Pricing Model: Unit Conversion

The Unit Conversion pricing model is for situations where you buy a material in one unit of measure but want to record per-product usage in a different, smaller unit. Instead of doing the conversion yourself every time, you set it up once in the material, and CrafterBy handles it automatically.

When to use it

Use Unit Conversion when:

• You buy the material in a bulk or large unit (kg, litre, 100-pack)
• You use it in a smaller unit (grams, mL per product, individual units from a pack)

Good examples:

• Beeswax — bought in 5 kg blocks, used in grams per candle
• Dye powder — bought in 250 g tins, used in grams per batch
• Packaging peanuts — bought in a 20 L bag, used in litres per shipment
• Jump rings — bought in a 500-piece bag, used individually

Setting up a Unit Conversion material

1. Follow the steps in Adding a Material.
2. Select Unit Conversion as the pricing model.
3. Enter the Purchase Unit (the unit you buy in, e.g., kg).
4. Enter the Usage Unit (the unit you record usage in, e.g., grams).
5. Enter the Conversion Factor: how many usage units equal one purchase unit (e.g., 1 kg = 1,000 g, so enter 1000).
6. Enter the Purchase Quantity in purchase units (e.g., 5 for a 5 kg block).
7. Enter the Purchase Price.
8. CrafterBy calculates: Cost per usage unit = Purchase Price / (Purchase Quantity × Conversion Factor).

Worked example

You buy beeswax in 5 kg blocks for €32.00. Each candle uses 180 g of beeswax.

• Purchase Unit: kg
• Usage Unit: grams
• Conversion Factor: 1,000 (1 kg = 1,000 g)
• Purchase Quantity: 5 kg
• Purchase Price: €32.00
• Total grams purchased: 5 × 1,000 = 5,000 g
• Cost per gram: €32.00 / 5,000 = €0.0064/g

For a candle using 180 g:

• Material cost: 180 × €0.0064 = €1.15

Unit Conversion vs. Weight per Length

Both models handle "buy in bulk, use in pieces." The distinction:

• Use Weight per Length when the purchase unit and usage unit are the same dimension (both lengths, both weights) and you typically specify the usage unit when buying too.
• Use Unit Conversion when the purchase convention and the usage convention differ — e.g., the supplier sells in kg but you think in grams.