Inventory - Lumber
Setting Up Lumber-Type Records (L-Type)
Items which are stocked, sold, and purchased in various units of measure should be set up as L-Type
records. Typically, L-Type records are used for lumber items (2” x 4”, etc.), but other items such as nails, chain, or
insulation, may also require multiple units of measure. L-Type records use a formula called a “conversion factor” to
accommodate these various units of measure. An L-Type record must be setup in Function IMU, rather than LOD,
so we can access the necessary fields not available in LOD.
If you are using Electronic Receipt Posting (ERP), please be aware that ERP does NOT look at conversion
factors; therefore, any L-Type records that are on your order will need to be manually adjusted in Function RP
before you finalize receiving with RRP. You may prefer to use a regular (H-Type) record for items you receive with
ERP.
This document assumes that you are already familiar with the standard fields involved in creating a SKU,
and therefore will only cover the fields that are specific to an L-Type record.
Setting Up IMU - Screen S
1. You will need to fill out the SKU, Dept, Class, Description, and set your Record Type to “L”. The fields like
Prime Vendor, Manufacturer Part #, etc., can be filled in now or you can do it later.
2. Stocking Unit - When entering the stocking unit, ask yourself, “how do I stock this item?” or “how do I
physically count it?” For example, most lumber is stocked and counted by the “each” (EA) or the “piece” (PC);
therefore, its Stocking Unit would be “EA” or “PC”.
3. Purchase Unit - How do you purchase the item you are setting up? In most cases, lumber is purchased by the
thousand board feet (MF), so the purchase unit would be “MF”. If you are not sure, you can check the vendor’s
invoice to see how they sell the merchandise to your store.
4. Purchase Decimal Pl - (Decimal Place) If you are purchasing by the thousand board feet (MF), enter a decimal
place of 3. If you are purchasing by the hundred feet (CL), enter a decimal place of 2. If you are purchasing by
the board foot (BF) or lineal foot (LF), enter a decimal place of 0. Function MUM will list Decimal Places for
other items.
5. Purchase Conv Factor - (Conversion Factor) This is how many purchase units are
Tip:
in a stocking unit. Remember, “MF” (thousand board feet) is an extension, by
Use Function PCF to
decimal placement, of the single unit of “BF” (board foot). So, if you purchase by
calculate the purchase
“MF”, then to find your conversion factor you want to know how many purchase
conversion factor for Lunits of board feet are in the stocking unit of piece or each. To calculate the number Type records. At any
of board feet in one piece of lumber, take the thickness x the width x the length and
menu, type PCF and
press <Enter>.
divide by 12. For example a 2” x 4” x 8’ would be 2” (thickness) x 4” (width) x 8’
(length) and divide by 12 which equals 5.3333. So in a 2” x 4” x 8’ you have
5.3333 board feet, and this would be your conversion factor. Always carry out to the fourth decimal place for
more accuracy. Now type in your conversion factor (you can also use Function PCF to help calculate this.)
6. Fill in any remaining fields you would like on this screen, and then press <Add> to add your record. Now you
are ready to go to the “P” screen to set up your pricing units of measure to use at CPOS. Although screen “C”
will not be addressed in this document, be sure to fill in any necessary fields on that screen, especially if you
have matrix pricing, quantity break pricing, etc. You can press the <Help> key while in screen “C” and find field
definitions for each of the fields.
