The steps to create a unit of measure depend on which mode QuickBooks is using: Single U/M Per Item or Multiple U/M Per Item. See our article on setting the unit of measure preference for more information.
In Multiple U/M Per Item, units of measure are maintained by the U/M Set List. Click on the Lists->U/M Set List menu selection to maintain this list.
When the multiple unit of measure mode is selected, a unit of measure set converts a Base Unit, such as each, to one or more Related Units, such as a dozen or case. In the unit of measure set below, the Base Unit each contains 1 unit. The Related Unit dozen contains 12; a case contains 24.
To add a new Related Unit, click on a blank line in the Related Units table and enter the Name, Abbreviation, and # of [Base Unit Abbreviation] for the Related Unit. Click Ok to save your changes; once changes are saved, QuickBooks will re-sort the list from the related unit containing the fewest number of base units to that containing the most.
To add an entirely new U/M Set Name, click the U/M Set button on the U/M Set List window (shown above) and choose New on the pop-up menu. This invokes the Unit of Measure Wizard, a 5 step process that guides you through creating a new unit of measure set.
First, choose the type of the unit of measure to create and click Next. For this example, we’ll create a Count unit of measure.
Second, choose the Base Unit. We’ll choose Each.
Third, choose the Related Units by placing a check mark in the Add column. We’ll add pair, a related unit that contains 2 of the base unit.
Fourth, set the default units of measure for purchases, sales, and shipments.
Finally, name the unit of measure set and click Finish.
Another approach to adding a new unit of measure set is to open the Edit Item window and click on in the U/M Set pulldown selector. To change the currently selected unit of measure set, click the Edit… button; this opens the same Edit U/M Set window displayed above.