Items
Go to: Inventory → Items → Item
The item master is the single most important record in Inventory. Everything else — stock ledger rows, batches, serials, bundles, BOMs, prices, purchase and sales lines — points back to an item.
What is on the Items screen
Go to: Inventory → Items
| Tile | What it does |
|---|---|
| Item | Create and maintain items |
| Item Type | Hierarchical classification tree (Product, Consumable, Raw Material, Service, Sub Assembly) |
| Attribute | Attributes and their values, used to build variants |
| Item Batch | Batch records for batch-tracked items |
| Item Bundle | Kit definitions for bundle parent items |
| Item Serial Numbers | Serial records for serial-tracked items |
| Item Reorder Levels | Per-item, per-warehouse minimum stock levels |
| Reorder Rules | Organization-wide enforcement and auto-purchase-request settings |
Item Type
Go to: Inventory → Items → Item Type
Item Type is a tree, so you can classify as deeply as you need — for example Kids → Boys → School Shoes or Raw Materials → Metal → Steel.
ERPX seeds five root types:
| Item Type | Key | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Item-Product | Physical products for sale |
| Consumable | Item-Consumable | Items consumed in production |
| Raw Material | Item-Raw-Material | Inputs for manufacturing |
| Service | Item-Service | Non-stock service items |
| Sub Assembly | Item-Sub-Assembly | Intermediate manufactured components |
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name | Display name |
| Key | Unique code within the organization |
| Description | Free text |
| Parent | Position in the tree |
| Is Group | On = classification node only |
| Is Disabled | Hides the type from new items |
Service items are strictly non-stock. If an item’s type is Service, ERPX rejects the item when any of these are switched on: Stock Item, Manufacturing Item, Bundle Parent, Variants, Batch Number Tracking, Serial Number Tracking, or Subcontracted Item.
Creating an item
Open the item form
Navigate to Inventory → Items → Item and click New.
Fill in basic information
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Item Code | Required. Unique code (e.g. TSHIRT-001) |
| Item Name | Required. Display name |
| Report Name | Optional shorter name for reports; defaults to Item Name |
| Item Type | Classification from the Item Type tree |
| Description | Long description used on documents |
| HS Code | Harmonized System code, used by Export Documents |
| Industry | Optional industry classification |
| Packing Type | Default packing type (Carton, etc.) |
| Parent Item | Set only for variants — points at the template item |
Set the units of measurement
Every item needs at least one UOM, and exactly one must be marked Default.
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Unit of Measurement | The unit (pcs, kg, g, box, …) |
| Is Default | Exactly one row must be default. This is the stock UOM |
| Conversion Factor | How many stock UOM one of this unit equals. The default row must be 1 |
Example for a T-shirt stocked in pieces but bought in cartons of 12:
| UOM | Is Default | Conversion Factor |
|---|---|---|
| pcs | Yes | 1 |
| carton | No | 12 |
Add barcodes (optional)
Each barcode row needs a Barcode Type, the Barcode value, and the UOM it represents — so a carton barcode and a piece barcode can coexist on the same item.
Set the item properties
These flags decide how the item behaves everywhere else. See the table below.
Set financial defaults
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Valuation Rate | Opening/reference cost rate. Actual valuation is recalculated from the ledger |
| Standard Selling Rate | Default selling price suggested on sales documents |
| Is Taxable | Whether tax rules apply to this item by default |
Configure quality inspection (optional)
| Field | Effect |
|---|---|
| Inspection Required Before Purchase | Blocks GRN completion until inspection passes |
| Inspection Required Before Delivery | Blocks delivery until inspection passes |
| Inspection Required In Process | Requires in-process inspection during manufacturing |
| Default QI Template | Template used when an inspection is created |
Save, then approve
A new item is saved as Draft. It only appears in transaction dropdowns once its status is Enabled.
Item properties — the flags that matter
| Flag | Field label | What switching it on does |
|---|---|---|
| Stock item | Is Stock Item | The item hits the Stock Ledger. Off = no stock is tracked |
| Variants | Has Variants | Marks the item as a variant template; you then generate variants from its attributes |
| Batch tracking | Has Batch Number | Every inward line must carry a batch; outward lines pick batches (FIFO by default) |
| Serial tracking | Has Serial Number | Every unit needs a serial number on receipt and on issue |
| Serial prefix | Serial Number Prefix | Prefix used when generating serial numbers |
| Bundle | Is Bundle Parent | The item is a kit header; its Item Bundle defines the components |
| Manufacturing | Is Manufacturing Item | The item can be produced via Work Orders / BOMs |
| Subcontracting | Supply Raw Materials | The item is subcontracted; raw materials are supplied to the vendor |
Batch and Serial tracking are mutually exclusive. An item’s stock identity is either batch-level or unit-level, never both. Enabling both is rejected: “An item cannot have both Batch Number Tracking and Serial Number Tracking enabled.”
Bundle parents can have only one UOM. ERPX rejects a bundle parent item with more than one unit of measurement.
Changes blocked once stock exists
ERPX protects history. Once an item has stock entries, these fields can no longer be changed:
| Field | Why it is locked |
|---|---|
| Has Batch Number | Existing ledger rows have no batch identity to migrate to |
| Has Serial Number | Existing units were never serialised |
| Is Manufacturing Item | Production history would become inconsistent |
| Is Stock Item | Ledger rows exist for an item that would become non-stock |
| Default UOM / conversion factors | Every historical quantity was converted with the old factor |
Plan these flags before the first receipt. If you got it wrong, create a new item with the correct configuration and disable the old one rather than fighting the validation.
Item status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being set up. Not selectable on transactions |
| Enabled | Live. Appears in all dropdowns |
| Disabled | Retired. History is kept, no new transactions |
Items awaiting approval appear on the Inventory overview under To Approve → Items.
Item view tabs
Opening an existing item shows more than the form:
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Details | The item master fields |
| Inventory | Current stock per warehouse, with links into the ledgers |
| Variants | Generated variants, when Has Variants is on |
| Attributes | Attributes assigned to this item and their naming order |
| Activity / Comments | Audit timeline and discussion |
Item types in practice
Stock product
A sellable physical product.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Item Type | Product |
| Is Stock Item | On |
| Default UOM | pcs (factor 1) |
| Standard Selling Rate | Your list price |
Moves stock on GRN, Delivery Note, Stock Entry, and Transfer.
Bulk import
Use the item.csv template to load items in bulk. Its columns map directly to the fields above:
Item Code, Item Name, UoM, HS Code, Item Type, Has Variants,
Has Batch Number, Industry, Packing Type, Has Serial Number,
Serial Number Prefix, Parent Item, Is Stock Item, Is Manufacture Item,
Color, Size, Material, Weight, MetalThe trailing columns are attribute values — supplying them on a row whose Parent Item is filled in creates that row as a variant of the template item.
Tips
- Use a consistent item-code scheme; it is the field everyone searches by.
- Set the stock UOM to the smallest unit you count in. Buying and selling units can be added as extra UOMs with conversion factors.
- Do not model colour and size as separate items — use Attributes & Variants.
- Keep Report Name short; it is what fits on printed documents.