Adding a Material

Before you can add a material to a product, the material must exist in your materials library. This article walks through the creation process.

Steps

1. In the main navigation, go to Materials.
2. Click Add Material in the top-right corner.
3. Enter a Name. Use a name that makes it easy to identify later, including the variant if relevant (e.g., "Soy Wax C3 Pillar Blend" rather than just "Wax").
4. Select or create a Category (e.g., Waxes, Fragrances, Packaging). Categories help you filter your materials list.
5. Choose a Pricing Model. This determines how CrafterBy calculates the cost per unit you use in a product. See below.
6. Enter the purchase details: supplier name, purchase price, and the quantity that price covers (varies by pricing model).
7. Optionally, enable stock tracking and set an opening stock quantity and minimum stock level.
8. Click Save.

Choosing a pricing model

The pricing model is the most important decision when adding a material. Pick the one that matches how you buy and use it:

• Simple (Unit Price) — buy individual units, use individual units. Example: glass jars, wick holders, labels.
• Sheet Dimensions — buy a sheet, cut pieces from it. Example: leather, EVA foam, fabric.
• Weight per Length — buy by weight or length, use a measured portion. Example: cotton thread on a spool, wire by the metre.
• Dimensional (Volume) — buy by volume, use a measured amount. Example: fragrance oil (mL), resin (mL), paint (mL).
• Unit Conversion — buy in one unit, record usage in a different unit. Example: buy beeswax by the kg, use by the gram.

You can change the pricing model later, but it resets the cost-per-unit calculation, so try to pick correctly from the start.

After saving

The material appears in your materials library and is immediately available to add to products. CrafterBy displays the calculated cost per unit on the material card so you can verify the number looks correct before using it.

If the cost per unit looks wrong, check the purchase price and quantity fields — a common error is entering the unit price where the total purchase price is expected, or vice versa.