Setting up units of measure in Intuit Enterprise Suite
Buy by the case, stock by the box, and sell by the each in Intuit Enterprise Suite once you turn on unit groups; here is the accepted setup.
A recurring question from Intuit Enterprise Suite users concerns goods that move through the business in different sizes. Product arrives by the case, sits in stock by the box, and leaves on an invoice by the each. Track all of that in a single unit and someone ends up retyping quantities and rates, and the numbers drift. The accepted answer in community threads points to the suite’s units of measure feature as the fix, and we have walked through it below.
The trouble with a single unit
Intuit Enterprise Suite starts from a simple assumption: one label per item. That works for services billed by the hour or goods sold by the pound. It breaks down the moment purchase sizes and sales sizes differ. Paint is the example used: bought by the case, stocked by the gallon, and sold by the quart. Every manual conversion between those sizes is a small bet that nobody mistypes anything.
Can the suite convert between units for you?
It can, and the math happens automatically once two things are in place. The units of measure feature must be switched on, and you need at least one unit group that defines how larger containers relate to a base unit. The feature comes in two modes. Single units fit businesses where every line uses the same label, such as each or hour. Multiple units fit businesses that convert between sizes, and that is the mode most people in these threads want.
Turning the feature on
The toggle lives in the sales settings, and the path is short.
- Open Settings and select Account and settings.
- Select the Sales tab.
- In the Products and services section, select Edit.
- Switch Units of measure on.
- Choose Single units or Multiple units.
- Select Save and close.
Building a unit group
A unit group gathers the base unit and every related unit in one definition. To create one, go to Settings, then All lists, then Units of measure, and select New unit group. Pick the category that fits your products: Count, Length, Weight, Volume, Area, Time, or Other.
Set the base unit next. The accepted advice is to choose the smallest unit you will track, because a smaller base unit keeps counts and prices accurate when conversions happen. Then add related units, each with a name, an abbreviation, and its conversion to the base; one case equaling 24 each is the example given. Save the group when the list is complete.
Attaching a unit group to a product
A group does nothing until a product uses it. Go to All apps, then Sales & Get Paid, then Products & services, and open the item you want to update. Select Edit and, in the Unit of measure section, choose the group. If you run multiple units, also set a preferred sales unit and a preferred purchase unit.
The two preferences drive different documents. The sales unit appears on invoices, estimates, and sales orders. The purchase unit appears on bills, purchase orders, and item receipts.
What changes once units are live?
Three behaviors show up quickly, and automatic price math comes first. Sell one case instead of one each, and the rate scales using your conversion. You can still override the rate on any line.
Carry-over between forms comes second. An estimate written for five cases converts to an invoice carrying the same five cases, with nothing re-entered.
Stock visibility comes third. Quantities display in the base unit, so 25 cases of 24 each read as 600 each. Keep that in mind when you compare a bill against a stock report, since the two documents speak in different units.
Do existing transactions follow an edited conversion?
No, and the accepted answer is explicit on this point. Transactions you already created keep the ratio that was in force when you saved them. New transactions use the new ratio. Transactions generated later from a bill of materials or a recurring template also use the new ratio. In short, editing a conversion changes the future, not the past, so expect a seam between old and new documents.
The short version
Intuit Enterprise Suite can hold one conversion chain per product, running from purchase unit to stock unit to sales unit. Switch the feature on in sales settings, define unit groups around a small base unit, then assign each product a group plus preferred units. After that, prices scale, estimates carry over, and stock reports speak in base units. Transactions already saved stay exactly as they were.