Units of measure

Units of measure define how you count and track your products. Whether you sell by the piece, kilogram, litre, metre, or another unit, you must define those units in Usystems so you can record purchase and sales quantities accurately. This is especially important in inventory-enabled businesses.

Before you start

• You need admin permissions to define units of measure.
• You must have enabled the Inventory module (see "Enabling features: inventory, HR, payroll, manufacturing, branches, multi-currency").
• You should list all units you use across all products. For example: piece, kg, litre, metre, box, dozen, etc.
• Units are used when creating product records, so set them up before you add products.

Steps

1. Go to Settings → Units of Measure or Settings → Inventory → Units. Open in Usystems

2. Click Add Unit or Add New to create a new unit.

3. Enter the unit name (e.g., Kilogram, Litre, Piece, Metre, Box).

4. Enter a short abbreviation (e.g., kg, L, pcs, m, box). This appears on documents for brevity.

5. Optionally, you can define a conversion factor if this unit needs to be related to a base unit. For example:

   • If your base unit is "piece" and you want to define "box of 10 pieces," you can set a conversion factor.
   • This is mainly used for multi-unit products (e.g., selling items both by the piece and by the box).

6. Click Save or Add to confirm.

7. Repeat for each unit you use.

Accounting impact

Units of measure do not directly affect accounting entries. However, they are essential for correct inventory costing. When you purchase items by the kilogram and sell by the litre, the system must know the conversion so it can cost inventory accurately. Incorrect units can lead to overstated or understated inventory values on your balance sheet.

Tips & common mistakes

• Keep it simple early on. Start with the units you actively use. You can add more later.
• Use standard abbreviations. For example, "kg" for kilogram, "L" for litre, "m" for metre, so all users understand them instantly.
• Document conversions. If you use multi-unit products (e.g., bottles sold individually or by the case), document the conversion factor (1 case = 12 bottles) so team members understand how to order and sell.
• Avoid duplicate units. Do not create both "Kilogram" and "kg" as separate units; this creates confusion. Pick one standard form.
• Test with a product. After creating units, try creating a product and assigning a unit to confirm it works as expected.