Document # 5377-Setting Up Lumber Type Records
Copyright © 1997 Cooperative Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 5
Date 09/08/97
Sample Screen of IMU - Screen S:
Screen: S Chg Type: M
Master Data - Stocking (S)
In Stores: 1________
SKU: 248HF_________
Dept: LR
Class: ___
Fineline :______
Description: 2X4X8 HEM FIR___________________
Sequence #: 1000__________
Prime Vend : LUMB_
Mfg Vend: _____
Record Type: L
Manufacturer Part #
: ______________
Weight: ______ LB/POUND(S)
Order Multiple
: 1
Stocking Unit : PC/PIECE
Standard Pack
: 1
Purchase Unit : MF/1000 BOARD FEET
Order Indicator
:_
*Purchase Conv Factor : 5.3333
Seas/Promo Order Only : _
*Purchase Decimal Pl
:3
Catalog Date
: __/__
Alternate Reference
: ____
Catalog Page #
: ______
======================= Store Specific Data - Stocking ==========================
STORE: 1
Location
: YARD_
Secondary Vendor
: _____
Quantity On Hand
:
300
Vendor Stock Number
: __________
Committed Qty
: ______
Maximum Stock Level
: _____
Qty On Order
: 27
Order Point
: 1
Future Order
: ______
New Order Quantity
: _____
Cust Backorder
: ______
Sfty Stk: ____ Min O/P : ____
Lost Sales (No/Units)
: __ ___
Min. # of Std. Pkgs.
: 1
Buyouts (No/Units)
: __ ___
Added To File
: 9/18/95
Last Sale: 5/30/97
Last Receipt: 3/ 6/97
Last Phys Inv: 1/8/96
The “BF Formula”
The formula for calculating the number of board feet in a given piece of lumber is:
Thickness x Width x Length
12
(i.e., 2 x 4 x 16 =128. 128/12 = 10.6667 BF)
Always round to four decimal places for more accuracy.
Pricing:
Lumber is typically priced in the per thousand board feet (MF). The “MF” is converted to
an each (EA) price by this formula:
Number of BF (or SF) x the MF price
1000
(i.e., “MF” price = $600.00. 2 x 4 x 16 = 128. 128/12 = 10.6667.
600 x 10.6667 = 6400.02/1000 = $6.400/EA)
Always round to three decimal places for more accuracy.
Document # 5377-Setting Up Lumber Type Records
Copyright © 1997 Cooperative Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 2 of 5
Date 09/08/97
Setting Up IMU - Screen P
This flexible screen allows you to have up to three different prices which
correspond to your different units of measure. You may want to use the TRAIN mode to
set up a few SKUs with different strategies and see how it affects CPOS and purchasing
and receiving to help you decide what is best for your business before you take time to set
up all your SKUs. This document will go over some of the more common strategies and
why you may want to set up lumber records this way.
Tip:
To access the TRAIN
mode, type “TRAIN” at
the login prompt
(instead of the “M” to
get to the Main Menu).
1. Lumber Types: Choices are 0,1,2,3,4
A. Type 0 - User Defined
Choose this when setting up multiple measures that will not fit in one of the other
categories. When you use this type you must manually calculate and enter the conversion
factor.
B. Type 1 - Dimensional
This would be the lumber type to use for dimensional lumber such as a 2” x 4”, or 2” x
6”, etc. The valid units of measure you can use with this type are:
EA, PC, LF, DL, CL, ML, BF, DF, CF, MF.
C. Type 2 - Hardwoods
This would be for some lumber products such as oak, 5/4 T & G flooring, etc., that
measure by the quarters in thickness, such as 5/4, or 6/4, rather than by the inch.
Valid units of measure you can use with this type are:
EA, PC, LF, CL, DL, ML, BF, DF, DF, MF.
D. Type 3 - Plywood/Wallboard
This would be used for sheet good products such as CDX plywood, sheetrock, wafer
board products, etc. The valid units of measure you can use with this type are:
EA, PC, SF, MS.
E. Type 4 - Siding
This ideally would be used for lumber siding that is fractional in width and thickness.
You could also use Type 3 Plywood/Wallboard for sidings that are sheets (i.e., a 4’ x 8’,
4’ x 9’, etc.) The valid units of measure for this type are:
EA, PC, SF, MS, LF, DL, CL, ML, BF, DF, CF, MF
Input the appropriate Lumber Type, and then fill in the size of the lumber product (i.e., for a 2”x 4”x 8', you
would enter Lumber Type as 1, then fill in the Thickness as 2, the Width as 4, and the Length as 8). This will
allow the system to calculate the conversion factors when you enter the pricing and alternate units of measure
below.
