The Units of Measure (UOM) feature in ShipStation lets you define how inventory items are counted, sold, and tracked across your operations. With it, you can assign specific measurement types to products, like pack, case, and pallet quantities. You can apply units of measure at the product level so that every inventory action is more efficient and accurately reflects the right quantities automatically.
To use Units of Measure, you must manage your inventory in ShipStation.
Standardizing how your inventory is measured keeps your operations accurate and efficient. Configuring Units of Measure in ShipStation can help you with:
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Inventory Accuracy: Ensure stock levels reflect true quantities by aligning how items are received, stored, and shipped.
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Fewer Fulfillment Errors: Eliminate unit mismatches between supplier shipments and customer orders by defining consistent measurement standards.
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Streamlined Purchase Orders: Receive inventory at the correct unit level (Pack, Case, or Pallet) to eliminate manual counting and reduce receiving errors.
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Scalable Operations: Support a variety of product types, from single units to bulk cases, without manual conversion or workarounds.
There are two ways to create a Unit of Measure (UOM):
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Create a UOM for an individual SKU, and
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Bulk import a UOM for /multiple SKUs.
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Select Import > Import Units of Measure from the toolbar.
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Attach your desired CSV file, then click Upload & Preview.
Sample CSV Template
You can always download the sample CSV file from the pop-up to know how to properly format your file.
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Match fields in ShipStation with the columns from your CSV File.
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Click Start Import.
Your product will now be updated with your UOM data.
Streamline your inventory tracking by creating and printing custom barcodes for your Units of Measure directly within ShipStation.
Follow these steps to assign custom barcodes to your specific Units of Measure or have ShipStation auto-generate them for you, ensuring consistent inventory tracking across all your pack and case quantities.
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Choose 1 of 2 methods to add a barcode. You can either
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Click + Add New to create a new UOM,
OR
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Click the Actions menu ellipsis
and choose Edit to update an existing UOM.
This image shows where both options are in the UI.
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Choose to either input your own barcode details,
OR use ShipStation to auto- generate barcodes for you.
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Click Save.
You can print unique barcodes for your Units of Measure (UOM) directly from ShipStation to streamline your warehouse scanning, inventory tracking, and order receiving workflows.
Once you have created UOMs with your products, you can then use the SKU or barcode of those UOMs to quickly order and receive items.
Optimize your procurement process by using specific Units of Measure on your purchase orders.
Want to learn more about purchase orders in ShipStation? See our Create & Manage Purchase Orders page.
Follow these steps to include UOMs in your next order.
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Go to the Products tab.
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Click Purchase Orders in the side navigation.
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Click Create Purchase Orders.
The Create Purchase Order window will open.
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Scroll to the Add products field, then input or scan the desired UOM barcode or SKU.
The UOM will then show in the Add products grid.
Verify the UOM in Product Details
If you don't see a UOM, you can verify that one has been added for that product SKU. Click on the SKU name in the window to open the Product Details pop-up. There, you can check if the UOM was added properly.
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Click Save and Order.
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Click Submit to confirm Purchase Order Submission.
Want to learn more about purchase orders in ShipStation? See our Create & Manage Purchase Orders page.
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Go to the Products tab.
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Click Purchase Orders in the side navigation.
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Select the Order # of your desired Purchase Order.
The Purchase Order details page will open.
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Click Receive Stock.
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Scan or enter the barcode or SKU of the UOM that was received.
For example, if a pack of 6 eaches was scanned, the quantity of received goods will increase by 6.
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Continue scanning to receive all goods.
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Click Save.
You can use the Scan to Receive feature to efficiently update your stock levels by scanning or manually entering the specific Unit of Measure barcode for the items you are receiving.
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Go to the Products tab.
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Click Inventory, then select your desired warehouse.
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Click Receive Stock.
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Scroll to the Add products field, then input or scan the desired UOM barcode or SKU.
The UOM will then show in the Add products grid.
Verify the UOM in Product Details
If you don't see a UOM, you can verify that one has been added for that product SKU. Click on the SKU name in the window to open the Product Details pop-up. There, you can check if the UOM was added properly.
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Continue receiving all goods.
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Click Save.
Your stock levels will be adjusted to add all received goods in 'eaches'.
Industry Term: Eaches
An industry-standard term, Eaches represents the individual units received.