Create and maintain bills of materials

A bill of materials, or BOM, records the components used to make a material and the quantity of output those components describe. Use this guide to create a recipe, review alternatives and activate the manufacturing version used for production.

Prepare the material and recipe

Open the output material in Materials, then select its BOM tab. Prepare component materials with the correct units before adding them. A kraft box measured in each, tissue measured in sheets and ribbon measured in metres are separate components; a supplier pack or barcode does not define their recipe quantities. See materials and units, packs and barcodes.

Choose the BOM's purpose deliberately:

The Base quantity is the output represented by the whole recipe. It is not the quantity of a particular component and not a supplier's case size.

Create a BOM and add components

1. On the material's BOM tab, select Create BOM.
2. In Create Bill of Materials, choose Usage type, enter Base quantity and Base UoM, and add any useful Notes. Check the default values before saving.
3. Select Save. The new BOM is a draft.
4. Select Add component. In Component material, enter at least two characters of the component's name or SKU, then select the correct material.
5. Enter Quantity, UoM and Scrap %. Quantity is the amount needed for the BOM's entire base output, before its scrap allowance.
6. Select Add and repeat for the remaining components.
7. Select a component row to open Component Detail. Review its quantity, unit and scrap allowance. Use Save changes after editing a draft line, or Remove to remove a line that does not belong in the recipe.

If a component does not exist, the search can offer + Create followed by its name. Review Name, SKU, Material type, Quantity and UoM, then choose Create & Add to BOM. Open the created material afterward for any further setup it needs. If this operation times out, check whether the material or BOM line already exists before repeating it.

Check the quantity calculation

For each direct component, production requirements follow:

Component quantity × (1 + Scrap % ÷ 100) × planned output ÷ BOM base quantity

For example, one Gift box uses 1 kraft box, 2 tissue sheets and 1 metre of ribbon. With a Base quantity of 1 each and zero scrap allowance, planning 10 Gift boxes requires 10 kraft boxes, 20 tissue sheets and 10 metres of ribbon.

The same recipe expressed for a base output of 10 each would contain 10 kraft boxes, 20 tissue sheets and 10 metres of ribbon. A production run of 10 then uses exactly those amounts, because the planned output is divided by the base quantity.

If ribbon has a 5% component scrap allowance, a recipe quantity of 1 metre becomes an Effective qty of 1.05 metres for that base output. Ten Gift boxes from a base-one recipe therefore plan 10.5 metres of ribbon. A component allowance anticipates extra input; it does not itself record scrapped finished goods. Actual usage and output are confirmed during production execution.

Review the saved production draft before release, particularly for recipes with a base quantity other than one. The creation preview can differ from the saved requirements. If a calculation or rounding requirement is refused, resolve it rather than silently rounding the recipe or adjusting output to force acceptance.

Activate and maintain versions

Review every component, unit and quantity, then select Activate when the draft is ready for its intended use. For a manufacturing recipe, verify its active status before creating production work. Active versions are not edited through the same component fields as drafts.

To revise an active recipe, select New Version. This copies it into a new draft while preserving the original active version. Make and review the changes, then activate the new version when ready. Activation does not automatically retire every other active version: deliberately Deactivate any version that should no longer be selected. An inactive version can offer Reactivate; an unwanted draft offers Delete draft.

Version tabs identify versions and their statuses. Where multiple usage types exist, they are grouped under Mfg, Cost and Eng. Use the version change summary to review recipe changes before choosing the version for production.

On an Engineering BOM, Promote to Manufacturing creates a new Manufacturing draft and copies the recipe while preserving the Engineering source. It can also enable eligible planning components for operations across active stock pools. Review any warnings about components or locations that were not enabled, inspect the new draft and activate it separately. Promotion can be refused when component status is unsuitable.

Review alternatives and nested components

Component rows can show BUY, MAKE or UNRESOLVED, with available supplier or BOM alternatives marked click to swap. Choosing an alternative lets you examine a different sourcing combination. Unsaved choices can mark the costs Scenario. Use Save for a draft or Save as new version for an active BOM; if that combination already exists, the screen may offer Switch to the existing version.

To substitute an approved equivalent in an active recipe, select New Version, remove the old component and add the replacement. For an existing draft, edit its components directly. Review quantity, unit and scrap, save the draft and verify the replacement before activation. Equivalence alone does not prove that the same recipe quantity is appropriate.

Expand the tree to inspect nested Sub-Components, but distinguish this expanded view from the direct components on a production order. A production order consumes its selected BOM's direct lines. A nested semi-finished assembly may need its own prior build and available stock.

If a selected BOM becomes inactive, follow Review and deliberately select the appropriate version. A notice that more active options exist does not change your choice automatically.

Saving or activating a BOM does not consume inventory, manufacture output, or notify a supplier. Continue with production planning, or use Read BOM and production costs to understand the cost display's scope.