2. Pricing unit - Consider how you want the system to handle the pricing. The price rounding flag in IMU screen
“C” affects only the values in this column, and this price is the only pricing unit of measure that Functions IPC
and RP utilize. The rule of thumb would be to set your pricing unit the same as your purchase unit, so that when
you receive in RP, or post prices in IPC, you could post them from the vendor's invoice—which, in the case of
lumber, is usually “MF” (thousand board feet price). CPOS is not required to use this unit of measure pricing; it
can use either the stocking or alternate unit of measure as well. If using Lumber Type 1, 2, 3, or 4, the unit of
measure you choose must be one of the valid units of measure listed above.
Document # 5377-Setting Up Lumber Type Records
Copyright © 1997 Cooperative Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 3 of 5
Date 09/08/97
If you want to set your retail price for lumber by the “MF” (thousand board feet), your strategy would be to set
the pricing unit to “MF”; but if you prefer to figure and set your retail prices by the each (EA), then you would
set the pricing unit of measure to “EA”. To be consistent, consider all lumber SKUs in the system when making
this decision. Then if you have exceptions by customer, you may use the Default Prc UM field in MCR.
3. Stk unit - (Stocking unit) This field is display only, and was established previously on IMU screen “S”.
4. Alt unit - (Alternate unit) This is for a third, or alternate, unit of measure. If you do not require a third unit of
measure, it can be the same as the Pricing or Stk unit. If using Lumber Type 1, 2, 3, or 4, it must be one of the
valid units of measure listed above, under “Lumber Types”.
5. Decimal Pl - (Decimal Place) This field is filled in automatically, based upon the unit measure you have selected
previously, when you press the <Change> key. The system will pull the decimal placement based on the setup in
Function MUM. You are able to manually change the Decimal Pl for the Pricing or Alt units, but not Stk units.
6. Conversion - If you choose Lumber Type 1, 2, 3, or 4, the system will calculate and enter the conversion factor
for you. If you choose Lumber Type 0, you must manually calculate the conversion factor—Set the pricing
conversion factor to the number of pricing units in one stocking unit, and then set the alternate conversion to the
number of alternate units in one stocking unit. Function PCF can calculate this for you.
7. Cost/Retail - You must input the cost and retail price in the correct corresponding unit of measure. For example,
if you have your 2” x 4” x 8’ set up with Price Unit as “MF”, Stk unit as “EA”, and Alt unit as “LF”, then your
per thousand cost must be in the column labeled Pricing to correspond with your unit of measure as “MF”. The
system will calculate the Stk cost and the Alt cost based upon the conversion factors. Average cost must be in the
stocking unit value. When you press <Change> on your record, if there is no average cost listed, the system will
put your replacement cost in this field.
** Check the Actual GP% after you have put in your cost and retail and pressed <Change>. If it is a negative or
excessively large value such as 99%, then you probably have one of the following errors: a cost or retail in the
wrong field, a bad conversion factor, or an incorrect decimal place set up.
8. Market cost - This is your replacement cost in the Purchase Unit of measure. For example, if a 2” x 4” x 16’ has
a replacement cost of $3.733 each, but the purchase unit of measure is “MF”, then the cost per thousand would
be $350.00 “MF” (see “The BF Formula” above). This field can either be manually set, or will be set through
purchasing and receiving when using RRP Update Option: “F” and “C”, or through IPC, Change Type: “M”.
9. Default POS Units - These fields determine which unit of measure CPOS will sell and price by. They should be
set to the units of measure you most commonly use for most customers. They can be changed on a per-item basis
at CPOS, or a default pricing unit of measure can be set by customer in Function MCR (the MCR default
overrides the IMU default).
*Selling - This is the default unit of measure that displays in the QTY (quantity) field in CPOS. It is most
commonly set to the stocking unit of measure, so an “S” is usually entered here.
