contractor
QuickBooks Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Contractor
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Manufacturing & Wholesale
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Nonprofit
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Professional Services

Based on the screenshot you've provided, it's possible you're using other Industry Type in your QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. You'll want to use the U/M feature, it would be best to contact your accountant first if you're planning to switch to a different Industry type.

To learn more about the unit of measure, just check out this article: Use single and multiple units of measure for items.

I'm just a click away if you need a hand with managing your inventory items or any QuickBooks related. I'll be here to help.

Nico2010 · ‎January 27, 2021

Hello, I have given U/M a go but it does not work for me and I don’t need it after all. How do I disable it? I can’t seem to get rid of it.

Catherine_B · ‎January 28, 2021

I can show you how to disable the Unit of Measure option, Nico2010.

Turning off the Unit of Measure feature will make the quantities, prices, and costs to be shown in base units only, and you're unable to see it being displayed when creating a transaction.

You can follow these steps on how to disable it:

Go to the Edit menu.
Select Preferences.
From the Items & Inventory menu, click Company Preferences.
Under the Unit of Measure section, click the drop-down and select Disabled.
Click OK if prompted. Then, OK to close the window.

Here are a few articles that you can check out in handling your inventory:

Let me know if there's anything else that you need help with. Take care!

1ReYnoldmlg · ‎July 22, 2021

TurboTax

MaryLandT · ‎July 22, 2021

Hello there and thank you for joining this thread, 1ReYnoldmlg.

Do you need help using units of measure in QuickBooks TurboTax? If so, this feature is supported in QuickBooks Desktop.

I can also route you to the right support team who can manage your TurboTax account. Use these two links to get in touch with them:

I'm also adding these articles for future references:

If you need anything else, please leave a comment below. I'm always around to help you with QuickBooks.

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