*Pricing - This is the default unit of measure that displays in the price field in CPOS, and should be set to the
unit measure for which you want most customers to see their pricing in. In the example in step 7,
which was set up with a Pricing Unit of “MF”, Stocking Unit of “EA”, and Alt Unit of “LF”, you
could choose any one of these three as your Default Pricing Unit (denoted by the letters P, S, or A,
respectively), depending upon whether your want the price in CPOS to come up by the thousand
board feet (MF), by the each (EA), or by the lineal foot (LF).
**PRESS <CHANGE> WHILE ON THE PRICING SCREEN AFTER FILLING OUT ALL FIELDS NEEDED**
As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility in setting up Lumber-Type records. This is why it is important to
think carefully about the strategy that best suits your business. Before your finalize your decision, you may find it
useful to experiment in the TRAIN mode so you can see how different strategies work in CPOS, RP, and IPC.
Document # 5377-Setting Up Lumber Type Records
Copyright © 1997 Cooperative Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 4 of 5
Date 09/08/97
Basic Strategies:
Product Lumber
Dimensional
Hardwood (random length/width)
Hardwood (dimensional)
Plywood/Sheetrock
Siding - 4’ x 8’/4’ x 9’ pieces
Siding
Insulation
Moulding (random length)
Moulding (specific length)
3 Tab Shingles
Type
1
0
2
3
3
4
0
0
0
0
Pricing Unit
MF
MF
MF
MS
MS
MS
MS
CL
CL or LF
SQ
Stk Unit
EA
BF
EA
EA
EA
EA
RL
LF
EA or PC
BD (bundle)
Alt Unit
EA
BF
BF or LF
SF or EA
SF or EA
LF, EA, SF
LF
LF
EA or PC
BD
The Pricing and Alt units can be switched; however, Functions CPP (Category Pricing Plan), IPC/RPC
(Price Changes), RP/RRP (Receiving), and the Price Rounding flag in IMU Screen “C” will utilize the pricing under
the Pricing column only. The example below shows a 2” x 4” x 8’ Hem Fir using “MF” pricing in the Pricing
column.
Sample Screen of IMU - Screen P:
Screen: P Chg Type: M
In Stores: 1________
________________________
SKU: 248HF_________
Dept: LR
Class: ___
Fineline : ______
Description: 2X4X8 HEM FIR___________________
Sequence #: 1000__________
Prime Vend : LUMB_
Mfg Vend: _____
Record Type: L
Lumber Type: 1 Thickness(in): 2
Width(in): 4
Length(ft): 8
======================= Store Specific Data - Prices ===========================
STORE: 1
| Mfg Cost
: 2.133
Pricing
Stk
Alt
| Mfg Chg
: 1/27/97
Units:
MF
PC
BF
Actual
| Avg Cost
: 2.666
Decimal Pl: 3
0
0
GP %
| Rpl GP%
: 21.98
Conversion: 5.3333 1.0000 5.333
(Avg)
| *Market Cost : 500.000/MF
|
Cost
: 499.875
2.666
.499
| Repl Chg
: 3/ 6/97
Retail
: 640.690
3.417
.640 21.98
| Retail Chg
: 6/27/97
| Old Retail
: 579.375
List
: ________
| Desired GP% : 22.00 %
Promotion : ________
|
Price 1
: 640.690
3.417
.427 21.98
| Product Code :
Price 2
: 640.690
3.417
.427 21.98
| Qty on Hand :
-24
Price 3
: 640.690
3.417
.427 21.98
|--- Default POS Units --Price 4
: 640.690
3.417
.427 21.98
|*Selling:S /Stock Units
Price 5
: 640.690
3.417
.427 21.98
|*Pricing:P /Price Units
E di t e d
B y :
Master Data (P)
S c o t t
C r e a t e d B y : T e r e s a J o h n s on
P a rs o n s
C o -e d it e d
Document # 5377-Setting Up Lumber Type Records
Copyright © 1997 Cooperative Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
By :
L au r a
We i n er
Page 5 of 5
Date 09/08/97